expand

name	expand
description	Reference for the eXpandFramework (eXpand) project — the original DevExpress XAF extension library with 30+ classic modules, WorldCreator, ModelDifference, ExcelImporter, and the parent project of Reactive.XAF

eXpandFramework Reference

The original open-source (~15-year-old) DevExpress XAF extension library. It is the parent/container project of the eXpandFramework organization, alongside Reactive.XAF (standalone low-dependency modules) and XpandPwsh (PowerShell build tools). All classic controller-based modules here are being gradually replaced by standalone Reactive.XAF modules.

Default working directory: C:\Work\expand\ — project root.

⚠️ -WarnAsError is baked into ALL compilations. Builds fail on any warning. Code must stay warning-clean at all times.

Quick Start

Build (bx)

bx Release        # Release build (nuget.org)
bx lab            # Lab build (lab feed)
bx CompileModules # Fast compile-only: restore, version, build AllModules.sln

Publish (px)

px             # Publish to Lab pipeline
px -Release    # Publish to Release pipeline
px -SkipStage  # Skip git stage step

Raw Build Commands

# Full build (Release)
.\build.ps1

# Build just the primary solution
dotnet build Xpand\Xpand.ExpressApp.Modules\AllModules.sln

# EasyTest run
& .\Support\Build\RunEasyTests.ps1

Architecture

Three-Layer Dependency Chain

Layer 1 (Base):
  Xpand.Utils          — general utilities (Reflection, Enumerable, String, etc.)
  Xpand.Xpo            — XPO extensions (ConnectionProviders, Converters, CustomFunctions, DB, Filtering, MetaData, Parser)

Layer 2 (Persistent):
  Xpand.Persistent.Base     — interfaces, base BOs, 25+ sub-namespaces (Logic, Security, Validation, ModelDifference, WorldCreator, etc.)
  Xpand.Persistent.BaseImpl — concrete: PersistentMetaData, AuditTrail, ModelDifference, etc.

Layer 3 (ExpressApp Core):
  Xpand.ExpressApp     — XpandSystemModule, 50+ controllers, model node updaters, editors
  Xpand.ExpressApp.Win — Windows-specific controllers, editors, property editors, services

Layer 4 (Feature Modules):
  30+ modules in Xpand.ExpressApp.Modules/ — each with Core/Win/Web variants

Module Pattern (Classic Controller-Based)

Unlike Reactive.XAF's functional/reactive paradigm, these modules follow the traditional XAF pattern:

1. Inherit from XpandModuleBase (which extends ModuleBase)
2. Have traditional XAF Controllers in a Controllers/ folder
3. Have platform-specific variants (Core, Win, Web subfolders)
4. Some now also depend on standalone Reactive.XAF modules via NuGet

Project Output & References

• Output path: Xpand.DLL\ at repo root (no target framework subdirectory)
• Reference style: <Reference> with <HintPath> to ..\..\..\Xpand.DLL\ — NOT <ProjectReference>
• Build order is manual — defined in Xpand.projects XML, not inferred from MSBuild project references
• All assemblies are strong-named with Xpand\Xpand.Key\Xpand.snk
• Central Package Management: Directory.Packages.props pins all NuGet versions

Key Dependencies

Category	Packages
DevExpress XAF	DevExpress.ExpressApp., DevExpress.Xpo, DevExpress.Win. at 26.1.3
Reactive.XAF Extensions	Xpand.Extensions 4.261.1, Xpand.Extensions.Reactive 4.261.1, Xpand.Extensions.XAF 4.261.1, Xpand.Extensions.XAF.Xpo 4.261.1, Xpand.Extensions.Mono.Cecil 4.261.1
Reactive.XAF Modules	Xpand.XAF.Modules.* 4.261.1 (AutoCommit, CloneModelView, HideToolBar, Reactive, MasterDetail, etc.)
Reactive	System.Reactive 6.0.1, System.Interactive 6.0.1, akarnokd.reactive_extensions 0.0.27-alpha
Code Generation	Microsoft.CodeAnalysis 5.0.0, Microsoft.CodeAnalysis.CSharp 5.0.0, Mono.Cecil 0.11.6
Testing	NUnit 4.4.0, Shouldly 4.3.0, Moq 4.20.72, DevExpress.EasyTest 26.1.3
Utilities	Fasterflect.Xpand 2.0.7, Lib.Harmony 2.4.2, RazorLight 2.3.1, MagicOnion 2.6.3

Build System

Entry Point

build.ps1 calls Support\Build\go.ps1 with the Release task list:

Clean → Version → Init → CompileModules → CheckStandalonePackageVersions → VSIX → IndexSources → Finalize → CreateNuGets → Installer

The Lab task is shorter: Clean → Version → Init → CompileModules

Key Build Details

• psake-based — PowerShell build framework (v4.7.4)
• go.ps1 auto-installs XpandPwsh (v1.252.0.6) and psake modules
• CompileModules builds AllModules.sln with MSBuild, outputting to Xpand.DLL\
• Post-build: Directory.Build.targets runs ReplaceNuget.ps1 to copy assemblies into local NuGet cache
• CreateNuGets.ps1 creates 37 NuGet packages from 37 .nuspec files in Support\Nuspec\
• modules.json defines 74 module entries (Core/Win/Web variants) with Name, FullName, Assembly, Platform
• Xpand.projects XML lists all: CoreProjects, ModuleProjects, DemoWinSolutions, EasyTestProjects

NuGet Sources

• https://api.nuget.org/v3/index.json
• https://xpandnugetserver.azurewebsites.net/nuget
• C:\Program Files\DevExpress 26.1\Components\System\Components\packages

CI/CD

Azure DevOps pipeline (Azure-pipeline.yml) on self-hosted agent pool. Triggers on master branch.

Modules Overview

Classic Module Directories (Xpand.ExpressApp.Modules)

Module Directory	Description
AdditionalViewControlsProvider	Additional custom controls in views
AuditTrail	Track object changes
Chart.Win	Chart control integration
Dashboard	XAF dashboard features
Email	Send business objects as email
ExcelImporter	Import Excel/CSV files with mapping UI
FileAttachment	File attachment features
IO	Export/import object graphs with configurable serialization
JobScheduler	Background job scheduling
Logic	Conditional architecture engine powering many other modules
MapView	Map control integration
MasterDetail	Master-detail view management
ModelArtifactState	Apply conditional logic to model artifacts (Controllers, Actions)
ModelDifference	Store application model in DB, combine user/role models, multiple models at design time
NCarousel	Carousel control for Web
PivotChart	Pivot + Chart integration
PivotGrid.Win	PivotGrid features for WinForms
Reports / ReportsV2.Win	Reporting module
Scheduler	Scheduler control integration
Security	Extended security (permissions, authentication providers)
StateMachine	XAF State Machine features
TreeListEditors	TreeList editor features
Validation	Extended validation rules, permission validation, warning/info support
ViewVariants	View variant management
WizardUI.Win	Wizard-style UI
Workflow	Business process workflow
WorldCreator	Dynamic assembly generation at runtime (Mono.Cecil + Roslyn)
XtraDashboard	Dashboard designer integration

Standalone Reactive.XAF Modules (consumed via NuGet)

AutoCommit, Blazor, BulkObjectUpdate, CloneMemberValue, CloneModelView, GridListEditor, HideToolBar, JobScheduler.Hangfire, MasterDetail, ModelMapper, ModelViewInheritance, OneView, PositionInListView, RazorView, Reactive.Logger, Reactive.Logger.Hub, Reactive.Rest, RefreshView, SequenceGenerator, SpellChecker, StoreToDisk, SuppressConfirmation, TenantManager, ViewEditMode, ViewItemValue, Windows, and more.

WorldCreator Module

The most architecturally significant module. Dynamic assembly generation at runtime — design persistent classes, generate C# code, compile with Roslyn, and load as runtime modules, all from the XAF UI.

• Uses Mono.Cecil + Microsoft.CodeAnalysis (Roslyn) for code generation and compilation
• DBPersistentClasses map from WorldCreator abstractions to real database tables
• DBMapper module maps schemas from 14 database types into WorldCreator objects

ExcelImporter Module

Import Excel/CSV files with mapping UI. Depends on standalone Reactive.XAF modules (AutoCommitModule, ViewEditModeModule, SuppressConfirmationModule, etc.). Uses ExcelDataReader for file parsing.

ModelDifference Module

Store and manage XAF Application Model differences in the database. Supports:

• Combining user-specific, role-specific, and global model layers
• Multiple models at design time
• Runtime model merging
• Persistent storage of model aspects via PersistentBaseImpl

Logic Module

Conditional architecture engine that powers ModelArtifactState and other modules. Provides a framework for defining rule-based conditional behavior on model artifacts.

Testing

• NUnit 4.4.0 with Shouldly 4.3.0 for assertions
• Moq 4.20.72 for mocking
• Microsoft.Reactive.Testing 6.0.1 + akarnokd.reactive_extensions for reactive test schedulers
• DevExpress.EasyTest 26.1.3 with WinAdapter + BlazorAdapter for scripted UI tests
• RunEasyTests.ps1 — builds with Configuration=EasyTest and executes EasyTest scripts

Relationship to Reactive.XAF

eXpandFramework is the parent of three separate repos:

1. eXpand (this repo, C:\Work\expand\) — the original container/umbrella project
2. Reactive.XAF (C:\Work\Reactive.XAF\) — standalone low-dependency modules using functional/reactive paradigm
3. XpandPwsh — PowerShell module for development/build tasks

Layered Architecture (Not Predecessor/Successor)

eXpandFramework is the upper-layer consumer, not legacy. Reactive.XAF is the lower-layer reactive engine. eXpandFramework depends on Reactive.XAF via NuGet:

• Xpand.Extensions.Reactive
• Xpand.XAF.Modules.Reactive
• Xpand.XAF.Modules.Reactive.Logger

Extraction Timeline

Starting ~March 2019, modules were extracted out of eXpandFramework into standalone Reactive.XAF packages:

• CloneMemberValue was the first (33c8272f8, Mar 2019): deleted 101 lines of Controller code, replaced with Xpand.XAF.Modules.CloneMemberValue NuGet reference
• HideToolBar followed (eb1b81f2a)
• The trend continued — classic controller-based modules → standalone reactive modules

Commit Cadence

The commit log is dominated by two patterns:

1. Version bumps tracking DevExpress releases (e.g. "26.1.301", "25.2.8")
2. "Update Reactive.XAF packages" — pulls in new Reactive.XAF releases

Feature work happens in Reactive.XAF; eXpandFramework pulls it in and provides the 30+ end-user modules. 6,694 commits, dating back to DevExpress 14.2.

Shared Issue Tracker

Both eXpandFramework and Reactive.XAF share a single GitHub issues repository: https://github.com/eXpandFramework/eXpand/issues. Reactive.XAF does not have its own issue tracker — all issues, whether they originate in Reactive.XAF or eXpandFramework, are tracked there.

Tools

• Xpand.VersionConverter — modifies DevExpress references to match target project's DevExpress version
• CommonLibs — shared PowerShell utilities for the build pipeline