M
Michael Boniwell
I'm new to .NET and somewhat disappointed in the amount of manual work
required to get a simple Win Forms database application built. I'm used to
working with a development environment called "Clarion" (that I'm guessing
you've never heard of), which can take you from data dictionary to fully
functioning application (browse, search, reporting, insert, change, delete,
etc), with only a few mouse clicks. Leaving me time to spend on the more
serious aspects of the application. What's more, the system doesn't abandon
you after the code is generated, but handles design changes.
Anyway, coming from this environment to .NET leaves me wondering if you guys
really do hand-code all your basic database table browse and update forms?
Admittedly I've only been playing with Visual Studio 2003 (and C#) for a
while, but it seems very time consuming. Surely there is a better way?
Let say I gave you a database with 100 tables and said I wanted a Win Forms
application with data entry forms and filterable browse lists on all of
them, including the relevant parent-child relationships, referential
integrity, concurrency chechking, validation "lookups" - the usual bells and
whistles. Is the .NET way to sit down for months and hand-code all this? Or
am I totally missing something?
I've done a web search for code generators and found a couple, but with
little experience with .NET it's hard to tell from the trial versions if
they fit the bill. Neither seem to handle design changes, but are kind of
like complex wizards.
Can anyone offer some pointers, links to sites, tools they used and liked,
books I should read, or a more appropriate approach to take?
required to get a simple Win Forms database application built. I'm used to
working with a development environment called "Clarion" (that I'm guessing
you've never heard of), which can take you from data dictionary to fully
functioning application (browse, search, reporting, insert, change, delete,
etc), with only a few mouse clicks. Leaving me time to spend on the more
serious aspects of the application. What's more, the system doesn't abandon
you after the code is generated, but handles design changes.
Anyway, coming from this environment to .NET leaves me wondering if you guys
really do hand-code all your basic database table browse and update forms?
Admittedly I've only been playing with Visual Studio 2003 (and C#) for a
while, but it seems very time consuming. Surely there is a better way?
Let say I gave you a database with 100 tables and said I wanted a Win Forms
application with data entry forms and filterable browse lists on all of
them, including the relevant parent-child relationships, referential
integrity, concurrency chechking, validation "lookups" - the usual bells and
whistles. Is the .NET way to sit down for months and hand-code all this? Or
am I totally missing something?
I've done a web search for code generators and found a couple, but with
little experience with .NET it's hard to tell from the trial versions if
they fit the bill. Neither seem to handle design changes, but are kind of
like complex wizards.
Can anyone offer some pointers, links to sites, tools they used and liked,
books I should read, or a more appropriate approach to take?