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docs/features.rst

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+Features
+========
+
+This page lists the "completed" features for Messkit.  All of the
+following are considered working and stable.
+
+Also note, here we only highlight features deemed Messkit-specific.
+Since Messkit is built on top of lots of other tech, there are `many
+more features`_ which have been complete for years.  Most of those
+underlying features assumed a programmer would "glue" components
+together in code, whereas Messkit is trying to let the admin user do
+that via web app instead.  So this feature list reflects only the
+Messkit-specific goals.
+
+.. _`many more features`: https://rattailproject.org/moin/TheBigTour
+
+
+Configurable Menus
+------------------
+
+Nearly the entire top-level menu is editable.  The "user" menu (far
+right of top menu) is *not* editable, but all other top-level menus
+are "fully" editable.
+
+(More complexity should be allowed yet, e.g. adding a submenu, but the
+common needs are met already.)
+
+Go to the App Settings page (/settings/app/) and from the "Go To
+Configure" dropdown choose Menus.
+
+
+Configurable Views
+------------------
+
+This is related to the previous point (e.g. a menu entry usually
+references some sort of view), but is definitely a separate concern.
+
+First to clarify..  A "view" in this context really means a "Python
+module containing view logic" and that "view logic" is what responds
+to user requests and displays data etc.  Most often a particular view
+is tied to a particular table in the DB.
+
+Messkit comes with many views built-in, but not all will be relevant
+to you.  For instance you might need to see Employees but not
+Products.
+
+Messkit allows for any such built-in view to be:
+
+* disabled
+* enabled, using default view module
+* enabled, using custom view module
+
+Go to the App Settings page (/settings/app/) and from the "Go To
+Configure" dropdown choose Included Views.
+
+
+Custom Reports
+--------------
+
+Messkit comes with "some" reports built-in.  However there are very
+few and they serve mostly as examples.
+
+First to clarify, a "report" in this context really means a "Python
+module containing report logic" and that "report logic" is what
+generates the output file.
+
+Messkit allows you to create new reports (Python modules) to suit your
+needs.  Reporting needs can vary wildly, so Messkit does not try to
+provide the full interface to create a "complete" detailed report.
+But it can generate some skeleton code and get you started in the
+right direction.
+
+More "flavors" of sample code generation should be added, but there
+are some basic ones in place already.  Namely they allow for either
+using raw SQL to query tables, or alternately can use the SQLAlchemy
+models which then auto-generate the SQL needed.
+
+At this time Messkit does not have any smarts about "other systems"
+and therefore sample code it generates will only show how to query the
+Messkit database.  As time goes on more sample code will be added,
+which shows how to query other (e.g. POS) databases, as well as e.g.
+web API for some systems.
+
+Messkit "blends" the custom reports with its built-in reports, in the
+user interface.  Meaning, if a user goes to generate a new report
+(i.e. run a module to produce output) then they will see all available
+reports in the same list.