I am a complete newbie to programming, moved here after the Bubble price increase. However, I downloaded the app, had a look through the tutorials and am still completely lost, as I believe the resources are targeted towards coders.
As a non-coder, I would like to use Wappler but it all seems so confusing, so I need advice on my learning journey. My goal right now is just to create a webpage with simple login functions and responsive. What knowledge do I need to obtain in order to get the webpage up and running?
I was thinking Bootstrap 4 course -> Wappler documentation. Any other courses/ knowledge that is required?
I am so glad to see I am not ( or was) the only suffering from not understanding Wappler. No worries, it may appear hard, but the learning curve is steep. Just follow the tutorials.
Videotutorials by user: Wappler Unwrapped
Webinars: Wappler Weminars
Wappler docs: Wappler docs
Everything you may ever want to know about Wappler is in there. And if not: then just ask here and help will come in an instant.
And yes. Understanding bootstrap is important. I would actually start with bootstrap.
Coming from Bubble you will miss being able to point and drag your elements. Bubble uses a mouse interface that allows you to draw exactly where you want an element to appear. This sounds great at the beginning but its actually very bad practice. It will come to bite you several times in the future.
The equivalent to that in Wappler is understanding how the grid system works in Bootstrap.
It all depends on what kind of website or application you are looking to build. If you are looking to make a static site, then you would not need a database.
If, however, you are looking to build a dynamic site, then you would need a database first. The rationale behind that is that the dynamic structure has to be build prior to the display structure.
Think of it this way. Say you want to buy a computer. If you wanted one that would probably not need a hardware upgrade, you would get a Mac. In this example, a Mac would be like a static website or application.
If, however, you wanted to be able to change the hardware in the computer, you would get a Windows based computer. In this example, a Windows computer would be like a dynamic website or application. Before buying new hardware you would need to do compile a list of what pieces of hardware you would like to buy and price them appropriately. The same is with databases. You would need to create a database, then create the tables to be put inside the database, then the fields that will make up the tables. It takes a little bit of planning and thinking to see how you want your website or application to function and what kind of information you want to store.
After you get the database set up, then its just a matter of utilizing Wappler to create pages to insert, list, update, delete, and display your data.
For simple login and security settings there is no urgent need to set up a database. But basic knowledge of bootstrap for responsiveness would be advised.
Check here for a start-off for security: https://docs.wappler.io/t/setting-site-security-settings/2856 and following under “Security and login”
I am in the exact same boat, but I’ve made some serious progress!
First off, the resources for learning Wappler are not great right now especially when compared to bubble (with its interactive tutorials, larger user base and what not). There has been a lot of work put into it but there are many features which aren’t documented anywhere. Most of these seem to be more advanced features and there certainly is documentation and videos on what you want to do.
First off as said before understand generally what Bootstrap 4 is. This technology is used around the web and there are a lot of videos on it. It’s important to understand Bootstrap because Wappler is (at least not right now, we get updates all the time!) not set up to use all bootstrap features in a visual way. I found using bootstrap templates and playing around with them in Wappler was a great way to learn about classes. It’s also not a bad idea to read up on the basics of CSS, which is not too complicated but will help you understand how design works in Wappler.
The big first hurdle is the database set up. I had the exact same question as you (wondering why you need a database in the first place). Because you have full control of your server and databases you need to set this up yourself (manually or using the Docker integration). You can’t preview your site unless you use a local or live server. Bubble just does this for you but doesn’t give you control. If you need help setting up a local server there are lots of videos online, or search this form.
The next big challenge is understanding how the server connect works. I found that the Wappler Webinars were the best way to learn this.
To be honest I might have given up on Wappler if it wasn’t for this forum. Everyone is incredibly helpful and fast at responding. There’s a lot of useful posts in here already and it seems like the user base is quite skilled.
It’s a tough learning curve for non-coders but definitely doable!
