tracking_kits/docs/project-overview.md

tracking_kits - Project Overview

Date: 2026-03-13 Type: Web application Architecture: Classic ASP MVC-style monolith

Executive Summary

This project manages operational workflows for election mail tracking kits. Users browse jurisdictions, create tracking kits, print or export proof artifacts, manage purple envelope and custom office copy jobs, generate inkjet-ready files, and produce export files for online mail tracking. The app is tightly coupled to Windows infrastructure, IIS, COM/ActiveX components, and an Access database.

Project Classification

• Repository Type: Monolith
• Project Type: Classic ASP server-rendered web app
• Primary Languages: VBScript, ASP, SQL, VBScript automation
• Architecture Pattern: Controller + View + Repository over shared MVC helper libraries

Technology Stack Summary

Category	Technology	Notes
Web runtime	IIS + Classic ASP	index.asp redirects into controller ASP files
Server language	VBScript	Option Explicit is used in application files
MVC framework	Custom /MVC helpers	Routing, form cache, HTML security, flash, automapper
Data access	ADO via lib.DAL.asp	Repository classes issue SQL directly
Database	Access MDB via Jet/ACE	Sample MDB files exist in Data/; migrations are ASP/SQL scripts
Reporting	ReportMan ActiveX	Used for proofs and label PDFs
PDF/export	Debenu PDF Library ActiveX	Used by import/export automation
External integration	Chilkat COM components	FTP/SFTP and CSV-related utilities appear in automation/config
Testing	ASPUnit	Test runner is served through IIS
Automation	VBScript and PowerShell	Import service and helper scripts live outside the web request path

Key Features

• Jurisdiction browsing and search by JCode, Name, address, and IMB-related fields
• Tracking kit creation and maintenance
• Switchboard views for tracking kits and purple envelope kits
• Label and proof generation through report templates in Data/*.rep
• Inkjet record management and color assignment
• SnailWorks export generation
• Import-service automation for processing tracking data outside the web app

Architecture Highlights

• Requests enter through controller .asp files directly, not a centralized front controller.
• Shared includes in ../App/include_all.asp act as the real application bootstrap.
• Repositories own SQL and data mapping responsibilities.
• Views are server-side .asp templates rendered from controller methods.
• The runtime assumes file-system side effects: creating folders, writing PDFs/CSVs, and moving export files.
• The app has environment-specific behavior embedded in code, especially in ../App/app.config.asp and ../ImportService/TrackingDataImport.vbs.

Development Overview

Prerequisites

• Windows + IIS + Classic ASP
• Access/Jet or ACE provider
• Registered COM dependencies for reporting/export features

Getting Started

The repo can be edited anywhere, but meaningful runtime verification requires IIS on Windows. The Linux workspace is sufficient for code review and documentation generation, not end-to-end proof/export execution.

Key Commands

• Run app: Serve repo root from IIS
• Run tests: Open Tests/Test_All.asp
• Run import service manually: cscript ImportService/TrackingDataImport.vbs

Repository Structure

• App/ contains the application logic, views, and repositories.
• MVC/ contains the shared Classic ASP framework code.
• Data/ contains migrations, report templates, and sample assets.
• ImportService/ contains out-of-band processing logic.
• Tests/ contains helper-library tests via ASPUnit.
• Dependancies/ holds external binaries and COM-related artifacts needed in production-like environments.

Documentation Map

• index.md - master documentation index
• architecture.md - detailed technical architecture
• source-tree-analysis.md - directory structure and entry points
• development-guide.md - local development workflow

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Generated for brownfield analysis.