.NET (Core and Framework)

11-May-05 0:37

Hi,

Here i required some help in architecuring my Project.Here is whole senerio.

My project is already made in C# which is having around 60 .cs files.In my project,there is one main form and from that form i am calling and using all others .cs files of whole project.Currently there is somany coding available into main form.
Here another thing is that we are not using any database like sql or oracle but storing data into xml files as this is project requirement.
Now main thing is that as we had decided to build proper architecture of this project by which we can make it like library.Now from where to start i am confused so can anybody help me out here.

thanks.,

regards.,

Christian Graus11-May-05 13:54

11-May-05 13:54

Well, it sounds like all your code apart from the main form is just providing business logic for that form, and therefore could be moved into a library and imported into the project. Why do you want to build a library ? What benefit are you looking for ?

Christian Graus - Microsoft MVP - C++

montu337711-May-05 21:47

11-May-05 21:47

Hi,

By making the library our client can use that library and use that library into their other projects.That's main advantage of making that library.
so that's why we want to make proper architecture of our code.so now can you suggest me some good idea about how to architecte this.?

regards.,

montu337712-May-05 2:04

12-May-05 2:04

Christian Graus15-May-05 18:18

15-May-05 18:18

I don't see what's so hard. First of all, I don't know enough about your specific system to offer specific advice, secondly, all you need to do is pull all the non-UI code into a code library DLL, and import it into your project. I can't percieve of how I could give specific advice to help you to do that, unless you have no idea how to create a project that compiles to a dll.

Christian Graus - Microsoft MVP - C++

montu337717-May-05 0:08

17-May-05 0:08

Hi,

I tell you some more on my exact requirement here.You can assume my project just like paint in which one main form is there and user can create project folder,load image and create different different shapes from the menu items of the main form so for us the architecture & coding of this form is important.
Here main thing is that every menu items say when you click menuitems like file--> images goes to one methods and do required functionality same thing is for all menu items but as all those methods are in form itself and i don't want to depend on this form becoz i want to make layerwise architecture.

As all methods are very unique and calls only 1-2 times from mainform so if i put those forms methods into one class and make dll then is that good way to do that?
if i am doing that i have to pass controls as parameters of those methods.
can you tell me that if i put those forms methods into one class and make dll then is that good way?

if you have some more good idea here to build architecture than it's good.

regards

Christian Graus17-May-05 12:58

17-May-05 12:58

montu3377 wrote:
As all methods are very unique and calls only 1-2 times from mainform so if i put those forms methods into one class and make dll then is that good way to do that?

They don't need to go into the one class, no.

montu3377 wrote:
if i am doing that i have to pass controls as parameters of those methods.

Don't pass controls to middle tier methods, that ties them to the presentation tier. Perhaps create an enum, and a method that generates an enum value from a control value, as a helper function in the presentation tier.

montu3377 wrote:
can you tell me that if i put those forms methods into one class and make dll then is that good way?

If your product is a paint program, then creating a layer that is distinct from the presentation layer will be harder to do right, because it's all about what you display. Certainly don't put everything in one class, that will be more of a hinderance than having no middle tier is. To be honest, I've written some big paint programs, and I've focused on a good class structure, and not on loading anything via dlls. The only way that can be good is if you can write the main program to be generic, and to dynamically load tools from a dll, then you can distribute a new dll to add new tools, or fix tool bugs.

Christian Graus - Microsoft MVP - C++

montu337723-May-05 4:49

23-May-05 4:49

Hi,

If you had put some sort of article of that paint programme then can you pls. send me link or url of that?or can you pls. give me 1 sample code how to create that types of architecture?

Thanks.,

Christian Graus23-May-05 11:43

23-May-05 11:43

It was a commercial product. Basically, I wrote a base class like this:

toolbase
{
void OnLButtonDown
void OnKeyPress
void OnPaint
//etc, etc.

}

Then each tool would inherit from toolbase, and do whatever it should in those methods. Finally, my main window kept an instance of toolbase, which was then changed as the tool was changed, and it caught all these events, and called the methods on the tool when they occured.

Christian Graus - Microsoft MVP - C++

montu337724-May-05 7:50

24-May-05 7:50

Hi,

i had implemented as you said above,main problem is that i can't just declare method otherwise i have to define that method and class as abstract and if i am defining that class as abstract then in the form i can't make the new instance of that class becoz we can't create instance of abstract class.

second way,simply i can directly create instance of second class that inherited base class in that case why had created base class that is also question.Here i am sending u one simple code what i am doing.

//this is base class
public abstract class ToolBase
{

public abstract void mnuNewProj_Click(object sender, System.EventArgs e);

}

//second class that inherits toolbase class
public class InputComponent:ToolBase
{
public override void mnuNewProj_Click(object sender, EventArgs e)
{
//done implementation
}
}

but from main form i can't able to create new instance of Toolbase class becoz it's abstract.
Now can you tell me some more over here.I really like this design but need some more clearification.

thanks you a lot in advance.

Christian Graus24-May-05 11:45

24-May-05 11:45

montu3377 wrote:
we can't create instance of abstract class.

My 'toolbase' class is abstract, and I create an instance of it in my application, no problems. I never create an instance of toolbase though, that's not what it is for, the base class is useless by itself anyhow, that's not what it is for.

montu3377 wrote:
second way,simply i can directly create instance of second class that inherited base class in that case why had created base class that is also question.Here i am sending u one simple code what i am doing.

You create a base class because your app only needs to use one tool at a time, so you carry an instance of the base class, but you instantiate it as instances of the derived classes. i.e. if you click the FreeHandDraw button then my instance of toolbase gets instantiated as an instance of toolFreeHandDraw. The point is that catching UI events is common to all tools, so it's defined in a base class, so I don't need to switch between drawing modes with every UI event to figure out which control to send the event to.

Christian Graus - Microsoft MVP - C++

montu337724-May-05 23:26

24-May-05 23:26

HI,

I got your point what you means to say here i had implemented two classes and call it from main form as below.Just let me know is it ok or not.If any improvement is required then pls. tell me becoz after that i will do implement into whole project.

toolbase class
//base class

public abstract class ToolBase
{
public abstract void mnuNewProj_Click(object sender, System.EventArgs e);
}

//child class implemented that method
public class InputComponent:ToolBase
{
public override void mnuNewProj_Click(object sender, EventArgs e)
{
//doing implementation code here
}
}

//From the Main Form (presentation layer) calling the child class and that method into click event
//Main form
public class main
{
private void mnuNewApp_Click(object sender, EventArgs e)
{
InputComponent input = new InputComponent();
input.mnuNewProj_Click(sender, e);
}
}
Pls. check the above code and if any improvement need than tell me.

it's working fine but i am afraid that in later on stage i have to pass controls into both classes as return values so it gives effect on main form.

pls. let me know urs comments on above code.

Thanks a lot for your nice co-operation.
Really appriciated your efforts.

Christian Graus25-May-05 12:48