workframe 0.1.0

Simple Flask-based framework for building business applications quickly

WorkFrame

Simple Flask-based framework for building business applications quickly.

Overview

WorkFrame is a Python framework designed specifically for building business applications with minimal ceremony. It focuses on business logic while handling all the web application plumbing automatically.

Core Philosophy

• Business-first: Target business applications, not generic web development
• Zero ceremony: Minimal boilerplate code required
• Convention over configuration: Sensible defaults that work out of the box
• Escape hatches: Always provide ways to customize when needed
• Developer experience: Should feel like magic for common use cases
• Production ready: Suitable for real business applications from day one

Quick Start

Installation

pip install workframe

Simple Example

Create a file called app.py:

from workframe import WorkFrame, crud

# Create app with custom branding
app = WorkFrame(__name__, 
               app_name="My Business App", 
               app_description="Customer Management System")

# Create a simple contact management system
contacts = crud('contacts', ['name', 'email', 'phone', 'company'])
app.register_module('/contacts', contacts, menu_title='Contacts', icon='bi-person')

if __name__ == '__main__':
    app.run(debug=True)

Run the application:

python app.py

Visit http://localhost:5000 and login with admin/admin.

That's it! You now have a fully functional business application with:

• User authentication and session management
• Complete CRUD operations for contacts
• Professional Bootstrap 5 dark theme UI
• Responsive design for mobile/tablet
• Admin interface for user management

Advanced Example

from workframe import WorkFrame, crud, Field

app = WorkFrame(__name__)

# Define companies first (lookup target)
companies = crud('companies', [
    'name',
    'website', 
    Field('industry', enum=['Technology', 'Healthcare', 'Finance', 'Other']),
    Field('employee_count', type='number'),
    Field('is_client', type='boolean', default=False),
])

# Define contacts with advanced field types
contacts = crud('contacts', [
    'name',                                                 # simple text field
    'email',                                                # auto-detected email field
    Field('company_id', lookup='companies', display='name'), # foreign key dropdown
    Field('status', enum=['Active', 'Inactive']),           # dropdown
    Field('created_date', readonly=True, hidden_in_form=True),
    Field('notes', type='textarea', optional=True),
])

# Register modules with icons (companies first since contacts references it)
app.register_module('/companies', companies, menu_title='Companies', icon='bi-building')
app.register_module('/contacts', contacts, menu_title='Contacts', icon='bi-person-lines-fill')

if __name__ == '__main__':
    app.run(debug=True)

Features

Automatic CRUD Generation

• One-line CRUD: crud('table_name', ['field1', 'field2']) creates complete CRUD
• List views: Paginated, searchable, sortable data tables
• CSV Export: Export data to CSV with one click (NEW)
• Bulk Actions: Select multiple records and delete in bulk (NEW)
• Forms: Auto-generated forms with validation
• Detail views: View and edit individual records

Rich Field Types

• Text, email, phone, date, datetime, currency, textarea
• Foreign key lookups with dropdowns (NEW)
• Enumeration fields with select options
• Boolean fields with checkboxes
• Auto-detection based on field names
• Extensive customization options

Built-in Authentication

• Secure by default - All CRUD operations require authentication
• Smart navigation - Menu items only appear when user is authenticated
• Production-ready security - No exposed credentials or security hints (NEW)
• User management with admin/regular user roles
• Session-based authentication
• Password hashing and security
• Admin interface for user management

Professional UI

• Bootstrap 5 dark theme
• Mobile-first responsive design
• Smart navigation with conditional menu items and multi-level support (NEW)
• Complete custom branding - app name appears throughout entire application (NEW)
• Clean, professional styling - no framework branding or copyright clutter (NEW)
• Bootstrap icons for menu items with 1,800+ icons available (NEW)
• Auto-generated navigation
• Flash messaging system
• Automatic schema migration - your code is the source of truth (NEW)
• Smart error handling with helpful migration instructions (NEW)
• Professional data export functionality

Business Application Ready

• Multi-module applications
• Admin vs user permission separation
• Authentication required by default - no unsecured endpoints
• Automatic database schema updates - no manual migrations needed
• Production-ready security defaults
• SQLite for development, configurable for production

Customization Options

Application Branding

from workframe import WorkFrame

# Customize your application's branding
app = WorkFrame(__name__,
    app_name="My Business App",           # Custom app name in navbar and title
    app_description="Customer Management" # Custom footer description
)

Admin-Only Modules

# Create admin-restricted CRUD modules
admin_reports = crud('reports', [
    'title',
    'description', 
    Field('created_date', readonly=True)
], admin_required=True)  # Only admin users can access

app.register_module('/admin/reports', admin_reports, 
                   menu_title='Reports', 
                   admin_only=True)

Navigation and Menus

# Single-level menu with icon
app.register_module('/contacts', contacts, 
                   menu_title='Contacts', 
                   icon='bi-person-lines-fill')

# Multi-level menu (dropdown)
app.register_module('/contacts', contacts, 
                   menu_title='All Contacts', 
                   icon='bi-person-lines-fill', 
                   parent='Customer Management')

app.register_module('/companies', companies, 
                   menu_title='All Companies', 
                   icon='bi-building', 
                   parent='Customer Management')

# Admin-only modules
app.register_module('/reports', reports, 
                   menu_title='Reports', 
                   icon='bi-graph-up',
                   admin_only=True)

Field Customization

from workframe import Field

# Advanced field definition
Field('field_name',
    type='text|email|phone|date|datetime|currency|textarea',
    required=True|False,
    readonly=True|False, 
    hidden=True|False,
    placeholder='text',
    default='value'|callable,
    validation=callable,
    enum=['option1', 'option2'],          # dropdown options
    lookup='table_name',                   # foreign key
    display='field_name',                  # display field for lookups
    rows=5,                               # textarea rows
    format='${:,.2f}'                     # display formatting
)

Generated Routes

Every module automatically gets:

• /module - List all records with bulk selection
• /module/export.csv - Export data to CSV (NEW)
• /module/bulk-delete - Delete multiple records (NEW)
• /module/new - Create new record
• /module/<id> - View record details
• /module/<id>/edit - Edit record
• /module/<id>/delete - Delete record

Plus admin routes:

• /admin/users - User management
• /admin/groups - Group management

Requirements

• Python 3.9+
• Flask 2.3+
• Modern web browser

Development Status

WorkFrame is currently in beta. The core functionality is stable and suitable for development and testing. Production use is possible but please test thoroughly.

Documentation

More detailed documentation and examples are coming soon.

Contributing

Contributions are welcome! Please feel free to submit issues and pull requests.

License

MIT License - see LICENSE file for details.