Overview

SoapBox Core makes it simple to build an extensible .NET application.  It makes extensive use of Windows Presentation Foundation (WPF), the Model-View-ViewModel (MVVM) Pattern, and the brand new Managed Extensibility Framework (MEF).  The SoapBox Core application framework takes the Model-View-ViewModel pattern one step further, allowing you to capture each feature in its own assembly, and swap them in and out at runtime.

You build your application feature by feature.  Each new feature is an extension to the existing application, and adds additional functionality by extending the application from numerous extensibility points already built into the SoapBox Core framework, or from other extensibility points that you define.  For instance, if you were developing a word processor, and wanted to add a spell checker feature, you could create a new assembly that extended the following existing points:

  • Add a hook into the startup commands so you can load your dictionary when the application launches.
  • Add a new menu item to the tools menu that launches your spell checker.
  • Add a control to the status bar that displays the number of spelling errors in the current document.
  • Add a new tool bar to the tool bar tray with buttons that let the user navigate to the next or previous spelling error.

When you define your new spell checker extension, you can make it extensible (for instance, allowing 3rd parties to provide dictionaries in other languages) by providing your own “Dictionaries” extensibility point.

Best of all, SoapBox Core is free, even for commercial use!  SoapBox Core is released for anyone to use under the LGPL.  If your company doesn’t like the terms of the LGPL, SoapBox Core is also available under the SoapBox Automation Commercial License.  Download SoapBox Core and get started building your extensible application today.