In the previous epoch of .net 1.1 I’ve created myself several user controls
to answer the requirements for an admin (back office) system for a certain
database.

One of those controls was a multi-row DataGrid for single db tables. It’s
based on generating template columns according to the dataSource type (text
boxes for strings and numbers, drop downs for foreign keys if specified,
check boxes for bool, etc.). It was preferable over the edit options shipped
with the DataGrid since I could edit, add or delete multiple rows with one db
server call. It had all things needed as validation and so.

In addition I have a single-row-form view as well as more complex controls I
had to design according to the needs of the specific admin system (like plus
and minus which opens related data from related tables, made with some java
script).

The main disadvantage of the stuff above was the postback. In addition to the
hard time to create those controls and debug them. And then having to put
several together made it even harder. Nevertheless I made it and it worked
and still works.

What I wanted to get advice on is:
Is there any high-professional system which provides such admin services? (I
guess making an admin system is a task many developers have to do at some
phase. So how do they deal with this?)

I’ve searched and found CodeSmith + .netTiers and IdeaBlade’s DevForce. What
I understood from those products is that they do a great job in preparing
best-practice objects, ready to use. But still I miss the client side. Should
one still bind those objects to Grids and lists, and additionally hand-add js
or use them with Ajax technology?

My intuition tells me that there is some great software hiding, which might
sound as follows:
1.    Create a new Admin screen (choose out of several build in controls –
single table multi-line, single table form view, related tables.. etc.)
2.    Set the Tables desired
3.    Set display headers for desired columns
4.    Set foreign fields as Drop Downs
5.    Sett additional use cases..
6.    Etc.
The result in my vision of this is a web cross-browser client-server, Ajax
based thing. Postback is out of the question of cource.

So, am I dreaming and describing the brief of some future product or have I
been too blind to already have found it?

how to do this?
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