1. Principles NET Genium is built on
NET Genium is an application operating system built around three key principles:
- Automatic access control
NET Genium automatically ensures that each user sees only the data and columns to which they have permissions. The administrator does not need to manage this manually, as the system itself hides everything the user is not allowed to access.
- Automatic transactional safety
All operations are executed within a single database transaction. Application logic therefore cannot leave the database in an inconsistent state, and it is not possible to persist data only partially.
- Fully configurable application behavior
Application behavior is defined by the configuration of application groups, applications, edit forms, view pages, and scripts. All applicatioherefore described configurationally and is not implemented by modifying the internal code of the framework.
2. Database tables and edit forms
In NET Genium, the database is not designed directly. Instead, everything is designed using edit forms, and the framework itself automatically creates and manages the database based on these forms. Each edit form corresponds to a single database table and takes care of what happens to its records—from their creation, through updates, to the automatic storage of change history.
An administrator in NET Genium never modifies the database structure manually, but works exclusively at the level of edit forms and their controls. This ensures long-term database consistency, backward compatibility during application and framework upgrades, and the ability to perform automatic migrations without manual database interventions.
Each database table created by an edit form automatically contains basic system columns:
- The id column is the primary key of the record.
- The userid column determines which user owns the record.
- The pid (parent id) column contains a reference to the parent record and enables hierarchical relationships.
- The pform column specifies the edit form in which the parent record was created.
- The system column marks records that are system-level and protected.
Thanks to these system columns, record ownership, hierarchical relationships, and the protection of system data can be handled in a unified way across the entire system, without the need for auxiliary tables or additional application logic.
3. Ownership of database records and their modification
In NET Genium, each database record has an owner and, depending on the configuration of the edit form, may also have co-owners. Users may edit or delete only those records for which they are owners or co-owners.
The visibility of records is controlled by database queries defined on specific controls. Users may therefore see records for which they are not owners or co-owners, typically for example in a browse tableview tablence a record is openedfor tf modification, the system always applies ownership rules and allows changes only to records to which the user has the appropriate rights.
4. Scripts and events
In NET Genium, scripts are always executed at specific moments during a user's interaction with the application. A script may run when an edit form is opened, when a record is saved or deleted, or when a button is clicked in an edit form or on a browse page.
When an edit form is openedview page a record, the OnAfterOpen script is executed. When a record is saved, the OnBeforeSave and OnAfterSave scripts are executed in sequence. When a record is deleted, the OnBeforeDelete and OnAfterDelete scripts are executed accordingly. These events are fixed and always occur in the same order.
Scripts in NET Genium are used to perform specific actions at these points, such as value validation, data modification, calculations, or triggering follow-up operations. Scripts thus extend application behavior at precisely defined moments, without the need to intervene in the application structure or configuration.
A script is defined by the administrator in a graphical designer and consists of a sequence of individual lines that are executed from top to bottom. Each script is always executed within a single database transaction — either it is executed in full, or it is not executed at all. This ensures that a script cannot leave data in an incomplete or inconsistent state.
5. Data synchronization between separate installations
Synchronization in NET Genium is handled at the level of edit forms, not at the database level. Data transfer between separate installations therefore does not require a shared database or database replication.
At the level of an edit form, it is possible to configure automatic synchronization of records to other NET Genium instances. Each saved or deleted record can thus be automatically synchronized to one or more remote edit forms, without administrator intervention and without the need to handle technical details of the transfer.
Synchronization runs fully in the background as part of the framework. The administrator only specifies the target NET Genium instance and the target edit form to which changes should be transferred. Only changes resulting from record saves or deletions are transferred, not the database structures themselves.
This approach makes it possible to separate operational, mobile, branch, or archive installations of NET Genium while still maintaining automatic and controlled data transfer between them. Synchronization is fully managed by the framework and does not interfere with the database layer of individual installations.
6. Long-term operation and extensibility
NET Genium is designed as a platform for the long-term operation of applications that naturally evolve over time. The system architecture allows applications to be extended and modified without interventions into their technical foundation and without service interruptions.
Application extension is performed configurationally — by adding edit forms, modifying their structure, extending scripts, and changing relationships between individual parts of the application. These changes do not require manual database schema modifications or changes to the internal code of the framework.
By separating application configuration from technical implementation, the framework can be continuously updated without requiring changes to existing applications. Applications retain their behavior and data even during long-term operation, while the technical foundation of the system can evolve independently.
NET Genium thus enables the creation of applications that are not one-off solutions, but long-term sustainable systems capable of growth, extension, and operation over many years without the need for rewriting or replacement.
7. Final summary
NET Genium is designed so that applications are created by describing data, behavior, and relationships rather than by writing technical code. The administrator defines the application structure using edit forms, configures ownership rules, reacts to events using scripts, and, where necessary, connects multiple installations through synchronization.
The technical execution of these rules is fully the responsibility of the framework. As a result, applications remain stable, readable, and maintainable over the long term, while the technical foundation of the system can evolve independently. NET Genium thus serves as an application operating system that enables the creation of enterprise applications with a long lifecycle, without the need for rewriting or replacement.