1. A system for rapid development of software applications comprising: (a) a field composer; (b) a design composer; and (c) a design repository; wherein the field composer is used to create field trees; wherein the design composer is used to create designs; wherein a design is a partial or complete configuration of a software application; wherein one or more data models is/are derived from one or more existing databases; and wherein the design repository stores designs, field trees, and data models.