pylon

Feature Guard Package For SaaS Aaplications

SuperAdmin Setup Flow: Theoretical Model Relationships

Step 1: Define Features (Foundation)

Model: Feature

Critical Columns:
- id (UUID)
- name (UNIQUE) → "form_create", "bulk_email", "display_stats"
- meterType → COUNT | ON_OFF
- timeframe → MONTHLY | YEARLY | FOREVER | null
- unit → "forms", "emails", "access"
- description → "Monthly form creation limit"

Purpose: Catalog of all possible billable features in the system.

Step 2: Create Pricing Packages (Product Tiers)

Model: PricingPackage

Critical Columns:
- id (UUID) 
- name → "Freemium", "Starter", "Pro"
- priceMonthly → 0, 29, 99

Purpose: Define the subscription tiers available to organizations.

Step 3: Connect Features to Packages (Feature Gates)

Model: PricingPackageFeature (Junction Table)

Critical Columns:
- pricingPackageId (FK to PricingPackage)
- featureId (FK to Feature)
- status → true | false (is feature enabled in this package?)
- limitValue → 3, 50, 500, null (max usage for COUNT features)

Purpose: Define exactly what features each pricing package includes and their limits.

Step 4: Assign Organizations to Packages

Model: Organization

Critical Columns:
- id (UUID)
- pricingPackageId (FK to PricingPackage)

Purpose: Connect each customer organization to their subscription tier.

Step 5: Automatic Metering Creation (Runtime)

Model: Metering

Critical Columns:
- organizationId (FK to Organization) 
- featureId (FK to Feature)
- currentValue → 0, 1, 2, 3... (current usage count)
- periodStart → 2024-01-01 (start of current period)
- periodEnd → 2024-02-01 (end of current period)

Purpose: Track real-time usage per organization per feature. Created automatically when first used.

Complete Setup Flow Diagram:

[Feature] (1) ←--- [PricingPackageFeature] (n) ---→ (1) [PricingPackage] (1) ---→ (n) [Organization]
     ↓                                                              ↓
     └-------------------→ (n) [Metering] (1) ←---------------------┘
                         (usage tracking)

SuperAdmin Setup Sequence:

PHASE 1: System Foundation

1. Create Features:

   Feature 1: name="form_create", meterType=COUNT, timeframe=MONTHLY, unit="forms"
   Feature 2: name="bulk_email", meterType=COUNT, timeframe=MONTHLY, unit="emails"  
   Feature 3: name="display_stats", meterType=ON_OFF, timeframe=null, unit="access"

PHASE 2: Product Packaging

2. Create Pricing Packages:

   Package 1: name="Freemium", priceMonthly=0
   Package 2: name="Starter", priceMonthly=29  
   Package 3: name="Pro", priceMonthly=99

3. Assign Features to Packages:

   Freemium + form_create → status=true, limitValue=3
   Freemium + bulk_email → status=false, limitValue=0
   Freemium + display_stats → status=false, limitValue=0
      
   Starter + form_create → status=true, limitValue=50
   Starter + bulk_email → status=true, limitValue=300
   Starter + display_stats → status=true, limitValue=1
      
   Pro + form_create → status=true, limitValue=500
   Pro + bulk_email → status=true, limitValue=5000  
   Pro + display_stats → status=true, limitValue=1

PHASE 3: Customer Onboarding

4. Assign Organizations to Packages:

   Organization "Acme Inc" → Starter package
   Organization "Startup LLC" → Freemium package

PHASE 4: Runtime (Automatic)

5. Metering auto-creation:
   • When Acme Inc creates first form → Metering record created: org=Acme, feature=form_create, currentValue=1
   • When Startup LLC tries bulk email → Blocked (status=false in Freemium)

Critical Field Relationships:

| Step | Model | Critical Fields | Purpose | |------|-------|-----------------|---------| | 1 | Feature | name, meterType, timeframe | Define what can be metered | | 2 | PricingPackage | name, priceMonthly | Define product tiers | | 3 | PricingPackageFeature | status, limitValue | Set package-specific limits | | 4 | Organization | pricingPackageId | Assign customer to tier | | 5 | Metering | currentValue, periodStart/End | Track real usage |

This gives SuperAdmin complete control over the feature economy while keeping the runtime simple for developers.

Pylon Commands Reference

Pylon Route Management

Create Pylon Route

Creates a role-based route with Pylon dashboard layout structure.

Syntax:

semantq make:route <routeName> <role> --pylon

Examples:

# Create a plan route for project-manager role
semantq make:route plan project-manager --pylon

# Create a user-add route for admin role (short flag)
semantq make:route user-add admin -p

# Create with server handlers
semantq make:route master-plan project-manager --pylon -A

What it creates:

• src/routes/<role>/<routeName>/@page.smq - Main route page with component imports
• src/routes/<role>/<routeName>/@layout.smq - Dashboard layout with CSS imports

Key Features:

• Automatically converts route names to PascalCase (e.g., user-add → UserAdd)
• Sets up dashboard container with Sidebar, Header, and Footer imports
• Includes dashboard CSS and required external stylesheets
• Enables authentication by default in config

Remove Route

Removes an existing route directory and all its contents.

Syntax:

semantq remove:route <routeName>

Options:

• -y, --yes: Skip confirmation prompt

Example:

# Remove a route with confirmation
semantq remove:route contact

# Remove without confirmation
semantq remove:route about -y

Notes:

• Works for both regular routes and Pylon routes
• Shows all files that will be removed before deletion
• Requires confirmation unless -y flag is used

Pylon Component Management

Create Pylon Component

Creates a Pylon-enabled component with feature guarding and permission-based UI.

Syntax:

semantq make:component <componentName> --pylon

Examples:

# Create a basic Pylon component
semantq make:component Plan --pylon

# Create nested Pylon component
semantq make:component admin/User --pylon

What it creates:

• src/components/pylon/<componentName>.smq (or nested path)
• Includes complete permission system with can(), canAny(), canAll() functions
• Formique configuration for CRUD operations
• AnyGrid integration with permission-controlled features
• Loading states and error handling
• Accordion-based UI for create/view operations

Key Features:

• Automatic permission mapping from user settings
• State management with $state and $effect
• Integrated Formique forms with validation
• AnyGrid data tables with export permissions
• Role-based access control
• Automatic data refresh on record creation

Remove Component

Removes a component file from the project.

Syntax:

semantq remove:component <componentName>

Options:

• -p, --pylon: Remove from Pylon components directory
• -y, --yes: Skip confirmation prompt

Examples:

# Remove regular component
semantq remove:component Button

# Remove Pylon component
semantq remove:component Plan --pylon

# Remove without confirmation
semantq remove:component User -p -y

Notes:

• Defaults to regular components directory
• Use --pylon flag for Pylon components
• Shows alternative location suggestions if not found

Pylon Resource Management

Create Pylon Resource

Generates a complete backend resource with Pylon feature guarding.

Syntax:

semantq make:resource <resourceName> --pylon

Examples:

# Create Pylon resource for User model
semantq make:resource User --pylon

# Create regular resource (non-Pylon)
semantq make:resource Product

What it creates:

• Model: Database model with Pylon permission fields
• Controller: CRUD operations with permission checks
• Service: Business logic layer
• Routes: API endpoints with middleware

Key Features:

• Database adapter-aware (MySQL, MongoDB, SQLite, Supabase)
• Automatic Pylon permission integration in controllers
• Feature flag system for SaaS capabilities
• Role-based access middleware
• Consistent naming conventions

Remove Resource

Removes all backend resource files for a given resource.

Syntax:

semantq remove:resource <resourceName>

Options:

• -y, --yes: Skip confirmation prompt

Example:

# Remove User resource with confirmation
semantq remove:resource User

# Remove without confirmation
semantq remove:resource Product -y

What it removes:

• Model files across all database adapters
• Controller file
• Service file
• Route file

Notes:

• Only removes files that exist
• Shows list of files before deletion
• Requires server directory (semantqQL) to exist

Common Workflow Example

Complete Pylon Feature Creation

# 1. Create the backend resource
semantq make:resource Invoice --pylon

# 2. Create the Pylon component
semantq make:component Invoice --pylon

# 3. Create the route for admin role
semantq make:route invoice admin --pylon

This creates:

• Backend: Invoice model, controller, service, routes
• Frontend: Invoice.smq Pylon component with permission UI
• Route: /admin/invoice dashboard route

Cleanup Example

# Remove everything
semantq remove:resource Invoice -y
semantq remove:component Invoice --pylon -y
semantq remove:route invoice -y

Notes & Best Practices

1. Naming Conventions:

   • Routes: lowercase, hyphenated (e.g., user-add)
   • Components: PascalCase (e.g., UserAdd)
   • Resources: Singular, PascalCase (e.g., User)

2. Directory Structure:

   • Pylon components: src/components/pylon/
   • Pylon routes: src/routes/<role>/
   • Resources: semantqQL/ (models, controllers, services, routes)

3. Permission System:

   • Uses user.userSettings Set for permission checks
   • Supports CRUD operations (create, read, update, delete)
   • Includes DataGrid features (datagrid_csvexport, datagrid_excelexport)

4. File Generation:

   • All commands check for existing files first
   • Provide helpful error messages for conflicts
   • Include clear "next steps" after creation