Background

■ Background & Philosophy

This workflow application began its life as a practical business system. It was originally developed to run a small computer consulting company — not as an experiment, but as a daily working tool that managed clients, projects, orders, and invoices.

Over the years, it proved itself.

The system grew stable, flexible, and efficient. When the company was later sold, the software was not part of the deal — it remained with its developer, quietly waiting for a second life.

That second life began as a clean-up project between two brothers: one with a love for structure and data, the other with an engineer’s curiosity for how things can be made simple. Together they decided to re-shape the system into a general-purpose workflow engine — something that could help anyone, not just developers, to organize work in a structured and visual way.

The result is what you see here: a modernized application that can create and manage workflows, drawers, statuses, and document chains — all without coding. It runs natively on macOS and Windows, supports both single-user and client–server modes, and can even use OpenAI for guided setup and automation.

The technical foundation is built in 4D, a powerful database and application environment. This particular version is compiled using a perpetual 4D v20 Desktop Unlimited license — a license no longer offered, which makes this edition something special. It means this software can be freely shared and run as a complete standalone application — without time limits or hidden costs — for as long as operating systems continue to support it.

That is why the application is offered free of charge.

There is no business model behind it, no subscription, and no tracking. It is simply a way to share a proven, working system before the technology that built it disappears into history.

As with all things, it will work until it doesn’t — maybe one year, maybe ten. But until then, it can help anyone who values structured work, traceable documents, and simple order in daily operations.

■■ Technical Note

The application is entirely developed in 4D v20 R-series, using ORDA for its object-relational data model. It can run in two configurations:

(1) Standalone mode — a single-user executable built with 4D Desktop Unlimited

(2) Client–Server mode — using 4D Server for multi-user access.

Data is stored locally in 4D’s native data structure, with PDF export.

OpenAI API integration is built into the setup module.

■ System Overview

Every workflow is made of documents that move through defined stages. The system lets users define what types of documents exist, how they behave, and what path they follow from start to finish.

Drawers: The foundation of a workflow.

Each drawer represents a document type (e.g., PROJECT, SERVICE ORDER, INVOICE).

Documents: Instances of drawers that hold real data and link to each other to form chains (PROJECT→ SERVICE ORDER → INVOICE).

Statuses: Define a document’s stage and can trigger behavior or automation.

Relationships: The system shows live links between related documents.

Structure: Shared entities for companies, contacts, products, and accounting.

Limitations: Local data only, AI requires Internet, optimized for small to medium use, no plugins required.