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<p>Bubble is a visual, no-code web app builder. The company's vision is to become the default for app creation. It features a WYSIWYG UI editor, the ability to create workflows in response to events, an integrated database, ~700 of 3rd-party plugins and a <ahref="https://forum.bubble.is/">very active user forum</a>. It was founded in 2012 and bootstrapped to $115,000 MRR over seven years. Much of their early revenue came from one very large customer, but as of 2017 they had ~100k users (286,999 as of July 2019), ~10% paying. In early 2019, Bubble raised its first round of $6.25M.</p>
<li>👍 WYSIWYG editor is standard, slightly clunky</li>
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<li>👍 Adding dynamic data is shockingly easy</li>
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<li>👍 It’s straightforward to create basic data tables</li>
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<li>👎 Building anything slightly complicated feels like stringing together a series of hacks. (They even call them “hacks” in their <ahref="https://blog.bubble.is/the-keyboard-shortcuts-hack-2217c29872da">blog posts</a>.) There is usually a way to approximate your desired effect, but you have to learn it by via asking in the Bubble Forum.</li>
<p>The above video creates a simple web app that display a random GIF of a dog. It demonstrates:</p>
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<ul>
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<li>adding an image to the page</li>
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<li>using the WYSIWYG editor</li>
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<li>inserting dynamic data into a field</li>
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<li>using an API call to GIPHY</li>
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<li>type error detection in field shown via red text</li>
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<li>autocomplete for selecting a random item from a list</li>
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<li>autocomplete for selecting the URL property from an item</li>
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<li>previewing a webpage</li>
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</ul>
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</section>
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<section>
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<h2id="dyanmic-editor">Dynamic Editor</h2>
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<p>One of Bubble's best features is its editor for adding what they call "dynamic data" into your web app. There is an "Insert Dynamic Data" button anywhere you could put a static value. Clicking on it results in a list of options to choose from. Once you select an option, it allows you to select "More" next to the resulting piece of data to see the possible operations you can perform on it, such as numerical calculations, string operations, or obtaining properties of an object. As a structured editor, there are no syntax errors possible, but it allows for arbitrarily-complex expressions. In the following video I construct a (nonsensical) expression by fluidly clicking on suggested autocompletions:</p>
<p>The Workflow tab is where Bubble creators organize the event-driven logic of their app. Events are organized by their triggers, a "when ..." statement. In the following video, I explore (but don't modify) a few of the workflows for a todo list application. Notice how many clicks it takes to read through these flows, as contrasted with typical textual code.</p>
<p>Bubble comes with its own custom inspector built-in, which allows its creators to debug and inspect their applications in the Bubble terms in which they created it, not by inspecting the compiled HTML. In the following video I inspect the intermediate values that produce a dynamic GIF:</p>
<li><ahref="https://www.indiehackers.com/interview/creating-a-100-000-mo-business-that-helps-people-learn-to-code-c5e87bdbf9">Indie Hackers: Creating a $100,000/mo Business That Helps People Learn to Code</a></li>
<p>Coda is a collaborative document surface augmented with functionality from spreadsheets, kanban boards, calendars, databases, automated workflows, and 3rd party integrations. It aims to start as a simple document and grow with the users' needs to be the single place where they add their structure, workflows, data, and customized views. It was founded in 2014 and launched publicly in 2019. While it still has a long way to go to accomplish it, Coda's mission of creating a medium to democratize computation is very compelling. </p>
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</section>
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<section>
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<h2id="productfeel">Product Feel</h2>
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<ul>
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<li>👍 Slick, clean, modern</li>
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<li>👍 Blurs the line between editing a doc and programming</li>
<p>The icons within formulas subtley convey type information, such as:</p>
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<ul>
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<li>data type (date, number, text)</li>
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<li>single vs multiple (list)</li>
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<li>distinguishes between different objects via color</li>
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</ul>
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</section>
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<section>
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<h2id="automations">Automations</h2>
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<p>In Coda, Automations are simple workflows (a la Zapier or IFTTT). They can be triggered via on changes to specific columns in tables or on a set time-based schedule. They can cause changes to data in tables or actions in 3rd-party services via packs.</p>
<h2id="mobile">Automatic mobile app interface</h2>
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<p>The Coda mobile app automatically reskins the desktop interface as a mobile app, converting pages to tab-based navigation at the bottom of the screen, and table buttons to swipe-able actions.</p>
<p>Packs are Coda's answer to 3rd party integrations. They allow you to pull in data, such as from Figma and Github, as well as send messages to Slack, create Google Calendar events, etc. Adding a pack prompts you to sign in to your account in the 3rd party service, and then provides you with extra views, buttons and formulas specific to that service.</p>
<p>Today Coda is entirely free. They plan to introduce a paid tier eventually, but promise to always keep a free version.</p>
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</section>
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<section>
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<h2id="wishes">Wishes</h2>
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<ul>
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<li>Create tables declaratively instead of adding rows manually</li>
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<li>Trigger multiple actions without a button that pushes buttons</li>
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</ul>
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<p>Past wishes that were granted:</p>
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<ul>
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<li>Synced pack tables</li>
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<li>Faster loading times and <ahref="https://community.coda.io/t/some-performance-announcements/8670">a built-in benchmarking tool</a></li>
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</ul>
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</section>
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<section>
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<h2id="further-reading">Further Reading</h2>
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<ul>
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<li><ahref="https://medium.com/@tmkiefer/thanks-to-coda-io-i-built-a-much-needed-app-in-one-night-d3b8793b8a3d">Thanks to Coda.io I Built a Much-Needed “App” in One Night</a></li>
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<li><ahref="https://twitter.com/FrancescoD_Ales/status/1096410550022610946">Coda vs Notion</a></li>
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<li><ahref="https://techcrunch.com/2019/02/05/codas-programmable-document-editor-comes-out-of-beta-launches-ios-app/">Coda’s programmable document editor comes out of beta, launches iOS app</a></li>
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<li><ahref="https://venturebeat.com/2019/02/04/workplace-collaboration-platform-coda-launches-publicly-after-2-years-in-beta/">Workplace collaboration platform Coda launches publicly after a year in beta</a></li>
<li>Future of Coding #42 - <ahref="https://futureofcoding.org/episodes/042">Blurring the Line Between User and Programmer: Lane Shackleton</a></li>
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