My personal impression of Wappler after 2 years

[nickneustroev]

@Hinky

Oooo that really interesting. Please keep us posted!

I will!

@Hinky

I assume you’ll be learning this, hopefully goes fairly smooth for you.

Thank you!

[nickneustroev]

@brad

That’s why I always work in split view. I am not a coder but I have certainly increased my coding knowledge just by watching what Wappler creates.

The same here, only split view. It’s just much faster.
But this fact itself proves that there is a core problem in Wappler UX/UI.
I’ve pointed it out many times, but in vain.

[nickneustroev]

@ben

This is one of the best resources to help you on your journey

Thanks, Ben! It definitely comes in handy.

@ben

It will also help you to understand why I use Wappler

That’s encouraging.

[Hinky]

I personally disagree. When i started out i used it just to see what wappler was generating and learn from that.

This point, certain actions i need to do, ive got to point where im more comfortable and quicker in editor (only certain things). I really dont see that as a problem, but a benefit.
Even if wappler ui comes up with perfect ui/ux, id still want my code panel.

[Antony]

Fascinating conversation!

Net Ninja rocks. I learned all my bootstrap with him when I started. He’s a tech education genius.

I operate in split screen all the time.

I create HTML structure with the Wappler GUI.

I create function by typing. (dmx-on:click etc)

Back in Bubble days, I had to create function with the GUI and it became very tedious, and started to give me RSI.

I find typing function is way faster and more intuitive.

Maybe just the way my brain works!

[nickneustroev]

I feel like I should clarify about Code view.
I think that a perfect nocode/lowcode tool should offer both visual and coding ways to work.
Wappler in fact allows this too, and it is awesome.

But it feels like in some areas the tendency here is to restrict working with code and instead force users to use visual tools.
Maybe I am mistaken, but it is the impression I get after some new features and after discussions about it.

Instant inline editing for data binding input.
Editing expressions via code directly is officially forbidden now?
Redesign concept for Properties Panel of page elements
Code tab by default in the Data Bindings panel (optional)

As a result, we don’t have comfortable visual tools for some important work (primarily I am talking about editing Expressions and Formatters) and we also don’t have a convenient way to do manual editing instead.

Thankfully, we have the code view, which helps greatly in this situation. But it is not very convenient to do digging in the html and code mess either.
So my point was, that in ideal situation we don’t have to use Code view. There must be convenient well-thought visual and code instruments to work. If users need to use Code view, there is something missing in the editor.

In the case of Expressions in the Page it could be something like that.

Just click the element on the page, click edit icon right here and then edit code right here (or do visual way, if you want, of course). Fast and simple.

Unfortunately now we have to make huge efforts for this simple piece of work.

Like this

Or like this

[nickneustroev]

@Antony

I find typing function is way faster and more intuitive.

Yes, exactly what I am talking about.

In some areas visual editing is not comfortable.
And that’s ok.
I understand that making a really good visual expression editor is not so easy.
In fact, amongst all the nocode tools with their millions of fundings I didn’t see any solid solution.
So that’s fine.

But then we must have the option to write and edit expressions by hand without problems.

As I see, many of the nocode editors are moving in this direction. Wappler should too. For example, this can be a relatively simple and effective step forward.

[karh]

Wappler definitely made my opinion go from ‘coding is too daunting and unrewarding to learn’ to ‘I should pick up some coding courses’.

I think Wappler in 2-3 years will bring many no coders into the low-code realm.

I almost gave up several times in the beginning… it’s just very frustrating to not being able to make an SQL query you want with the UI. And the gap is bigger when you don’t know SQL, because you need to first start understanding the basic queries that you have outsourced to Wappler’s UI tools. And THEN learn how to make your more advanced query.

However, spending a day, or a few days, or a few weeks on challenges like these actually teach you very real and transferrable skills.

So I’m grateful Wappler put me through so many frustrating days

[Antony]

LOL…

I guess I’ve just learned to focus…

And as you say, that focus has created some transferrable coding skills along the way!

[kfawcett]

@nickneustroev, this is a great idea (code editing in Design view via a popup)! I would break this out into a Feature Request post and allow the community to vote on it.

@nickneustroev

In the case of Expressions in the Page it could be something like that.

Just click the element on the page, click edit icon right here and then edit code right here (or do visual way, if you want, of course). Fast and simple.

Unfortunately now we have to make huge efforts for this simple piece of work.

Like this

[JonL]

Now that frontend and backend extensibility is released(mostly).

I hope they pivot their effort in what I believe is the core of the business: the desktop/studio app.

Hopefully they can finish also all their components that they have already in the pipeline and forget about anything that can be delivered via extensibility and delegate that to the community. Some extensions will be released for free and maybe others will need to be funded by those interested in them.

This will free up some resources and allow the team to work on the core of the business.

[kfawcett]

@JonL

Some extensions will be released for free and maybe others will need to be funded by those interested in them.

We need an extension marketplace for one-click installs.

[JonL]

Yep. It wouldn’t be hard on the concept level.

Wappler could host a private NPM registry. And host community extensions there. They could use verdaccio for that.

A lightweight Node.js private proxy registry | Verdaccio

Once they have full control of the registry they can provide a directory of them in the UI and start working on marketplace features which are a whole beast on their own.

[George]

@kfawcett

We need an extension marketplace for one-click installs.

Actually that is in the working - extensions can already be uploaded to npm and we will be building an UI to list them and directly install.

Wappler extensions on npm are recognized by the wappler_extension keyword

[htatd]

I can relate to your journey. Wappler definitely helped me to push to learn coding and recently I re-did my front-end with React, while still using my Wappler backend/server connect API’s.

If you’d like to pursue React / Vue I recommend going this way, making a front-end with React, using Wappler server connect API’s.

I also learned how to code a backend with Nodejs and create API’s but I didn’t see much value over using Wappler’s server connect for this as it’s basically the same. So I don’t think I’ll “migrate” my Wappler backend to full-code.

I hope that in the future Wappler refractors Server connect to Typescript + es6 to make it “more modern” and easier to custom code tough

[Hinky]

Ohhhh i see, i assumed to much from that initial comment of yours.
I 100% agree with you.

I have so many little things id personally would love interms of ui, like simple things of just defualts, like opening the formatter and just defaulting to the code, instead design section.

I suppose my dream would also be like IntelliSense (i think called IntelliSense) in the code view, and bouns of extension on vs code haha

[nickneustroev]

@htatd

I can relate to your journey. Wappler definitely helped me to push to learn coding and recently I re-did my front-end with React, while still using my Wappler backend/server connect API’s.

It is a relief to hear that someone has already come this way.

If it is ok, can you tell us a bit more about your decision? What were your reasons for going this way?

@htatd

If you’d like to pursue React / Vue I recommend going this way, making a front-end with React, using Wappler server connect API’s.

I also learned how to code a backend with Nodejs and create API’s but I didn’t see much value over using Wappler’s server connect for this as it’s basically the same. So I don’t think I’ll “migrate” my Wappler backend to full-code.

That seems reasonable. But for me it is not only about convenience and habit.

I want to use frameworks that are also used by many people around the world.
So I can learn easily, explore other projects and practices, easily get professional help, easily assemble a team, easily get a job, etc.

Wappler world is still small (despite its huge potential).
This is the main reason why I want to switch to code.

[nickneustroev]

@Hinky

I have so many little things id personally would love interms of ui

I started this initiative some time ago. My Top-30 flow killers in Wappler. What would be yours?

Maybe it may help, if you join and gather all of your requests in one list.
So the Wappler Team sees it and also so you can track it, mark the progress and also don’t forget to bump most important items occasionally.

@Hinky

like opening the formatter and just defaulting to the code, instead design section.

Agree! It is one of the most desirable things for me too.
Btw, if anyone is interested in it too, please support this FR.

Code tab by default in the Data Bindings panel (optional)

When I use Data Bindings and want to add/edit formatters, I almost always do it in the Code view/tab. So switching from Design to Code here has basically become a reflex. But of course I would be happy to get rid of this habit, so my work would be faster and more concentrated. So my suggestion is to add an option in Wappler settings, that makes the code tab default in the Data Bindings panel. [image] P.S.: I have already brought up this idea in similar topics, like this and this, but my sugg…

[htatd]

@nickneustroev

If it is ok, can you tell us a bit more about your decision? What were your reasons for going this way?

1. React has many professional component libraries so it helped making my app look much better without spending additional time on design
2. I needed to use/integrate a lot of third-party libraries so I had to do a lot of things in code to progress anyway
3. To be able to hire new front-end developers in the near future that have experience in React etc as well
4. Above all, I wanted to learn how to do it all in code

@nickneustroev

I want to use frameworks that are also used by many people around the world.
So I can learn easily, explore other projects and practices, easily get professional help, easily assemble a team, easily get a job, etc.

Yes in that case it makes sense to learn it all in code

It’s actually quite easy to learn React, and I recommend to definitely use Typescript as it makes your life much easier. For the Nodejs/Backend side, I recommend to learn Prisma to manage your database queries / connection.

Goodluck!

[nickneustroev]

Thanks for sharing your experience! It is really valuable input to discussion.