01 - Architecture Overview

Parent: [Webshop-Index Webshop Index] Source: Comfac Webshop Wiki - Chapter 01

Framework Stack

- Frappe Framework - Python/JS full-stack framework

 - Server: Python 3, MariaDB/PostgreSQL
 - ORM: Frappe DocType system (metadata-driven)
 - Web: Jinja2 templates, jQuery frontend
 - API: Whitelisted Python functions exposed as REST endpoints

- ERPNext - ERP layer providing Item, Customer, Quotation, Sales Order, Pricing Rule, etc. - Payments - Payment gateway integration

How the App Integrates

The webshop is a Frappe app installed alongside ERPNext. It:

1. Overrides ERPNext DocTypes via override_doctype_class in hooks.py:

  - Item -> adds website publishing fields
  - Item Group -> adds website rendering (acts as category pages)
  - Payment Request -> customized payment flow

2. Hooks into doc_events for Quotation (validate cart items), Item (sync Website Item), Price List, Tax Rule

3. Provides website generators for Website Item and Item Group (auto-generates web pages from DocType records)

4. Registers web pages at:

  - /all-products - product listing with filters
  - /shop-by-category - category browsing
  - /cart - shopping cart page
  - /orders - order history
  - /wishlist - saved items
  - /<item-route> - individual product pages (generated)
  - /<item-group-route> - category pages (generated)

Data Flow Summary

Website Item (published product)
    |
    v
Product Page (variant selector if template item)
    |
    v
Add to Cart -> Quotation (order_type="Shopping Cart", docstatus=0)
    |           - Quotation Item rows (item_code, qty, rate, amount)
    |           - Pricing rules applied via ERPNext
    |           - Taxes calculated
    v
Place Order -> Quotation.submit() -> Sales Order created
    |
    v
Payment (if checkout enabled) -> Payment Request

Key Design Decisions
1. Cart = Quotation
The shopping cart IS an ERPNext Quotation document with order_type="Shopping Cart". All pricing, taxes, and discounts flow through ERPNext's standard Quotation logic.

2. Website Item vs Item
ERPNext Item is the master. Website Item is a separate DocType that links to Item and adds web-specific fields (route, images, description). This allows selective publishing.

3. Variant Handling
Uses ERPNext's Item Variant system. Template items show a configurator; variant items are the actual purchasable products. Variant data is cached in Redis.

4. No SPA
Traditional server-rendered pages with jQuery for interactivity. Cart updates happen via AJAX calls that return re-rendered HTML fragments.



Next: [Webshop-02-DocTypes 02 - DocTypes]