Abstract: The invention concept resides in a recognition that application development environments are advantageously improved by using an interface and accompanying software components that provide a predefined n-tier application architecture preferably involving the use of a folder and item-based metaphor to group application components for subsequent manipulation and execution. Execution of application components may be in any nominated sequence, or in parallel using multithreading or related approaches. This approach affords the visual representation of abstract software development concepts using a familiar folder/item paradigm, as well as removing the necessity of custom-building application infrastructure and implementing recommended design patterns and techniques, since embodiments of the invention implement these concepts.