Create Application
Getting started using Signum Framework couldn't be easier!. Just choose the name of your application and the modules you want to include and, in less than a minute, you'll have a working example application.
This is what this page does for you:
- Checkout the latest version of Southwind example application.
- Copy the application.
- Rename the application files, classes, namespaces, projects, etc...
- Create a brand new git repository with the application.
- Add Signum Framework and Signum Extensions GitHub repositories as submodules.
- Simplify the application removing the modules that you didn't select.
- Zip the result and give you the link to download it.
While this page helps you getting started, Signum Framework is not based in code generation, instead all the code is in Framework and Extensions submodules and the applications just Starts the selected modules.
The Zip contains the git repository and the project files already checked out, so you don't need to know git to start developing the application, but it's necessary to update Framework and Extensions submodules.
You also don't have to pay any module right away, just when you go to production with the application, so feel free to try as many as you want.
If you have a legacy database, checkout our detailed tutorial about how to build a Signum Framework application on top of AdventureWorks with minimal database changes.
Ready?
Getting Started
Software Requirements:
- [Required] Microsoft Visual Studio 2017: Community version works perfectly.
- [Required] Microsoft Sql Server 2008/2012/2014/2016: Express version should be enough for development. LocalDB is also necessary if Disconnected module is selected
- [Required] Typescript 2.2 or greater: Required for React UI.
- [Required] Node.js v6: Required to compile/bundle React UI, includes NPM.
- [Required] Webpack: Module bundler. Can be installed using
npm install webpack --global. - [Required] NPM Task Runner for Visual Studio: Integrates npm scripts with Visual Studio. Also for React UI.
- [Highly Recommended] Git Extensions: The more complete application to manage git repositories visually. Has great support for git submodules, used by Signum Framework.
And, once you have unzipped your application, there are some goodies in Framework/Snippets folder:
- [Highly Recommended] Snippets: Add
YourApplication/Framework/Snippetsto Visual Studio Snippets (Tools > Code Snippet Manager > Visual C# > Add) to get some useful snippets to the Framework - [Recommended] Font Colors: Import
Framework\Snippets\Signum.Fonts.vssettingsto Visual Studio Settings (Tools > Import and Export settings) to have different colors for C# delegates, interfaces, structs and enums. - [Recommended] Install NPM Task Runner and configure Visual Studio to use the latest Node.js
First steps:
- Unzip your application: We usually use
D:\Signum\MyApplication, but you can use your own. Inside of the zip you have the source control of your new App, Signum Framework, Signum Extensions and git repositories already configured.
- Unlock dlls: Unfortunately Signum Framwork contains some dlls that, when downloaded from the internet, will be locked by Windows 10. This dlls are completely safe and should be unlocked as explained here.
\Framework\Signum.Analyzer\Binaries\Signum.Analyzer.dll: Roslyn Code Analyzer that understands the conventions used in Signum Framework.\Framework\Signum.MSBuildTask\Binaries: All the dlls in this directory, used for doing IL rewrite after compilation to simplify some code patterns (like properties in the entities).\Framework\Signum.TSGenerator\Binaries\Signum.TSGenerator.dll: Used for generating Typescript definitions automatically from the entities.
- Open repository: Open
MyApplicationdirectory in Git Extensions to have a feel of the folder structure and the initial commits.- The initial commit adds the new renamed application
- The next commits add Framework and Extensions as git submodules
- The remaining commits remove, one by one, the options that you have not selected. You can revert the commits in the future to bring them back.
- Open the solution: Open
MyApplication.slnand get used to the folder structure.MyApplication.Entities: Project with example entities for a shop. Replace with your custom entities.MyApplication.Logic: Project with the starter and example logic classes for a shop. Replace with your custom logic.MyApplication.Load: Console application for creating the database schema, synchronize it, and execute loading processes. Replace with your custom load.MyApplication.React: Web project with example components for the shop entities. Replace with your the React components for your entities.MyApplication.Windows: Windows Project with example controls for the shop entities. Replace with your the windows controls for your entities.MyApplication.Local: (if Disconnected was selected) contains the necessary scaffolding to enable Disconnected usage of the server.- Test folder: Contains the test project files.
MyApplication.Test.Environment: Test project that fills the database with artificial information for testing purposes.MyApplication.Test.Logic: Test project with a logic test example.MyApplication.Test.React: Test project with a react test example using Signum.React.Selenium.MyApplication.Test.Windows: Test project with a windows test example using Signum.Windows.UIAutomation.
- Framework folder: Contains the source code of Signum.Framework. It's a git submodule, so if you want to push changes you'll need to clone it in GitHub and make a Pull Request.
- Extensions folder: Contains the source code of Signum.Extensions. It's a git submodule, so if you want to push changes you'll need to clone it in GitHub and make a Pull Request.
- Compile application: Your personal solution should compile cleanly out of the box, but maybe if fails with certain application names (simple 1-word names recommended), and we haven't tried the 2^30 possible combinations. If doesn't compile try with different names / options or fix it yourself :).
- Create or Restore database:
- If you're creating an application from scratch, create a database with the same name than your application using Sql Management Studio (i.e.: MyApplication) .
- Otherwise, if you are following the Legacy Database tutorial, just restore or use the database that you already have.
- If you want a different name or your server is not 'localhost' you can create a simple text file with name
UserConnections.txtinC:\with, for example:
MyApplication>Data Source=MyServer\SQLEXPRESS;Initial Catalog=MyApplication;Integrated Security=true
- Load example data:
- Download Northwind database.
- Restore it with SQL Management Studio with name Northwind.
- Execute
MyApplication.Load - Generate a new database.
- Load Northwind data by executing all the process in order but the last one.
- Play with your example application:
- Execute MyApplication.Windows and/or MyApplication.React
- Learn how to use the Search Control.
- Learn how to use Charting.
- Learn how to use Dashboards.
- Learn how it works:
- Learn about the underlying technologies like C#, LINQ, Typescript, React, NPM and Webpack.
- Watch the Video Tutorials to get an idea of how the Framework works. Be careful, they are outdated.
- Take a look at the Documentation
- Consider our Traning courses.
- Adapt the application to your needs: Apply what you have learned to make changes in the application. For example:
- Model your entities using classes and attributes.
- Define your business logic using operations and LINQ queries.
- Design your user interfaces using WPF (for Windows) or React, Bootstrap and Typescript (for React).
- Synchronize you database schema as you make changes.
- Write logic and UI tests to ensure mantainability.
- Remove examples: As you feel more confident of how the Framework works, you can remove the example entities, logic and user interfaces (Orders, Employees, Products...)
- Goto 8: Cheer up! You're a developer!.
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