Features + a Firefox plugin = a handy inventory check

I recently came across a nice little Firefox plugin called Alertbox that can be used to monitor changes in web pages. The Miva Merchant store I was working on needed needed a way to monitor inventory on a range of products. (Their inventory is updated automatically every 15 minutes from a remote server but this technique could also be used to monitor in-house inventory.) After installing Alertbox, I set up a simple template in our Features module  that displayed the product name, product code and inventory level for the products to be monitored. The products are pulled from a list in Features–it is quick and easy to add or remove products from the list. That template was assigned to a new page, which could then be accessed in a browser allowing Alertbox to go to work. It checks the page every few minutes and alerts you with a sound and unobtrusive icon when the inventory level changes.  As my art teacher used to say, “Simple, but effective.”