Routing objects on action paths

The author presents a comprehensive routing system for dispatching an object between action stops, finding the principals (on the basis of functional information), notifying them in turn when their action is required, and potentially relocating the routed object to their nodes. Additional mechanisms for nagging principles who forget to act on the object, reporting progress (or lack thereof) to other principles, handling routing exceptions, sharing action paths, and routing an object on a parallel path are discussed. The routing system is built as a generic service layer above object-support services. It is easy to use, flexible, and reliable