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 can be image data, text data, numeric data or some other type of data, or a combination of these types of data. The processing of the 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. Execution of the project definition can be initiated by various events. One such event is the receipt of a communication expressed in a publication communication protocol. Another such event is an update to the data in the data source, resulting in automatic initiation of the execution of the project definition.