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OWR Printing Platform - Technical Overview

How everything works behind the scenes (explained simply)

🏗️ What This App Does

The OWR Printing Platform is a web application that helps manage print orders for badges, labels, and lanyards. It collects order information, stores it, and automatically sends it to other systems.

Three Main Parts:

  • Configurator - Where customers create new orders
  • Dashboard - Where staff view and manage all orders
  • Integrations - Automatic connections to other systems

💾 How Data is Stored

All order information is saved in a database. Each order includes:

  • Order number (like PO-1707580800000)
  • Product details (type, size, quantity, etc.)
  • Delivery dates
  • Status (Pending, In Progress, Done)
  • Production pipeline stage
  • File attachments (PDFs, images)

Note: Files are uploaded to secure cloud storage, and we save links to them (not the actual files in the database).

🔌 External System Integrations

✅ IntelliEvent (Lightning API)

What it does: Automatically creates purchase orders in your IntelliEvent system

How it works:

  1. Order gets created in the platform
  2. System logs into IntelliEvent using saved credentials
  3. Creates a purchase order with delivery date and vendor info
  4. Saves the PO number back to our order

Built-in Protection: If IntelliEvent is down, the system will retry automatically up to 3 times with delays. There's also a "circuit breaker" that temporarily stops trying if there are too many failures (prevents overwhelming the system).

✅ Microsoft Teams

What it does: Posts notifications about new orders to a Teams channel

How it works:

  1. Admin connects their Microsoft account (one-time setup)
  2. System stores secure access tokens
  3. When needed, posts messages to your Teams channel
  4. Tokens automatically refresh before expiring

Security: The system uses OAuth (industry standard authentication) so we never store your password. Tokens can be revoked anytime from your Microsoft account.

✅ SharePoint File Upload

What it does: Uploads order attachments to SharePoint for central storage

How it works:

  1. File gets uploaded to the platform first
  2. System copies it to your SharePoint folder
  3. Files are named with order ID for easy organization

🔐 Security & Access Control

User Roles

  • Admin: Full access - view, edit, delete orders, configure integrations
  • User: Can view and manage orders, but no system configuration
  • Public: Anyone can create orders via Configurator (no login required)

Credentials Storage

All API keys, passwords, and tokens are stored as encrypted "secrets" (environment variables). They're never visible in the code or exposed to users.

🎨 User Interface

The app is built with modern web technologies:

  • React: Powers the interactive interface
  • Tailwind CSS: Handles all styling and design
  • Responsive Design: Works perfectly on phones, tablets, and desktops
  • Real-time Updates: Dashboard refreshes automatically when data changes

📊 Order Workflow

1

Order Creation

Customer fills out Configurator form → Order saved to database → IntelliEvent PO created automatically

2

Processing

Staff moves order through production stages: Orders Received → Artwork → Production → QC → Ready for Pickup

3

Notifications

Important updates can be sent to Teams channel (when configured)

4

Completion

Order marked as "Done" → Files archived to SharePoint

💡 Key Benefits

  • Automation: No manual PO creation in IntelliEvent
  • Reliability: Automatic retries and error handling
  • Visibility: All orders in one place with production tracking
  • Mobile-Friendly: Access from anywhere on any device
  • Secure: Role-based access and encrypted credentials