Apache::iNcom
=============

Version: 0.08

Requirements
------------

        - DBI 1.13
        - mod_perl 1.21
        - libapreq 0.31
        - HTML::Embperl 1.2b10
        - Apache::Session 1.03 + generate_id patch
        - MIME::Base64
        - Locale::Maketext 0.17   + currency patch
        - apache 1.3.6 or later
        - Database which supports transactions. (tested with PostgreSQL 6.5.x)

Description
-----------

    Apache::iNcom is an e-commerce framework. It is not a ready-to-run
    merchant system. It is an integration of different
    components needed for e-commerce into a coherent whole.

    The primary design goals of the framework are flexibility and
    security. Most merchant systems will make assumptions in the way
    your catalog's data, customer's data are structured or on how
    your order process works. Most also imposes severe restrictions
    on how the user will interface to your electronic catalog. This
    is precisely the kind of constraints that Apache::iNcom was
    designed to avoid.

    Apache::iNcom provides the following infrastructure :

        - Session Management
        - Cart Management
        - Input Validation
        - Order management
        - User management
        - << Easy >> database access
        - Internationalization
        - Error handling

    Most of the base functionalities of Apache::iNcom are realized
    by leveraging standard and well known modules like DBI(3) for
    generic SQL database access, HTML::Embperl(3) for dynamic page
    generation, Apache::Session(3) for session management,
    mod_perl(3) for Apache integration and Locale::Maketext(3) for
    localization.

    Here are its assumptions :

        - Data is in a SQL database which supports transactions.
        - Interface is in HTML.
        - Session is managed through cookies.

Installation
------------

    After installing the requirements, you can use the standard

    perl Makefile.PL
    make
    make install

Configuration
-------------

    Apache::iNcom is configured using standard the Apache directives
    PerlSetVar. Activating Apache::iNcom for a particular virtual
    host is a simple as

        <VirtualHost 192.168.1.1>
            PerlInitHandler Apache::iNcom
            PerlSetVar INCOM_URL_PREFIX /incom/
            PerlSetVar INCOM_ROOT       pages
        </VirtualHost>

    This will make all URL starting with `/incom/' served
    dynamically by Apache::iNcom.

    Additionnaly different modules used by Apache::iNcom will be
    configured by profile files. Consult the appropriate module
    documentation for details.

Bugs
----

Send bug reports and suggestions to francis.lacoste@iNsu.COM.

Copyright
---------

Copyright (c) 1999,2000 Francis J. Lacoste and iNsu Innovations. Inc.

This program is free software; you can redistribute it and/or modify
it under the terms of the GNU General Public License as published by
the Free Software Foundation; either version 2 of the License, or
(at your option) any later version.

