Table of Contents

Template Tripous Avalonia Application

TemplateApp is a minimal reference application for new Tripous Avalonia desktop projects. It is intentionally empty, but it includes the startup and registration structure a real application needs.

Folder Layout

TemplateApp/
  TemplateApp/
    AppHost/
      AppHost.cs
      AppHost.Startup.cs
      AppHost.Commands.cs
      AppHost.Ui.cs
    App.axaml
    App.axaml.cs
    GlobalUsings.cs
    HiddenMainWindow.cs
    MainWindow.axaml
    MainWindow.axaml.cs
    Program.cs
    TemplateApp.csproj
  TemplateApp.Data/
    Registry/
      Registry.cs
    GlobalUsings.cs
    TemplateApp.Data.csproj
    TemplateDataLib.cs

Projects

TemplateApp is the executable Avalonia application. It references:

  • Tripous
  • Tripous.Data
  • Tripous.Desktop
  • Tripous.Logging
  • TemplateApp.Data

TemplateApp.Data is the application data library. It references the Tripous libraries and contains the descriptor registry.

TemplateApp.Data

The data library owns the Registry class. This keeps schema and descriptor registration out of the UI project.

static public class Registry
{
    static public void RegisterSchemas()
    {
    }

    static public void RegisterDescriptors()
    {
        RegisterLookupSources();
        RegisterLocators();
        RegisterModules();
        RegisterForms();
        RegisterConfigProperties();

        DataRegistry.Modules.UpdateReferences();
        DesktopRegistry.Forms.UpdateReferences();
    }
}

The private registration methods are empty by design. They are placeholders for the application declarations.

AppHost

AppHost is the application coordinator. It is split into partial files:

  • AppHost.cs, shared state and logging.
  • AppHost.Startup.cs, startup sequence.
  • AppHost.Commands.cs, command registration.
  • AppHost.Ui.cs, UI page initialization.

Important shared properties are:

  • HiddenMainWindow
  • MainWindow
  • AvaloniaDesktop
  • SideBarHandler
  • ContentHandler
  • Store

Hidden Startup Window

The application starts with HiddenMainWindow. This gives early dialogs an owner while the real application window is not ready yet.

Desktop.MainWindow = AppHost.HiddenMainWindow;
Desktop.MainWindow.Opened += async (Sender, Args) => await AppHost.Start(Desktop);

After configuration and registration, AppHost creates and shows MainWindow.

Main Window

The template main window contains:

  • a menu.
  • a toolbar.
  • a sidebar tab control.
  • a content tab control.
  • a log panel.

MainWindow initializes LogBox, creates the two AppFormPagerHandler instances, and lets AppHost initialize sidebar pages.

Registry Hooks

Use these hooks in TemplateApp.Data/Registry/Registry.cs.

static void RegisterLookupSources()
{
}

static void RegisterLocators()
{
}

static void RegisterModules()
{
}

static void RegisterForms()
{
}

static void RegisterConfigProperties()
{
}

Manual applications fill these methods directly. RegBuilder-based applications can call generated registry version code from these methods.

Command Hooks

Use AppHost.Commands.cs for application commands.

The template already registers general commands and creates module commands from DesktopRegistry.Forms.

Command cmdModules = new("Modules");
foreach (FormDef FormDef in DesktopRegistry.Forms)
{
    Command Cmd = FormDef.CreateShowCommand(ShowForm, ImageFileName: "book_open.png");
    cmdModules.Commands.Add(Cmd);
}

Add application-specific command groups beside the general and module groups.

Startup Checklist

When creating a new application from the template:

  • rename namespaces from TemplateApp.
  • set SysConfig.AppName.
  • set SysConfig.CompanyName.
  • choose the default connection behavior.
  • register schema versions.
  • register modules and forms.
  • add application commands.
  • decide whether a data form should auto-open at startup.

Practical Notes

  • Use the template as a reference, not as generated code.
  • Keep the executable project focused on UI and startup.
  • Keep data descriptors in the data project.
  • Keep Registry as the single registration entry point.
  • Keep AppHost as the single startup coordinator.
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