What's new in Intent Architect (October 2023)

Welcome to the October 2023 edition of highlights of What's New in Intent Architect.

Update details

Intent Architect 4.1 (Beta)

This release of Intent Architect is fully backward compatible with V4.0.x. It does simultaneously come with functionality that is not available in V4.0.x that, if used, would require other team members working on that application to upgrade to V4.1.x or higher.

The main new features are as follows:

  • Service Designer Diagrams
  • Advanced Mapping System
  • Enhanced Diagram Capabilities
  • Error Management Enhancements

Sample Service Designer diagram

For more detail, refer to the product release notes and watch our webinar covering the 4.1 changes.

Available from:

  • Intent Architect 4.1.*

Binary Output Template support

If is now possible to create templates which output Binary files as opposed to only supporting text-based files. From within the Module Builder the following Templates support binary output options:

  • File Template
  • Static Content Template

File Template Configuration

File Template Example

Static Content Template Configuration

Static Content Template Example

For more detail, refer to the module documentation.

Available from:

  • Intent Architect 4.1.*
  • Intent.ModuleBuilder 3.7.0-beta.1

Azure Table Storage support

This module brings in a new Document Database Provider, Azure.TableStorage, allowing you realize your DocumentDB paradigm Domain Models with an Azure Table Storage persistence layer. This module includes

  • Modeler customizations.
  • Table Storage repositories.
  • Table Storage unit of work.
  • Improve support for compositional key support in CRUD scripting.

Table Storage Modeling Example

For more detail, refer to the module documentation.

Available from:

  • Intent Architect 4.1.*
  • Intent.Azure.TableStorage 1.0.0-beta.*

Support for NuGet Central Package Management (CPM)

In .NET, Central Package Management (CPM) allows management of versions of NuGet packages for multiple .csproj from a central Directory.Packages.props file and an MSBuild property.

You can now specify you wish to use CPM for your Solution and Intent will then manage your NuGet package versions accordingly:

Solution CPM

For more information refer to the module's README.

Available from:

  • Intent.VisualStudio.Projects 3.4.0

Specify OpenAPI operationId values for endpoints

The OpenAPI Settings stereotype

A new OpenAPI Settings stereotype can be applied to endpoints (Commands, Queries, Operations and Azure Functions) to control its operationId, see here for more information.

Available from:

  • Intent.Metadata.WebApi 4.3.1
  • Intent.AspNetCore.Controllers 5.4.2
  • Intent.AzureFunctions.OpenApi 1.0.3

OpenAPI specifications now have non-nullable fields marked as required

Swashbuckle has now been configured to automatically mark fields for non-nullable properties as required in the generated swagger.json file.

Available from:

  • Intent.AspNetCore.Swashbuckle 4.0.9

Domain Event refinements

Previously domain eventing infrastructure was added to all Aggregate roots with-in your domain model, we have now added a new application setting "Domain Settings -> Implement Domain Eventing on", which has the following option:

  • All Aggregates, this option is the original behaviour and is the default option for backwards compatibility.
  • Aggregates with modelled Domain Events, only Aggregate roots with Domain Event publishing modelled against them, with get the Domain Eventing related code.

Available from:

  • Intent.DomainEvents 4.1.2

CRUD Command/Query consumption convenience

When API Controller parameters match with Command/Query fields, we've made consuming these endpoints easier. Now, you don't need to populate the fields on the Command/Query objects that are already populated via a Route parameter.

Previously you had to specify the Id for an Update Command via the Route parameter and the Command itself. Now if you have a parameter being specified elsewhere (e.g. Url Route), it will prefer that as the source.

[HttpPut("api/person/{id}")]
public async Task<ActionResult> UpdatePerson(
    [FromRoute] Guid id,
    [FromBody] UpdatePersonCommand command,
    CancellationToken cancellationToken = default)
{
    if (command.Id == default)
    {
        command.Id = id;
    }
    if (id != command.Id)
    {
        return BadRequest();
    }

    await _mediator.Send(command, cancellationToken);
    return NoContent();
}
Note

Note that specifying the Id property in the Command will still be accepted so a check is performed to see whether it is the same as the Route Parameter value.

Available from:

  • Intent.AspNetCore.Controllers 5.4.1
  • Intent.Application.MediatR 4.1.4
  • Intent.AspNetCore.Controllers.Dispatch.MediatR 5.4.0

CRUD scripting improvements around "required"/"non-nullable" aggregational association foreign keys

In the Services Designer, Map to Domain Data now automatically adds aggregational association foreign keys in the RDBMS paradigm.

Model Example

Looking at the above model, performing Map to Domain Data on the CreateInvoiceCommand and selecting to include LineItem will now include ProductId as part of the CreateInvoiceItemDto.

Available from:

  • Intent.Application.MediatR.CRUD 5.3.1

Optionally have query/command files along with their respective handlers and validators all combined into a single file

Introduced new "Consolidate Command/Query associated files into single file" setting. When enabled, commands/queries are no longer generated into sub-folders and their respective handlers and validators (as applicable) are now embedded within them as opposed to being generated separately. See the README for more details.

Available from:

  • Intent.Application.MediatR 4.1.4