Create A Module In Abp

step by step guide to creating a module in abp framework.

Projects are organized as src, test and host folders:

src folder contains the actual module which is layered based on DDD principles.
test folder contains unit & integration tests.
host folder contains applications with different configurations to demonstrate how to host the module in an application. These are not a part of the module, but useful on development.

Step by Step Module Creation

Step-1. Create The Abp Module Template

abp new MyModule.Abp.Core -t module - no-ui

Step-2. Create all the Entities then dtos and enums.

Step-3. Create Custom repository.

Step-4. Create all Application-Services, Domain-Services and permissions.

Step-5. Configure the DbContext, including the DbSets.

1. Add Entity to the EF Core. You will find the DbContext in the MainApp.ModuleA.EntityFrameworkCore project. Add the DbSet to the DbContext.

public DbSet<Employee> Employees { get; set; }

2. Next is to configure the CoreDbContextModelCreatingExtensions class inside the ConfigureMyModuleCore method. This should be available in the MyModule.Abp.Core.EntityFrameworkCore project.
— Once the configuration is completed, invoke the ConfigureMyModule method within the MainAppDbContext.

builder.Entity<Employee>(b =>
 {
 b.ToTable(MyModuleCoreDbProperties.DbTablePrefix + "Employees", MyModuleCoreDbProperties.DbSchema);
 b.ConfigureByConvention(); // Auto configure for the base class properties
 });

3. Replace any DbContexts if required.

[ReplaceDbContext(typeof(IIdentityDbContext))]
 public class MyModuleCoreDbContext : 
 AbpDbContext<MyModuleCoreDbContext>, 
 IIdentityDbContext, 
 IMyModuleCoreDbContext
 {
 // DbContext implementation
 }

Step-6. Map Entity to the DTOs.

• ABP uses AutoMapper to map Entity to Dto. You can find the CoreApplicationAutoMapperProfile file which is used by AutoMapper in the MyModule.Core.Application project.

 CreateMap<Employee, EmployeeDto>();
 CreateMap<Employee, CreateEmployeeDto>();

• Make sure, you have removed the parameter validate: true from the ConfigureServices in CoreApplicationModule.

Configure<AbpAutoMapperOptions>(options =>
 {
 options.AddMaps<MyModuleApplicationModule>(validate: true);
 });

Step-7. Migrating Entities

After configuring the Entity, it’s time to incorporate the migrations.

Navigate to the terminal and set the MainApp.EntityFrameworkCore as startup project.

Generate migrations using the following command:

dotnet ef migrations add created_MyModule

Confirm the creation of migrations within the designated folder.

Execute the following command to update the database:

dotnet ef database update

Step-8. Configure application services as API controllers by convention.

Configure<AbpAspNetCoreMvcOptions>(options =>
{
 options.ConventionalControllers.Create(typeof(MyModuleApplicationModule).Assembly);
});

Bonus:

The replacement of modules is a hassle-free operation, much like the straightforward process of switching a computer’s RAM to a different brand.

This modular structure also allows a team of programmers to collaborate on a specific module, implementing changes without delving into the business logic beyond that particular module.

Considering most readers here are new to this terrain, I have created another post where I have provided a in-depth understanding of the rationale behind each steps. Here is the link.