Help getting started ...coming over from bubble

From Bubble to Wappler
#1

Hi all,

I’ve been lurking in the forums for the past week or so, and currently on a Wappler Trial (with intention to renew to Pro).

I have also come over from Bubble, where I was a relatively confident user (note that I have no programming background however).

I’ve taken the following actions, but still at some loss to know how to “get going” with Wappler.

  • watched some courses on following topics to get “conceptual understanding”: mysql databases/sql, phpmyadmin, mysql workbench, docker, git, ftp, bootstrap4, javascript, node.js….and many more topics which I understand are important to know about for learning Wappler.

  • read many many topics on the forum…very helpful …thank you all

  • read through much of the Wappler documentation, as well as the Wappler training videos on YouTube (wappler unwrapped, wappler online, wappler webinars)

  • set up a mysql database through “bluehost” (I use bluehost already for some wordpress websites), and downloaded “mysql workbench” as well both “docker” and “git”. Note that I also managed to set up a local mysql server and run phpmyadmin on it - I use a MacBook Pro.

  • played around with wappler itself…mostly “app connector” to better understand bootstrap 4.

Despite all of the above, I’m confused as to how best to get going. I have tried to detail some of my confusions below:

  1. I’m new to the concept of “local server” vs “remote servers”. Not sure if I am wrong to be thinking about setting up a mysql database already on something like bluehost (or I see digital ocean is also good). I have seen some in the forum suggest focus on “local” before thinking about “hosting”.

  2. I’m not sure if the introduction of the database manager means that I can take a much easier path somehow? For example, if I’m currently staying on “local”, does this mean that I can ignore any cloud hosting provider, and also ignore 3rd party tools like phpmyadmin/mysql workbench/navicat to manage my database?

  3. Have seen that there’s some thorough docker articles (the first being: Ultra fast web development with Docker in Wappler). Is docker what I should be focusing on right now?

  4. I watched this video (a couple of times!)…not sure again if this is still the “latest” place to start given the introduction of v3? Should I alternatively be ignoring hosting for now, and focus on “local”?
    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-rKpa_f8hs4

I’m hoping that after a couple of solid weeks of using wrappler, things will “click” intuitively (as they did for me in bubble), but just struggling a little to get going (due to my lack of knowledge almost certainly).

Conscious that this message will probably read as someone who’s very confused at the moment…that’s probably a fair reflection of my mind at the moment. :slight_smile:

I’ve consumed all the possible materials I could find, and just looking for a few hints to help me get into the swing of Wappler which I can see is a great tool.

Many thanks all!

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#2

I’ll respond in more detail when I’m at my PC, but having gone through something similar as you with also no programming background, I’d say you’ve made a great start.

I would suggest that you pick an idea for a mini project (something that doesn’t matter but has similar components to what want long term) and just start building.

It does take a while for everything thing to click in terms of how Wappler works and behaves etc…but just choosing something to focus on and get to work on it was best for me.

1 Like
#3

Hi @Philip_J

Thanks for your speedy reply…look forward to the more detailed reply :slight_smile:

Yes agree - just looking to get going to learn the basics, before I apply myself in a more serious/meaningful project.

By the way, I’ve been reading every post I can possibly find time for on the wappler forum, and your posts particularly stood out to me somehow for their “relatability”.

How long it has taken you to get to a point where you feel as capable as you were in bubble at least? I’m in a position where I can commit to learning wappler almost full time right now, and super motivated, hence just looking for the best way forwards whilst also being realistic.

I have been familiarising myself with as much of the conceptual stuff first, however now seeing the need to just “get going” to bring that extra level of clarity.

Thanks

#4

Hi Matrix

Firstly thanks for watching my video

Wappler has changed a lot in the last few months so pretty much all the video stock is a bit outdated, something I am working on remedying now.

But the videos still help with the basics and I suggest you take time to view them

Hopefully you will have noticed this is an extremely friendly and supportive community so there is always someone willing to help if you have a problem.

I suggest you look at the bootstrap framework https://getbootstrap.com/ as wappler uses it extensively for web apps

#5

So, with a bit more detail, and feel free to take it all with grain of salt as i am really only 8 months or so into my Wappler journey.

These are just my thoughts and experiences and might be relevant based on your own intentions. If it wasn’t clear from my posts, I am building a SaaS application on Wappler that i hope will form the core of a successful startup.

  1. I was new to this too, and after playing around with local servers and databases etc, i just found it easier to set up a live database on domain i already had access to on a simple $5 a month hosting plan. The added bonus of this was also portability in that i could change from my PC to my laptop and it was easy to set up synced projects. You could do this with local DB’s i’m sure, but it just felt easier to use a real DB on a webhost.

  2. The DB manager came out after i had already committed to learning about some other platforms, but if i had my time again, i think it would be easier to start there. There interface is already similar to the rest of Wappler so you don’t need to get use to WorkBench or Navicat etc. In saying that, i really liked Navicat out of all the SQL tools and found it the most beginner friendly. To this day i still prefer to use and enjoy the query building tool when i need to make a custom query in Wappler and don’t remember all the syntax. I build it in navicat, and then just copy/paste into Wappler. I believe with Docker and NodeJS they probably build all the DB stuff into the one container, but I haven’t gone done the Docker path yet so its still new to me.

  3. I do think Docker will be the way i go will go later on when i’m closer to deployment as it may suit the multi-tenant architecture i plan to use. It probably provides a perception of being more robust, secure and modern (even if that isn’t the fact)

Also, to clarify, Although i ‘came’ from Bubble, i was only on it for a few days before discovering Wappler which was the last RAD/Low Code tool i found after trying a bunch. Thankfully i was recommended by @Antony .

It took be about 4 months of playing around on a ‘stripped down’ version of my app working anywhere from 0 to 4 hours a day on it before i was happy with where i was. Now i’m working on the full version and moving along much faster but have plenty more to learn.

Good luck with journey :slight_smile:

2 Likes
#6

Welcome to Wappler @matrix!

Wow, I really understand… getting going is quite a journey.

If in your shoes, I would now:

  1. Set up some kind of hosting platform - at least WAMP or MAMP on your local machine and set up Wappler to link to it.
  2. Watch the video on database manager and use that as a basis to build a little test database to play with.
    George's Demo of Database Manager at our First User Gathering
  3. Create a few inputs in a form and get used to the idea of how data is saved to and retrieved from the database. Brian’s videos still seem very relevent to this process.
  4. Make sure you’ve watched lots of videos on Bootstrap 4 layout - rows and columns etc. Know your CSS. That knowledge is crucial to making a page look the way you want.
  5. Start to build something a bit more complex.
  6. Go from there - as you hit road blocks, read the Wappler docs, research on here, ask us questions, google anything that seems quite generic.

It will take longer than you may think… we are talking a few months rather than a few weeks… but when you reach that sweet spot of knowledge you just feel like you are flying!

Good luck and welcome to the fold,

Antony. :slight_smile:

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#7

Just on Antony’s first point, the great thing about using NodeJS project is that node basically has its own local sever built in so you won’t need to get a MAMP type server set up.

Much easier!

You’ll still need to think about your DB though.

2 Likes
#8

Thanks all for your suggestions - this has given me some fresh perspectives.

Will take the local server/DB manager route to start with. :slight_smile:

Intend to start with NodeJS, so hopefully that makes things easier too.