How the outbound messaging system works

Outbound messaging system overview diagram

The messaging system uses a plug-in model that implements the Java 2 Enterprise Edition Connector Architecture (J2EE/CA) to provide a common interface between the system and the various transports. During administration of the system, Site Administrators can perform the following tasks:

At run time, when a message is generated by a WebSphere Commerce messaging system, the following events occur:

  1. The appropriate profile is retrieved for the message type. IIf no store profile exists for that message with the corresponding active transport, the site profile is used. The profile is used to determine what transport method and settings are used.
  2. If the message uses the composition service, a JSP template is used to generate the message.
  3. The message is sent through the run time interface to the transport, which delivers the notification.

The use of a common interface with external transports allows the implementation details of the transport to be kept separate from the operation of the messaging system. This architecture makes it possible to plug in additional transports that adhere to the J2EE/CA interface.

For more information on the Sample transport plug-in, see the WebSphere Commerce Programming Guide and Tutorials.