Fundamental Concepts
Philosophy
You know 4D? You know BWEB.
BWEB is not a framework that requires JavaScript expertise. It is a component purely based on 4D. A 4D developer should be able to create a website without changing worlds.
BWEB targets public portals and CMS with potentially 300,000+ users - not internal dashboards (for that, there is Qodly).
Tailwind can be learned in a day. React takes several months.
Hierarchy: Domain - Page - Block
Everything in BWEB is organized into 3 levels:
| Level | Table | Description | Example |
|---|---|---|---|
| Domain | BSPK_WEB_DOMAIN | A complete website | mysite.com |
| Page | BSPK_WEB_DOMAIN_MENU | An accessible URL or a reusable component | /suppliers, header, footer |
| Block | BSPK_WEB_CONTENT | A UI element forming a tree via parentUuid | wrapper, text, button, listbox |
The template assembles components (header, footer, sidebars) around each page content.
Pages vs Components
| Page | Component | |
|---|---|---|
| category | page | component |
| Accessible via URL | Yes (/suppliers, /contact) | No |
| Reusable | No | Yes (header, footer, sidebar) |
| Displayed via | Direct navigation | Domain template |
Responsive Design
BWEB uses Tailwind CSS mobile-first approach. Each block stores its styles per breakpoint in cssProperties.
| Breakpoint | Min. Width | Target |
|---|---|---|
| default | 0px | Mobile |
| sm | 640px | Small screen |
| md | 768px | Tablet |
| lg | 1024px | Laptop |
| xl | 1280px | Desktop |
| 2xl | 1536px | Large screen |
Example: a container in column on mobile, in row on desktop:
{bspk: {default: {customClass: flex flex-col gap-2}, md: {customClass: flex-row gap-4}, lg: {customClass: gap-6}}}Conditional Display
3 mechanisms to control block visibility:
| Mechanism | Description | Example |
|---|---|---|
| linked | Links block visibility to another block | A detail panel appears when a row is selected |
| effect | Appearance effect | fade, slide |
| conditionalDisplay | Data-based condition | Entity#null, isPublished=true |
Process Variables and Persistence
BWEB manages state server-side, not client-side:
- The Entity persists during the session via process variables
- No client-side state (no Redux, Zustand, etc.)
- The server is the single source of truth
- STAMP (optimistic locking) is natively managed by ORDA
- 4D sessions are scalable and preemptive
Claude does not replace BWEB, it powers it.