Glossary
GLOSSARY
A Comprehensive Guide to the common terms used in MDriven Documentation and Tools
A
Access Groups
these control what is visible and/or enabled for a user in a certain role or situation
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Angular JS
an open-source JavaScript framework that lets you build well-structured, easily testable, and maintainable front-end applications by using the Model-View-Controller (MVC) pattern
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AsString
a method or operator that's available on all objects of all classes - on a model object, it usually takes the default string representation and returns that
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AssetsTK
the strategy to move files along with your model onto the server that runs your Turnkey application every time you upload your model
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Async Ticket
a pattern you can easily add to your model, backed by recent MDrivenServers
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Attribute
data stored within a modeled class, usually stored in an SQL Server database as a field
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AutoForm
a view generated from the backing model in MDriven Designer e.g. if you have a view based on SysSingleton, an autoform from SysSingleton will add all the different attributes of that class to a ViewModel. It is a shortcut to get a basic setup of views in a system.
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Azure
a cloud platform designed by Microsoft to simplify the process of building modern applications
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B
BEM
BEM stands for Block, Element, Modifier. It is a convention on how to structure CSS rule
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Blazor
a web framework for building web UI components (Razor components) that can be hosted in different ways
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Blob
Binary Large Object - usually stores a string of bytes - has a Blob type that can be image, text, or binary
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Boolean
a data type that represents one of two possible values, typically denoted as true and false
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Bug
an error, flaw, failure, or fault in a computer program or system that produces unexpected or incorrect results
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C
CodeDress
a function that allows you to write strongly typed C# code in Visual Studio and have that code implemented in a Turnkey site
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Class
a group of objects with similar properties (attributes), common behaviour (operations), common relationships to other objects, and common meaning (“semantics”)
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Class Actions
actions that always have the context or the root objects as the object of a class
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Collection
a data structure or container that allows developers to store, organize, and manipulate a group of related data items
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Column
a synonym to attribute - called column because it is represented that way and usually called the same in an SQL database
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Component
a general term but most common with MDriven, it is something that is part of the User Interface - like a diagram component
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Constraints
ways to introduce business rules in the model rather than using state machines and guards
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Context
the circumstances that form the setting for a statement or idea in terms of which it can be fully understood
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CORS
an HTTP-header-based mechanism that allows a server to indicate any origins (domain, scheme, or port) other than its own from which a browser should permit loading resources
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C-Sharp (C#)
a programming language developed by Microsoft that runs on the .NET Framework
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CSS Grid
a layout system in web design and development that allows developers to create complex two-dimensional grid-based layouts for websites and web applications
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D
DateTime
a type of attribute or column that stores date and time together, commonly used as a nullable attribute
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Debugger
the place where you can find out what is wrong with OCL and EAL expressions. You can also see what SQL is being generated and sent to the backend SQL server along with timing for increasing performance
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Decimal data type
a numerical data type used to represent decimal numbers with a fixed precision and scale
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Deepclone
a reference to the idea of cloning many objects as a structure either as a direct clone or as a transformation from one object graph to another
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Derived attributes
calculated fields that subscribe to all the values they are calculated from
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Derived associations
writable associations that update other attributes or links when they themselves are set
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Diagram
the representation of the UML model. Diagrams show a perspective of the model or use case of a range of classes
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Domain Driven Design (DDD)
the idea that the model should adhere to the terms and definitions of the domain the system is built for
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E
ECO
the core engine for all MDriven applications that, given a UML model and a Persistence Mapper, will help any .net application handle the objects of that model in memory
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Evolve
refers to the process of updating the SQL schema so that it matches the model. It is used repeatedly during the development process
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F
G
Gist
a type of code that describes what type of information the system is handling and which business rules guard the dynamics of that information
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Global Actions
actions for the user to initiate something global in the always-available application
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Grid
a flexible layout structure used to display and arrange various types of content, not necessarily limited to data
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H
History Server
a special mode of the MDriven Server that records or changes to a running MDriven Server so that the database can be seen at a specific point in time
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HTML (Hyper Text Markup Language)
the standard markup language for creating Web pages. HTML describes the structure of a Web page
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I
IIS (Internet Information Services)
a web server software developed by Microsoft for Windows Server operating systems used to host and manage websites and web applications on the Internet or an intranet
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J
JSON (Javascript Standard Object Notation)
the text representation of an object in Javascript and is widely used in many transport formats for serializing objects, for example, it is the object notation in a Rest Interface
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K
L
Linq (Language Integrated Query)
an addition to the .net framework that can be used to write query expressions in C# code for other .net language code
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M
MCoins
an MDriven artificial coin system enabling users to pay for all MDriven services. One MCoin is equal to the value of 1 Euro
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MDriven
a rule engine that, given a UML model and a Persistence mapper, will help any .net runtime handle the objects of that model in memory. MDriven is also the name of a Visual Studio Plugin that brings MDriven, Modlr, Derived Code, Derived DB scripts, and Database Evolution to Visual Studio
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MDriven Designer
a UML modeling tool that allows you to capture sufficient details to cover every aspect of a software system
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MDriven Framework
an MDriven tool that allows you to write strongly typed c# code, accessing all the types and classes from your model
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MDriven Start
a series of introductory texts to introduce and guide new users through MDriven Designer
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Method
part of a class - could also be called a function - and executes operations either in OCL, EAL, or C#
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MetaModel
a model of another model. In the MDriven context, it usually refers to the model that holds the Designer's user's model. For example, there's a metamodel Class that describes how a ViewModel is stored in the UML model
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MVC
a design pattern Model U controller; a statically or fully serverside rendered web page that is returned by the MDriven Turnkey Server
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N
.net
a developer platform made up of tools, programming languages, and libraries for building many different types of applications.
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O
OCL Expression
a statement in OCL that evaluates or indicates an action language does something.
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OCL Operator
a method or function to be performed on or with an object and parameters in an OCL expression.
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OpenDocument report
a report created by the feature in MDriven to take an OpenDocument standard to make e.g. a Microsoft Word or Excel document and merge that with data from a ViewModel.
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OpenID
the protocol to negotiate authentication and get back an access token that your app can verify comes from your OpenId authority so that you may trust the information in the ticket - like the user-email maybe - or some claim that the user is admin or the like.
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Opting out Actions
the work done by a Designer to exclude Class actions or ViewModel actions from a ViewModel so that they are not shown to the end user.
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ORMapping (Object Relation Mapping)
a feature of the MDriven system to store objects in an SQL database by mapping one class to one table in the basic format but with the inheritance available in the class, not the SQl server.
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P
Parse
an operator on value types to convert from string representation of, for example, from DateTime to the values stored in the DateTime type attribute.
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Periodic action
a ViewModel action that runs automatically over and over again when the Disabled expression is False.
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Persistence
the ability of a program or application to store and retrieve data even after the program is terminated or the system is shut down.
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Persistence mapping
a technique used in MDriven to map objects in an object-oriented programming language to relational database tables.
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Pivot table
a table of values that are aggregations of groups of individual values of a more extensive table within one or more discrete categories.
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Prototyping
the process in which you whip something together quickly as a mock-up to show or test it to learn something that otherwise would be hard to know.
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Q
QueryPlan
the ability to statically analyze a ViewModel to know ahead of time what data it will use.
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R
Rest Services
services executed by connecting to a URL that defines operation and parameters and returns an answer – not seldom as JSON objects.
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Reverse derivation
when you use code (EAL) to process a composite value into separate parts when updating.
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S
Default Heading
actions with views that the MDriven server can execute in a periodic fashion to do things automatically either on a clock or as a reaction to something the user does such as SysAsync Ticket.
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Singleton
the name of a design pattern that establishes a Class that will only have one object instance.
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SQL (Structured Query Language)
a language to store and organize information in databases.
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SQLServer
the general term and Microsoft's name of their relational database for SQL server; another vendor is MySQL.
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SQLite
a small database engine suitable to embed in applications as a data store for a single user.
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Snippets
small, saved UML model pieces that can be inserted into the UML mode by the Designer for easy access to repetitive model pieces or special features.
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State machine
helps us describe the different allowed states an object can be in and how it is transitioned between these states.
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StylesInModel
MDriven's name for integrating style information into the UML model, making styles easier for users with CSS knowledge - it is available across different client technologies.
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SysAsyncTicket
a model pattern that gets easy access to serverside jobs when they're part of for example a process that needs both user interaction and serverside actions like assigning a number in a sequence.
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SysSingleton
a Turnkey application's primary place to store login information and can be seen as the root object of an application. See also Singleton pattern.
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T
Tagexpander
discovers files in _AssetsTK/Views/EXT_OverridePages that are named according to this pattern: .tagexpander.cshtml
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Tag extensions
the ability to attach a tag that is a key value pair of settings for most things in the model that gives access to additional features.
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Tajson
a declarative approach to receive, send, transform, and store JSON messages, with setup and maintenance environment done in minutes.
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Tiny MCE
an open-source HTML editor that is used in a lot of Turnkey applications to give the user access to editing text content.
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Tkusercss
a file in which you can introduce your new styles that match the names of the styles given in the ViewModel columns style attribute.
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U
V
Validation rules
rules to help you improve the quality of the data recorded and applied by the user according to the standards you've specified.
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ValueStore
a general term to describe classes and tables of items that are used to store values used in an application.
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vCurrent_
a variable that shows what the user has focused on/clicked on last in the ViewModel nestings.
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ViewModel
a UML model containing all the information of the application but doesn't have clear perspectives or views of how that information should be used.
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ViewModel Actions
actions that have access to the views' context like vCurrent and vSelected. It is part of the ViewModel in contrast to the Class action which has the context of a modeled class.
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ViewModel Editor
an editor where you design an MDriven application's user interface and APIs.
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Visual Studio
refers to Microsoft Visual Studio application for software development. MDriven Designer can be installed as an addition to Visual Studio.
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vSelected_
the variable shown when the user allows multi-select in grids in the ViewModel nestings.
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W
WebApplication
refers to the general application executing on the web or web server or consumption of web users. Also can refer to an Azure web app, a web server hosted on Microsoft Azure.
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Web UI
a web user interface that permits users to interact with software and other content running through a web browser.
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Wednesdays at MDriven
a bi-weekly customer Google Meet online meeting where the MDriven team shows new product features, gets feedback from customers, and answers their questions.
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WECPOF
the prototyping ability and runtime assembly MDriven Framework users can use to get the Prototyping engine inside their own applications.
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X
Xamarin
a free and open-source mobile app platform for building native and high-performance iOS, Android, tvOS, watchOS, macOS, and Windows apps in C#.
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Y
Z