Reduce Build Time For Complex Application

Product Suggestions
1

Here are a few suggestions to help speed up the process for building complex applications. In general anything that can be done to reduce the time needed on repetitive tasks to ultimately reduce the number of clicks/drags needed to build/update complex applications will be great.

  1. Global variable
    The ability to make a variable global will eliminate the need to create tables, add records, load records and store data into records for information that should be the same across different instances of the same application running or on different apps. For example if person (1) is running app A that contains the status of equipment Y and updates the status from “In Use” to “In Repair” it requires a lot of leg work to ensure the status change can be seen by person (2) running app A and person (3) running app B which also contains the status of equipment Y. Adding the ability for person (1) and (3) to update the status requires additional work. Making the equipment Y status a global variable will eliminate a lot of work and allow persons (1), (2) and (3) to view and update the status of equipment Y from app A or B.

  2. Copying Triggers
    Creating multiple triggers with complex logic can take a lot of time. Having the ability to copy triggers and/or individual lines of logic within triggers will speed up creating complex applications significantly.

  3. Format Paintbrush
    Allow user to copy formatting features from one widget/shape to another will reduce the time spent on formatting. The new feature making it possible to edit multiple widgets at the same time is a step in this direction and has been very useful.

  4. App Editor Loading Time
    When building complex application the time it takes to open and/or edit triggers and other widgets seems to increase. Resulting in a significant amount of time spent to make the edits/updates needed (i.e. waiting for steps to load). If anything can be done to minimize the loading time for complex applications that will be great.

  5. Eliminate the need to overlay buttons/images/text/etc.
    The new feature for adding the ability to add a trigger to an image is a step in the right direction, but it will be great if it is possible to turn anything into a button (right click - make button). We have a few applications where shapes/table records/variables/buttons etc. are overplayed - creating the layers to star with and making changes to something on a lower layer can take a significant amount of time.

This is probably already the goal when creating new features, but anything that can be done to reduce the number of clicks/drags needed to build/update complex applications will make much appreciated.

Cheers,
PJ

5 Likes
2

Hey PJ, would love to solve some of these. Corresponding responses here:

  1. I am a little unsure what you mean? If you update a table record field from one app, it will be updated in real-time across all apps that have loaded that record. Does that make sense?

  2. Yes, this one is badly needed, I agree :slight_smile: The technical implementation is challenging and we are working on solving it.

  3. I believe this will be solved by our upcoming “Components” feature, where you will be able to define universal widgets and then update them once. The changes would propagate across all apps that used that widget. @mark can confirm.

  4. Yep, this is a good point, I will share with our product team.

  5. This is a good point, in fact, Youri just requested it over here as well: Add trigger to Single Select Widget. I will share with our product team.

1 Like
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I’d love to see #2 implemented as well.

3 Likes
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Hi guys, can we get the ability to copy/paste triggers between steps and buttons?

1 Like
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I strongly agree that this would reduce the amount of clicks and drags considerably.

For me, triggers become really repetitive when loading variables to tables upon the completion of an app that is used as a form.

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something new to this suggestions?