AL-Desk supports website integration using the AL-Desk Webportal (XML Server) and it's API. The AL-Desk webportal has been in development since 2005 and supports just about anything AL-Desk can do.

Over the years we have watched different development teams take on the task of integrating their website with AL-Desk.

  • Development team must learn about the Activity Industry
  • Modern web development is more than just scripting but now includes AJAX integration and mobile support
  • Tools to work with XML sources rather than databases including caching technology must be developed
  • Content integration is a large task (products, prices, images, product content)
  • Developers always want to bring in their own custom database

ActivityLink Systems has developed AL-Desk Cloud Edition (ACE) to jump start AL-Desk Web Deployments. Instead of web development teams required to program a website that could take months, ACE allows an AL-Desk Admin and a Web Designer to deploy a full e-commerce site in a manner of weeks.

ACE Design Goals

  • Empower AL-Desk Admins to control product content on their website without website developer intervention
  • Integrate AL-Desk content with web based CMS system
  • Widget based design to allow for custom pages to be built and deployed by non-technical AL-Desk users.
  • Full Featured eCommerce
  • AL-Desk based HTML Templates available for Email and website pages
  • Support any number of Websites from the same AL-Desk webportal (White Label support)
  • Allow web designers access to CSS
  • No database required for website

How a typical ACE deployment works

  • AL-Desk Admin picks the products to be shown on the website
  • AL-Desk Admin populates web product descriptions and links to Images. Any number of product images are supported
  • Web designer works on website design and delivers mocked up website with CSS/Images to ALS
  • ALS Web Team does intial ACE /CSS integration based on web designers style sheets
  • AL-Desk Admin creates ACE menus with filters for product groups (ie Air, Land , Sea or any other criteria)
  • Web designer uses ACE login to tweek CSS
  • Repeat as required. Both AL-Desk admin and Web Designer tasks can start immediately and concurrently.

Development time moves from months to weeks. Initial deployment is immediate. 

New websites can be spun off at any time using different product subsets via AL-Desk Pricing programs and additional website style sheets.

ACE is being contantly updated with new features that the website automatically gets as part of their ACE subscription. Advanced features like web based signature capture triggered by html template based emails have been deployed for over a year.

ACE Technical Features

  • Built on the yii framework
  • CSS based on bootstrap which includes responsive design (mobile,tablet support)
  • Designed from the ground up for XML rather than a database with caching technology built in
  • Widget based Design to allow for flexible page design
  • Complete CMS built in and integrated with AL-Desk Product and pricing information