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Base4 is an Free (LGPL) application server for generating, sharing and re-using .Net data layers; this is intended to allow a development team to leverage existing enterprise systems and common functionality instead starting from scratch. It shares many similarities with WinFS but is significantly simplier because it doesn't need to be backward compatible with the whole of the Win32 API stack.
The latest version comes with a schema guesser to help get started very quickly, in fact have a look at Base4 the 15 minute challenge for a video demonstrating just how easy Base4 is now.
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Features
Server has embedded website for Creating, Guessing, Managing and Registering schemas, with no need to learn XML syntax.
Client/Server architecture allows many application to act as client of a Base4 Server at the same time. While centralizing common business logic. Business logic is bound typically to a schema and this is the primary unit of re-use in Base4. Each client application picks which schemas it needs to work with, from those that the server makes available, and the server provides a central place which can enforce the business logic for the schema, independently of who is using it.
Define and generate a fully functional .NET datalayer from either by using the embedded website or by using the simple XML schema
Support for inter-schema references, to encourage data-layer sharing and re-use
Support for Object SQL like queries, and for deep pre-loading of objects using what is called ObjectScoping
Application Server supports addins to respond to lifecycle events (some examples are BeforeSave, AfterQuery etc)
A core schema with builtin support for Files, Users etc, and a framework for supporting Metadata promotion and demotion to and from files.
All generated data-layers provide extensive support for XML including XML persistence, including object Readers and Writers that work directly with XML
Automatic .NET Remoting configuration and custom type serialization management
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Planned features: Version 3.0
Port from .NET Remoting to a completely REST based architecture
Ability to load and save objects via a full URL, not just an object key relative to the current connection
Ability to load and save individual object properties via a full URL, independent of their containing Object.
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Connecting to a server
using Base4.Storage;
StorageContext.SetDefault("tcp://Server:@localhost:999/default-store");
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Requesting objects from a server
See the examples here: http://www.base4.net/quickstarts/quickstarts.aspx
FileBase file = StorageContext.FindOne("Name='My File'"); // same as StorageContext.Default.FindOne( … )
if (file != null)
User user = StorageContext.FindOne("UserName='UserX'"); // Same as ItemContext.FindOne( … )
if (user != null)
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History
Project Started by Alex James and software consulting team -2004
Development of Version2 targeting .Net 2.0 runtime and supporting generics -September 2005
Entered Public Beta1 phase -March 2006
Entered Public Beta2 phase -April 2006
May CTP released - May 2006
August CTP released - August 2006
Version 2.1 released - October 2006
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