C# Programming Object Model
The next few sections discuss the overall approach to programming the database interface, business objects and back end systems. For a second iteration, we are considering the following technologies to clean up the implementation:
SQL CE synchronized to a back end system (See http://www.microsoft.com/sqlserver/2008/en/us/compact.aspx and look for Synchronize corporate data)
NHibernate (http://nhforge.org/Default.aspx) and possibly Fluent NHibernate (http://fluentnhibernate.org/) for database business objects.
SpecExpress framework for specifying property rules validation (http://code.google.com/p/specexpress/)
Visual Design
We are using Windows Forms to create an interface with Menus and multiple embeded tabbed panels within tabbed panels. Until we have time, look at the design for more info. NOTE: We are planning to switch from windows forms to WPF.
Object to Database Integration Model
We are building a Model View Controller (MVC) application.
Our model is contained in a Dataset object ArchDataset.xsd along with the ancillary host of helper objects. Although these are very complex, they are standard elements and perform in expected ways. We will not cover them in detail. To find out more information about this particular model, see the ArchaeologyProject/DataModel.
The view is contained in [Name]Controls.cs and Forms files. These are organized under the directories Forms, FormControls, and Controls. These hold the visual components that display data and contain visual elements that allows the user to interact with that data. Currently we are using windows forms. In the future we would like to move to WPF.
The controller components glue the underlying model to the views and make extensive use of the Dataset paradigm to speed the development process. This is the most complicated part to be programmed. And deserves the greatest attention. In a moment of weakness these were seen to work more with the model than the view and are organized under the Data folder.
Controller
The controller interacts with both the Model and the View in the following ways: Creating new forms, Loading Filled Forms and Saving Changes to forms.
=== Creating new forms ===