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OFBiz Tutorial – How to fulfill a sales order that has more than one ship group

Friday, April 23rd, 2010

In our last OFBiz tutorial by Jacopo we learned how to place a sales order comprising of multiple ship groups. Lets carry on with this OFBiz development tutorial and learn how to fulfill a sales order containing more than one ship group which is yet another interesting feature present OOTB.

The items in the ship group may differ from the previous tutorial and is not important though but in general the tutorial will present you with a step by step guide to fulfill a sales order.

Lets get started assuming that you have a very basic knowledge of warehouse.

The first step is to select a warehouse.

OFBiz Tutorial - Sales Order - Step 1

Select a warehouse from the drop-down and click on the submit button. Go to Picking tab to see the orders for picking.

OFBiz Tutorial - Sales Order - Step 2

The screen displays a list of orders that are in approved status. An order may require stock move prior to picking. There are a total of 4 grouping methods available OOTB to group the orders for picking namely: Group by Shipping Method, Group by Warehouse Area, Group by Number of Order Items and Zero grouping.

Lets just stick to zero grouping method i.e. when no grouping method is selected. From the screen below (part of the above screen) we find that order is not ready for picking yet and needs a stock move.

Stock move is moving inventory from a bulk location to a primary/pick location where a picker can actually pick the inventory items.

OFBiz Tutorial - Sales Order - Step 3

You cannot create a picklist until and unless order is ready for picking. Lets do the required stock move first.

OFBiz Tutorial - Sales Order - Step 4

Once we complete the stock move, the screen will show that no other stock move is required.

OFBiz Tutorial - Sales Order - Step 5

Lets go back to the picking screen and see whether the order is now ready for picking or not.

OFBiz Tutorial - Sales Order - Step 6

Now the order is ready for picking (see the second column) and we can create the picklist as well. After creating the picklist, we need to pick the order. This can be done through Manage Picklist screen.

OFBiz Tutorial - Sales Order - Step 7

Once the order is picked, change the status from the drop-down to Picked.

OFBiz Tutorial - Sales Order - Step 8

The order picking is now complete. Lets move further and learn how to pack the order. Click on Packing tab. On the packing screen, enter the order ID (left most) and the ship group ID (Right most) in the input box. The ship group though defaults to 00001 and you may only need to change it if you are packing the order for a different ship group other then 00001.

Click on Pack Order button. This will show the items that need to be packed for ship group 00001.

OFBiz Tutorial - Sales Order - Step 9

Click on Pack Item button. This will pack all the items in a single package and will show the number of package and items in these packages.

OFBiz Tutorial - Sales Order - Step 10

Click on Complete button. This will complete the packing of order for ship group 00001. A shipment and an invoice will be generated.

OFBiz Tutorial - Sales Order - Step 11

Now lets try to print the shipping label that can be affixed on this package. For this click on the shipment ID link and then go to Route Segments tab.

OFBiz Tutorial - Sales Order - Step 12

Click on Confirm Shipment with UPS button to confirm the shipment with UPS. Once the shipment is confirmed, a new button “Accept UPS Shipment Confirmation” will appear on the screen.

OFBiz Tutorial - Sales Order - Step 13

Click this button and the shipping label will be received from the UPS.

OFBiz Tutorial - Sales Order - Step 14

The shipping label can be viewed from View Label Image button and once printed can be affixed on each package.

You can now perform the same steps to pack items for ship group 00002. Once the order is packed for both ship groups the status of order will change to Completed.

OFBiz Tutorial - Sales Order - Step 15

This accomplishes the fulfillment of the order.

Vikas Mayur is a dynamic OFBiz developer working for HotWax Media as a Director of Software Development in India.  He works in web based application and ERP software using OFBiz, which is a top level project of Apache Software Foundation.

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Posted in Apache OFBiz, Apache OFBiz Development, Enterprise eCommerce, HotWax Media, OFBiz, OFBiz Development, OFBiz Tutorials | 1 Comment »

OFBiz Tutorial – Order Entry and Ship Groups

Friday, April 16th, 2010

A robust enterprise eCommerce system needs to handle manual order entries that are sometimes complex. In this OFBiz Tutorial we will go over how this works in OFBiz.

Example:

An order clerk has to place a sales order on behalf of a customer (order received by fax, by mail, by phone etc..); the order contains several items and the customer asks that the order is shipped with two (or more) shipments with different delivery dates and/or to different postal addresses and/or with different shipment methods or shipping instructions; the customer clearly specify the items to be assigned to each shipment.

How can you do this in OFBiz?

The order clerk can easily place an order like this by defining multiple ship groups: ship groups represent a way to group into different sets the items of an order and each ship group has its own shipping options, delivery dates, shipment address. Ship groups are created during order checkout.

For example, let’s suppose that the order clerk has to place an order for 10 units of the product with id WG-1111 and 5 units of the product with id GZ-1000.

The customer needs immediately 5 units of WG-1111 and prefers to pay for the quickest shipment method available, while all the 5 units of GZ-1000 and the remaining 5 units of WG-1111 (together with some promotional items) can wait and so they will be shipped using a cheaper and slower shipping method later.

Let’s do this step by step.

The first part is easy because it is exactly like placing a standard order:

go to the order entry screen and enter the customer id

sg1

add to the cart 10 units of WG-1111 and 5 units of GZ-1000 (don’t worry about the ship groups now, you will do this at checkout); if you are running the standard OFBiz demo you will also get some promotional items

sg2

now we are ready for the checkout and we click on the “Finalize Order” button;

sg3

the first checkout screen let us select the shipment address and this is where we add the second ship group that we need by clicking on the “New Ship Group” button:

sg4

the page will reload with two ship group sections; set the shipment address for each of them and click on the “Continue” button

sg5

in the next screen you will have the ability to move the items from one ship group to the other; initially all the items will be in the first ship group and the second one will be empty

sg6

using the drop down boxes and the quantity field near each item you can move the items to the second ship group

sg7

now click on the “Continue” button, the next screen will let you set the shipment method and options for each ship group; just make sure you select the proper method for each group;

sg8

sg9

The next steps are exactly the same as a standard order, so complete the checkout and confirm the order.

The exercise is now complete!

If you visit the order detail screen you will notice that there are now two boxes for the shipment information (one for each group):

sg10

You can now fulfill the order as usual and the only difference is that you will create two different shipments (one for each ship group): when the shipment is created from the ship group, OFBiz will create a shipment containing the items assigned to that ship group only.

- Jacopo

Jacopo Cappellato is VP of Technology at HotWax Media and has been involved with the OFBiz project since 2003. He is an OFBiz Project Committer and a member of both the OFBiz Project Management Committee and the Apache Software Foundation.Jacopo Cappellato - OFBiz Developer - OFBiz Expert

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Posted in Apache OFBiz, Apache OFBiz Development, HotWax Media, OFBiz Development, OFBiz Tutorials | 2 Comments »

Enterprise E-Commerce and ERP: Common Questions Series Part 2

Thursday, April 8th, 2010

enterprise-ecommerce

For HotWax Media an Apache OFBiz development firm, 2010 is delivering a great batch of new open source e-commerce and ERP projects. Whether from existing clients looking to invest in system enhancements or new clients ready to invest after a cautious 2009, HotWax Media is seeing a good deal of activity in the form of active projects and a healthy sales pipeline.

Along with a boost in free cash flow, this activity continues to generate great input from clients, which fits in nicely with my ongoing series discussing common questions related to open source e-commerce and ERP projects.

Enterprise eCommerce and ERP projects can have a lot of moving pieces. As businesses grow, old systems can limit potential. It can be painful for businesses to identify these limitations and understand the impact they are having on current profitability and future growth. At HotWax Media, it is our mission help our clients understand these problems, and then to make the problems go away.

Let’s dive into the next round of common questions and talk about answers. The answers here are meant to be relatively short and sweet. If you are looking for additional detail or are more interested in learning how HotWax Media can help you optimize your e-commerce and ERP for your business, contact us without delay!

The first questions pertains to both existing and new businesses who want to take a measured approach:

1. Can we do this in phases?

Yes. HotWax Media implements e-commerce and ERP systems using Apache OFBiz. OFBiz consists of a complete set of individual ERP applications, including a robust e-commerce system. The data model in OFBiz, furthermore, allows HotWax Media to account for just about anything that is going on in a given legacy system, and integrate where needed in order to facilitate a phased approach.

For example, if your business is running on NetSuite, but you want a better e-commerce solution, phase 1 of your project can consist of an affordable, powerful B2C e-commerce site upgrade that is completely integrated with your NetSuite back end. In subsequent phases, you can replace NetSuite completely — at your own pace, in discrete, manageable steps.

The second question usually comes from clients who have been burned in the past by irresponsible promises from proprietary software vendors:

2. Can we customize the system (without blowing our budget)?

Yes. As I mentioned above, HotWax Media implements ERP systems using Apache OFBiz. OFBiz is meant to be customized. As part of a standard OFBiz ERP implementation, HotWax Media works with clients to understand the nuances of their business requirements and workflows, and then implements a system that accommodates those specific needs.

It amazes me to hear from clients, as I have repeatedly, that they paid for an expensive proprietary ERP system only to learn later that it could not do what they needed it to do. And by the way, they do not own the system, and they are on the hook to pay recurring licensing fees in order to keep using it. Never mind the principle of it all — strategically, that sucks.

The nature of open source software in general, and of Apache OFBiz specifically, is to be transparent and customizable. My general statement to clients is, “If we can define a consistent set of requirements together, we can absolutely make OFBiz meet those requirements.”

The final question applies to everyone:

3. How many different companies will we need to work with in order to implement our system?

One. HotWax Media. We offer a complete set of e-commerce and ERP implementation services, ranging from business analysis through graphic design and UI to development and testing. We provide the project management and collaboration tools to accommodate all aspects of the project, and we will even handle hardware, infrastructure and hosting in partnership with our colleagues at Contegix.

Keeping your project under one roof improves quality and saves money. It’s that simple.

Feel free to let us know if you have other common questions you would like to see addressed in this series, or contact us today to learn more about how HotWax Media can help you build and grow your e-commerce business.

View my previous post where I covered other commonly asked questioned about Enterprise E-Commerce and ERP deployment or expansion.

- Mike

Mike Bates is CEO at HotWax Media and will join other HotWax Media employees and advisors in periodically posting thoughts here related to OFBiz, eCommerce, ERP, and related topics.
OFBiz Expert

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Posted in Apache OFBiz, Apache OFBiz Development, Enterprise eCommerce, HotWax Media, OFBiz, OFBiz Development, OFBiz eCommerce | No Comments »

The HotWax Media Way: An Apache “OFBiz Service Provider” Partnering with Contegix for Beyond Managed Hosting and Infrastructure Support

Tuesday, March 30th, 2010

Today we’ll be digging in a bit more deeply on the topic of Contegix’s role in simplifying our business and making hosting and infrastructure first class. As I mentioned in my previous post, the relationship between HotWax and Contegix (www.contegix.com) was forged while we researched migrating our clients’ custom Java applications from a dedicated host (your own server – but you manage the system administration) to a managed hosting provider (this is what Contegix provides for us).

ofbiz service providersmanaged hosting contegix

As Apache OFBiz developers, the opportunity to offload some of the administration and monitoring of these applications seemed like a great option for a small company trying to service more and more customers – while maintaining an emphasis on quality of service. After all, at our core we are OFBiz Service Providers as opposed to infrastructure providers. So finding the best infrastructure experts and partnering with them gives us the best of both worlds — we focus on OFBiz applications, Contegix focuses on infrastructure, and our shared clients win!

The topics that differentiate Contegix from other providers are exactly what made this such an easy decision for us: passionate customer service, expert engineers, instantaneous response time, 24×7 support, 100% Network uptime SLA, attention to detail, etc. After the successful migration of our customers, we carefully looked at each of our applications to see where we could increase our ROI by utilizing more of Contegix’s resources instead of growing these system administration capabilities in house.

Over the past few years, HotWax Media has grown considerably and we have leaned heavily on our relationship with Contegix to help define how all of these disparate applications will work together. We have modeled our application choices based upon how they run their business – knowing that leveraging our partners proven workflows can only provide a greater synergy between our two companies and make us an even more efficient team. These days they manage everything from mail, chat and calendars (with the Zimbra groupware platform) to our global phone system, from single sign on (for all of our applications) to our business to business VPNs, from project management and collaboration software, to staging servers and a large number of production OFBiz installations. They scale with us and we look forward to finding new and creative ways to work together to provide the highest quality service possible.

The next post in this series will focus on the specifics of OFBiz deployment management with a continued emphasis on our partnership with Contegix.

- Tim

Tim Ruppert is Chief Operating Officer at HotWax Media as well as an OFBiz project committer and active community member. Tim will join other HotWax Media employees and advisors in periodically posting thoughts here related to OFBiz, eCommerce, ERP, and related topics.

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Posted in Apache OFBiz, Apache OFBiz Development, HotWax Media, OFBiz, OFBiz Development, OFBiz eCommerce | No Comments »

OFBiz Tutorial – Using CMS for Front End Application Static Pages – Part-1‏

Wednesday, March 17th, 2010

In this post we will demonstrate OFBiz Content Management System usage for front end application static pages through simple content data setup and using it in a screen. This gives clients the flexibility to change the text to be shown on a static page when ever they want, without asking for any code change.

Take the example of an OFBiz e-commerce storefront web site.  Often times, clients will wish to include “static” pages like About Us, FAQ, and so on.  We want to empower the client to update this copy him/herself, without needing to request help from a programmer.  The following example gives us a simple look at how that is done.

All the details given here are supported by the out-of-the-box (OOTB) OFBiz CMS implementation.

In this exercise we will:

  • see the basic concept of DataResource and Content record.
  • setup content data to embed FTL markup.
  • setup a content driven screen and use it show the static content setup in data.

• Assumption: a component is already setup; here we using the name “cmsdemo” for component.

DataResource and Content records

Let’s suppose that we want to define content (that we will include in a screen) for the text “This is the text that will appear on screen.”.

Data Resource of type ELECTRONIC_TEXT

First of all we have to define a DataResource representing this text. This gives you greater flexibility because you can store long texts in the textData field. If you want to embed FTL markup (directives etc…) that needs to be processed before the rendering you can achieve this using the dataTemplateTypeId attribute, in this way all the Freemarker instructions in the text will be executed before rendering the screen. Following data needs to be setup in a data file:

?View Code LANGUAGE
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</p>
<DataResource dataResourceId="DS_EXAMPLE" dataResourceTypeId="ELECTRONIC_TEXT" dataTemplateTypeId="FTL"/>
<ElectronicText dataResourceId="DS_EXAMPLE">
<textData><![CDATA[
<h1>CMS DEMO</h1>
<h2>This is the text that will appear on screen.</h2>
]]></textData>
</ElectronicText>
Content

Now we have to create a Content record that is associated to the DataResource. 
No matter what type of data resource you have choosen, the Content record is the same like:

?View Code LANGUAGE
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<Content contentId="CN_EXAMPLE" contentTypeId="DOCUMENT" contentName="Content 01" dataResourceId="DS_EXAMPLE"/>

Using the element in a screen definition.

Now we can easily include the content directly inside the section of the screen definition with the following directive:

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<screen name="main">
<section>
<actions>
</actions>
<widgets>
<content content-id="CN_EXAMPLE"/>
</widgets>
</section>
</screen>

Running the content driven screen

Load data created for static content

Make sure to have an entry in ofbiz-component file for the data file created for CMS date that we created earlier in the step.

?View Code LANGUAGE
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<entity-resource type="data" reader-name="demo" loader="main" location="data/CmsDemoDemoData.xml"/>

or you can also load it through webtools \–> XML Data Import.

Now make sure you have main request and view defined in your controller file:

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<request-map uri="main"><security https="false" auth="false"/><response name="success" type="view" value="main"/></request-map>
<view-map name="main" type="screen" page="component://cmsdemo/widget/CmsDemoScreens.xml#main"/>

When the request [https://localhost:8443/cmsdemo/control/main] is served you will see the following page that will show up the contents that you have setup in data:

ofbiz cms content management

This was a very basic example of OFBiz CMS capability.  We will expand on the details and demonstrate more OFBiz CMS functionality in upcoming posts.  If you need help with OFBiz CMS in the mean time, contact HotWax Media today!

- Pranay

Pranay Pandey is Manager, Enterprise Software Development at HotWax Media (OFBiz Service Provider) and has been involved with the OFBiz project since 2007. He contributes actively to OFBiz, and also trains HotWax Media developers in OFBiz techniques and best practices.

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Posted in Apache OFBiz, Apache OFBiz Development, OFBiz, OFBiz Development, OFBiz Tutorials, OFBiz eCommerce | 2 Comments »

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