Technology Stack¶

This page answers the question "what is SmartSoft Inventory built with?" — the languages, runtimes, frameworks, and tools, plus why each is there and what it implies for anyone working on the system.

The stack in one diagram¶

flowchart TB
    subgraph L5["Presentation"]
        WF["WinForms UI"]
        SK["IrisSkin / Skinner<br/>(theming)"]
        CFX["ChartFX.Lite<br/>(charts)"]
        CR["Crystal Reports<br/>(report rendering)"]
    end
    subgraph L4["Application"]
        APP["smartsoft_inventory<br/>Forms · Class · Module"]
    end
    subgraph L3["SmartSoft FrameWork (shared DLLs)"]
        BLL["BLL<br/>stock · promos · closing"]
        GEN["General<br/>data access · config"]
        GUI["GUI<br/>base forms · controls"]
        STR["Struk<br/>receipt printing"]
        NET["Net · Closing · Laporan · CetakGiro · MyLib"]
    end
    subgraph L2["Platform"]
        NETFX[".NET Framework 3.5 (x86)"]
        COM["COM interop: SQLDMO · Raw printing · QRCode"]
    end
    subgraph L1["Data"]
        SQL[("Microsoft SQL Server")]
    end
    L5 --> L4 --> L3 --> L2 --> L1
    style L3 fill:#e8eaf6,stroke:#3f51b5
    style L1 fill:#e0f2f1,stroke:#00897b

Core platform¶

Layer	Technology	Version / detail
Language	VB.NET	Visual Basic .NET
Runtime	.NET Framework	3.5, targeting x86
UI framework	Windows Forms (WinForms)	Desktop, event-driven
IDE / build	Visual Studio 2008	MSBuild-compatible for the main project
Database	Microsoft SQL Server	2005 / 2014-era, SQL authentication
Data access	ADO.NET	`SqlConnection` / `SqlCommand` / `SqlDataAdapter`
Reporting	Crystal Reports	Report rendering & printing
OS	Windows	The app is Windows-only end-to-end

Why VB.NET / .NET 3.5?

This is the technology it was originally written in and never migrated from. .NET 3.5 + WinForms + Visual Studio 2008 was a mainstream Windows line-of-business stack at the time. The choice is now a constraint, not a decision: the dependencies below (Crystal Reports, SQLDMO COM interop, skinning DLLs) tie it firmly to this era. Treat the stack as fixed unless a deliberate modernization project says otherwise.

Third-party & UI libraries¶

Component	Role
IrisSkin / Skinner	Skinning engine — the themed look of every form. Skin name comes from config.
ChartFX.Lite	Charting control used in dashboards/reports.
Crystal Reports	The reporting engine; report viewers live under `INVENTORY/Form/Laporan/`.
MessagingToolkit.QRCode	QR-code generation (labels / receipts).
MyControl	In-house custom WinForms controls.
Interop.SQLDMO	COM interop to SQL-DMO for database admin tasks (backup/restore, server info).

The SmartSoft FrameWork (internal shared libraries)¶

The heavy lifting lives in a set of internal DLL assemblies — the SmartSoft FrameWork — shared across SmartSoft's product line (Inventory, POS, Service). The application references them as compiled DLLs.

Assembly	Responsibility
`FrameWork.SmartSoft.BLL`	Business logic — stock & costing (`BLL_STOCK`), promotions, point-reward, daily process.
`FrameWork.SmartSoft.General`	Data-access gateway (`DataAccessControl`), value conversion, registry config, version check.
`FrameWork.SmartSoft.GUI`	Base forms, custom controls, message boxes, skinning glue.
`FrameWork.SmartSoft.Struk`	Receipt / label ("struk") printing, including raw printer access.
`FrameWork.SmartSoft.Closing`	Daily / monthly close, backup, restore, data housekeeping.
`FrameWork.SmartSoft.Net`	Networking — email (SMTP/GMail), FTP, modem messaging.
`FrameWork.SmartSoft.Laporan`	Specific report builders (purchase order, margin/profit).
`FrameWork.SmartSoft.CetakGiro`	Cheque / giro printing for specific banks (Mandiri, BCA).
`DataAccessControl`	Typed data-access classes (`tbMaster_`, `tv_`) for Inventory / POS / Service.
`SmartSoft.Parameter`	Company (`PERUSAHAAN`), parameters, computer/system reference entities.
`MyLib`	Cross-cutting utilities — licensing (`CdKey`), login, Oracle DAC, raw printing, clock sync.

See The SmartSoft FrameWork for a per-assembly deep dive.

Configuration & deployment technology¶

Concern	How it's done
App configuration	Stored in the Windows Registry, obfuscated (server, database, credentials, skin). Read at startup via `SystemRegistry`.
Connection string	Built at runtime from registry values; SQL Server authentication with credentials embedded.
Licensing	`CdKey` (MyLib) + a cloud license check at `license.smartsoft.co.id` gated on an expiry date in `REF_SYSTEM`.
Clock/locale	On startup the app syncs the workstation clock and date/number formats to the SQL Server (`SynchroniseDateTime`).
Install	A Visual Studio setup/installer project (`SetupInventory.vdproj`) produces a per-PC MSI-style install.

What this stack means for you¶

Practical consequences

Windows-only, no cross-platform. No dotnet CLI build; you need Windows + Visual Studio 2008 (or a matching MSBuild + the DLL dependencies).
Desktop, not web. Each till/PC runs the full app and connects directly to SQL Server. There is no application server or API tier.
Shared DLLs are external. The app references the FrameWork via relative paths outside the repo — see Build & Deploy.
The database is the integration point. Branches/products integrate through shared SQL tables and closing/sync processes, not services.
The stack is frozen in time. Modern .NET, EF Core, or a web front-end would be a rewrite, not an upgrade — because of Crystal Reports, SQLDMO, and the skinning DLLs.