A number of items of data from a data source (12) can be processed and then deposited in at least one data destination (16, 17). The data may be image data, text data, numeric data or some other type of data, or a combination of these types of data. The processing of data is controlled by a project definition (14, 71, 101), which includes a plurality of modules selected from a variety of available modules (Tables 1-4). The modules have input and output ports which are interrelated by binding information. One of the modules, when executed, transmits a predetermined message, for example in the form of an electronic mail message.