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This has huge potential. I just saw the tutorial video and super excited. I don't know why I didn't think of this before, this could be the 'missing' piece of t

This has huge potential. I just saw the tutorial video and super excited. I don't know why I didn't think of this before, this could be the 'missing' piece of the front-end application puzzle. What I mean by that is that there are so much fragmentation in this landscape and a tool like this could eventually consolidate all the heterogeneous attempts by forcing others to adopt the same UI builder, and compete on that front. The tool is shockingly reminiscent of early 2000s, where anyone could make software using VB. Recall that VB had everything done under the sun, somebody had built a component on VB, you could use that or you could hack it for your need. Another example is Google's Java Swing UI builder (as horrible Swing is), allowing data binding with the form. These never caught on but we now have this technology in the browser. Whoever owns the UI builder tool market will emerge as the victor, Facebook should hire you immediately. There are several appealing points about the React UI builder which I think will help me: - WYSIWYG editor to drop bootstrap component allows me to easily build from my mockup wireframes and save me from typing everything out. - ability to edit the code directly for each component. Would be nice if I double clicked a button it would create a click event (just like visual studios or netbeans) - ability to use html directly in the code (okay, feature of react which is a bit controversial but for me it definitely beats using + everywhere) - generates clean, easy to understand plumbing code (this is what I spent a lot of time on when I used to build my swing tool https://github.com/jjk3/scrape-it-screen-scraper https://github.com/jjk3/scrape-it-screen-scraper) I been putting off learning react.js,flux and such but this actually entices me to use it for my next project (https://github.com/whatsdis/hedgehog https://github.com/whatsdis/hedgehog). I will write up a follow up experience using the React UI builder, hopefully my feedback will be helpful to improve it. You got something here. Keep at it!

ipselon 11y ago
Hi, thanks for this awesome feedback !!! Generation of event handlers will be in the next release. Thanks again. I appreciate your feedback very much.
- curiousjorge 11y ago
  Not a problem, event handlers would be great, very much looking forward to it. If you can email me (click my profile) I'll be happy to send you more feedbacks once I start diving into it.
sgrove 11y ago
Yeah, same here - I was exploring this area last year in a few different ways [0]. I think it was still early then, but with GraphQL, DataScript, React Native, etc. I think we're really getting close to some very, very powerful tools for UI. A lot of the backend can be removed, and focus can go into the frontend (to some extent, obviously). [0] https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/412963/zenrise/zenrise_preview_intro1.mov https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/412963/zenrise/zenrise_p...
- foota 11y ago
  I'm so excited with the technology coming out of facebook right now, imo it's the best possible way they can attract new developers. I can't wait for react native to come out for android so I can start playing with it! I really think this has the potential to be something of a game changer. One of my pet favorite libraries is sqlAlchemy (python ORM) and I really want to write a server for graphql that automatically generates api routes for a sqlalchemy mapped schema!
- designml 11y ago
  Something similar (in terms of interface) https://vimeo.com/128038818 https://vimeo.com/128038818 https://vimeo.com/128038770 https://vimeo.com/128038770
  - ipselon 11y ago
    There are a lot of such tools which allow to create a layout of your pages. In case of builder you should consider page as a desk for combining components into some composition which you will reuse as a component itself. So, there is very small similarity - only because you can copy/paste/delete some components.
    - designml 11y ago
      Your tool looks awesome! Yes there are lots of such tools.I should have worded mine as 'something along the lines of ...' instead of saying that its similar.
rjbwork 11y ago
>These never caught on There is so much software out there written in WYSIWYG VB .NET and C#/.NET WinForms/WebForms editors. Granted most people aren't writing new stuff in them, but for a while they were quite big in the .NET world.
- curiousjorge 11y ago
  On the native desktop side yes (btw qt is underrated) it's very mature, and I think people were just too busy with building stuff for the web (at least from a non .NET developer). What's even crazier is that you could have a web application in your browser built by some monolithic UI builder tool and wrap it around a thin client and ship it with a six digit price tag for enterprise, they won't know the difference. If there was a way to generate a react.js app using Visual Studios or maybe even a dumbed down version suited for building front-end web apps, that could be ideal but would it be in their best interest to help their rivals? I know the whole going open source is a new thing for MS but they won't own 'React' and be able to monopolize the new era of 'I taught my grandma how to build Hootsuite with just click & drag'. Unless they create their own front end framework and own the platform that is the web which is constantly being voted on from the capricious developers and new adopters.
  - mandeepj 11y ago
    Have you come across react.net ?
Edmond 11y ago
Absolutely agree. I think the future of web application development is going to be based on tools like this, something beyond text coding. It has to be done right and I think the under laying technology is finally there to make it possible without becoming another dreamweaver. We have been trying to build something similar: http://crudzilla.com/assets/img/info-graphics/dnd-demo-clipped.gif http://crudzilla.com/assets/img/info-graphics/dnd-demo-clipp...
akhilcacharya 11y ago
Yeah, I'm surprised the developer hasn't been fending off Facebook yet.

ipselon 11y ago

Hi, thanks for this awesome feedback !!! Generation of event handlers will be in the next release. Thanks again. I appreciate your feedback very much.

curiousjorge 11y ago
Not a problem, event handlers would be great, very much looking forward to it. If you can email me (click my profile) I'll be happy to send you more feedbacks once I start diving into it.

sgrove 11y ago

Yeah, same here - I was exploring this area last year in a few different ways [0]. I think it was still early then, but with GraphQL, DataScript, React Native, etc. I think we're really getting close to some very, very powerful tools for UI. A lot of the backend can be removed, and focus can go into the frontend (to some extent, obviously). [0] https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/412963/zenrise/zenrise_preview_intro1.mov https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/412963/zenrise/zenrise_p...

foota 11y ago
I'm so excited with the technology coming out of facebook right now, imo it's the best possible way they can attract new developers. I can't wait for react native to come out for android so I can start playing with it! I really think this has the potential to be something of a game changer. One of my pet favorite libraries is sqlAlchemy (python ORM) and I really want to write a server for graphql that automatically generates api routes for a sqlalchemy mapped schema!
designml 11y ago
Something similar (in terms of interface) https://vimeo.com/128038818 https://vimeo.com/128038818 https://vimeo.com/128038770 https://vimeo.com/128038770
- ipselon 11y ago
  There are a lot of such tools which allow to create a layout of your pages. In case of builder you should consider page as a desk for combining components into some composition which you will reuse as a component itself. So, there is very small similarity - only because you can copy/paste/delete some components.
  - designml 11y ago
    Your tool looks awesome! Yes there are lots of such tools.I should have worded mine as 'something along the lines of ...' instead of saying that its similar.

rjbwork 11y ago

>These never caught on There is so much software out there written in WYSIWYG VB .NET and C#/.NET WinForms/WebForms editors. Granted most people aren't writing new stuff in them, but for a while they were quite big in the .NET world.

curiousjorge 11y ago
On the native desktop side yes (btw qt is underrated) it's very mature, and I think people were just too busy with building stuff for the web (at least from a non .NET developer). What's even crazier is that you could have a web application in your browser built by some monolithic UI builder tool and wrap it around a thin client and ship it with a six digit price tag for enterprise, they won't know the difference. If there was a way to generate a react.js app using Visual Studios or maybe even a dumbed down version suited for building front-end web apps, that could be ideal but would it be in their best interest to help their rivals? I know the whole going open source is a new thing for MS but they won't own 'React' and be able to monopolize the new era of 'I taught my grandma how to build Hootsuite with just click & drag'. Unless they create their own front end framework and own the platform that is the web which is constantly being voted on from the capricious developers and new adopters.
- mandeepj 11y ago
  Have you come across react.net ?

Edmond 11y ago

Absolutely agree. I think the future of web application development is going to be based on tools like this, something beyond text coding. It has to be done right and I think the under laying technology is finally there to make it possible without becoming another dreamweaver. We have been trying to build something similar: http://crudzilla.com/assets/img/info-graphics/dnd-demo-clipped.gif http://crudzilla.com/assets/img/info-graphics/dnd-demo-clipp...

akhilcacharya 11y ago

Yeah, I'm surprised the developer hasn't been fending off Facebook yet.