Application Framework is built on a Document/View architecture, common to most Windows applications. In this type of architecture, the application is a frame window holding toolbars and menus, that allows you to edit several documents at the same time. This frame window manipulates documents (data that is opened using menu items such as File > Open, File > New, and so on) that the user can edit inside views, which are usually created in a frame window.

For example, a document in Microsoft Excel is a table in memory loaded from an .xls file, and the views that can display and modify this document are sheets or charts.

Implementing an Application describes the document/view architecture in more detail.