C# MVC Pattern Help

Question

I am having a go at refactoring my Winforms code into MVC pattern. I have never used this pattern before.

Obviously the GUI will be the view, the controller will be the 'middle tier' which is invoked by any user interaction with the GUI, and the model performs the requried tasks and informs the view of any status changes.

My question is, with the model, I am assuming that can span a great number of classes and is not confined to one 'model' class? Also, can these three sections all be within the same assembly?

Thanks.

Answer 1

for Winforms i wouldnt suggest MVC - id suggest MVVM

try this tutorial http://weblogs.asp.net/dwahlin/archive/2010/09/30/silverlight-sessions-coming-to-devconnections-las-vegas-november-1-4.aspx

this article mentions Silverlight but the MVVM pattern is generic and can be applied to Winforms

as pointed out by Roger Lipscombe - MVP may also work - try this for information on that http://davybrion.com/blog/2010/08/mvp-in-silverlightwpf-architectural-overview/ - again specific to Silverlight in this light but as its a pattern it can be adapted

Answer 2

For Winforms I would suggest learning about the MVP (Model/View/Presenter) and the MVC pattern. Although others have suggested MVVM might be a good idea I disagree - MVVM takes advantage of data binding offered in WPF and although Winforms supports binding to some extent, it's not as binding centric as the WPF architecture/object model.

The 'Model' layer can consist of many classes and I would always use the 'Single Responsibility Principle' as well as other Solid principles when modelling the classes within this layer of your architecture.

Useful links:

• SRP - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Single_responsibility_principle
• SOLID - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Solid_(object-oriented_design )
• MVP - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Model-view-presenter

Answer 3

Maybe you are interested in the approach I am heading for to combine the MVC/ MVP pattern with Databinding with fluent interfaces. mvc and databinding, what is the best approach?

If MVC, MVP or MVVM is used is from my point of view a matter of perspective. They will all lead to an abstraction of data, logic and visualization of the data.

Answer 4

No, model is not confined to one model class. In model you usually represent your database, and other data-related stuff. Controllers are responsible for most of the actions.

And yes, all this component will land in one dll. Bet there will be a lot of other files, like view files, which are not always compiled in MVC (but you can force that).

Answer 5

You might want to think about making a 'Model' class as an interface. Then all of your specific models implement that interface but share common methods (such as update, delete, etc.)

They can definitely be written in the same assembly. Your folder structure (strictly), should follow a Models/Views/Controllers structure, and place the code files underneath those respectively.

Answer 6

If you decide to try out the MVP pattern, which is a good choice for Winforms, check out MVC# , a framework for building MVP applications. It's simple and good.