An object oriented framework mechanism provides a straightforward and convenient way to implement an order processing system for a manufacturing environment. The order processing framework includes an order class and an order item class that are core classes, and several classes that are extensible according to the needs of the user. The core classes and class relationships define the core function of the framework mechanism. Extensible classes include a configuration process class, an order input class, an order output class, an exploder class, a validator class, a link generator class, and a test data class. These extensible classes are extended by a programmer to implement a desired order processing environment. The framework provides consistent programmer interfaces over a wide variety of different production environments, which greatly enhances programmer efficiency and which makes the resultant code much easier to maintain.