I am a new user of Wappler and have previously used various platforms for different projects, including Dreamweaver, Webflow, WordPress, and custom CMS. I find Wappler to be a highly useful tool for backend development, and it also serves its purpose for frontend development. However, in my opinion, the frontend features of Wappler are not its strongest aspect. In today’s web development landscape, a visually appealing frontend with engaging animations and interactions is highly sought after. Unfortunately, the default animations and interactions provided by Wappler are quite basic.
I constantly notice new updates and improvements for backend functionalities, APIs, and PHP, which is great. However, as a creative designer and an experienced web developer, I believe that if Wappler could incorporate better interaction and animation capabilities similar to what Webflow offers, it could become a game-changer in the field of web development, particularly in the “less coding” category.
To illustrate my point, I have provided a link to a video showcasing some examples of how easily such interactions and animations can be achieved in Webflow:
Please understand that I do not wish to engage in a debate about which tool is better or discuss the pros and cons of different platforms. We are all here with Wappler for specific reasons. However, even in the showcased examples you have presented, it is evident that the eye-catching factor lies in the animations and interactions. As a user, I would love to see more frontend implementations and enhancements that prioritize user experience within Wappler.
I would like to take this opportunity to thank all the members of the community, even though I am brand new to Wappler. I have always received assistance from both users and the staff. The documentation can be a bit complicated at times, but I have managed to overcome the issues I have encountered. It’s worth mentioning that I haven’t reached 100% completion yet. I am currently working on the backend part.
Your observation is correct… It has been so since the past 4 years or so that we have been using Wappler.
We don’t really care about it in our team to be honest. We have used this tool to make great features and add complex functionalities… But never to built any fancy animating UI.
There was one use case, but that could not have been covered by Webflow etc either… We did a custom JS implementation.
Secondly, there have been posts around improving visual builder in community - but rarely. It looks like if not many users are complaining/requesting this, it not worth the effort from Wappler team.
If enough people ask for it, I think Wappler team will work on it.
I was about to write a answer on how I only use Wappler for API and Customer Support / Backend stuff and not really for the end customer facing front end, and that got me thinking and I realized that you are right: as long as the main customer group delivers enterprise solutions for a rather small customer group (or in-house development, aka B2B) and not primarily end customer facing products (B2B), the visual editor and visual appealing features won’t make it into the Wappler editor.
I’ve come across some feedback that mentions a lack of fancy or attractive designs in Wappler. Personally, I’m experiencing a situation where the backend is powerful, but the frontend for the public appears to be just like any other ordinary website. Many of my clients prefer WordPress or other solutions because they want a visually appealing website. Using a pre-made template can help achieve that desired look. For instance, tools like Webflow excel in animations and interactions. I don’t mean to directly compare Wappler to Webflow, but I believe implementing some similar features in Wappler could truly be a game changer.
What is wrong with writing your own CSS to make things appear the way you want them? Aesthetically you can do whatever you like to push the design to the front edge of what is trending. A little time and effort goes a long way in this regard. Wappler does not hold you back from doing this. Its all up to you.
Plus 1 on a bit more interaction / animation for the UI.
Have a quick look on FlutterFlow (yeah, I can see you rolling the eyes ):
CleanShot 2023-05-19 at 17.51.14
Ignore the use of the bottom sheet (Bootstrap Offcanvas would to the trick), I used a number of simple animations with On Action or On Load triggers. The power comes in combining the animations on one trigger, you run them at the same time or sequential, add a small delay to each step and you get a fluid and eye catching response:
I’m not expecting Wappler to be on par with Pixar in terms of animations. However, it would be great to have features like sequential animations, scroll-based animations tied to specific elements, and mouse pointer interactions. These are just a few examples of basic functionalities that, when combined creatively, can lead to the production of unique and innovative animations.
The essence of Wappler lies in its mission to reduce code dependency and simplify with the user interface. However, even when it comes to CSS, there’s still a considerable amount of manual work involved.
Another way to look at this would be from Bootstrap’s point of view.
Does anyone know of a library which could enhance default HTML interactions and animations and be Bootstrap compatible? That would be like a no brainer for Wappler to implement.
So you want a tool where you barely have to do anything at all? I’m not starting an argument here but where does this form of request end? I know Wappler well enough to know its essence and do not require schooling in that department, but appreciate your opinion on what you think Wappler is, and should be. The fact is it can’t be everyone’s dreams and wishes (and high hopes) combined. Some effort is required by the operator.
This 1000 times. And that is not exclusive to Wappler. That’s basically life.
Wappler is basically with the good and the bad the best thing out there for low code web development. It’s lagging in new tech that is true but I believe they have a huge bill pending on technical debt and the user base is quite complicated to accommodate to say the least.
For me it hurts every time I see some new shit released for PHP and ASP because I know that it’s time not going into improving and delivering things I want and need. Others will say the same when the team releases “weird stuff” like docker. But it is what it is.
My problem is that I see myself more and more recurring to using outside tools because my pet projects are getting bigger. To top that my boss forced me into a Svelte project with a great stack behind it(supabase, tRPC, tailwind, playwright, vite, AI, etc). I feel like I am on par for things that Wappler already provides and I am miles ahead regarding tooling, testing, and deployment.
I see now my subscription as funding for Wappler team so they can continue improving this wonderful tool with the hope that someday they find courage to do what is needed to be done.
But if I see more shit released for PHP and ASP I am going to lose my mind
):
