My Wishlist for 2018

Hello to the upcoming Bric Builders out there :wink:

Here is my wishlist, I’ll update it often if necessary and if I encounter some request for future designs I’ll add it here :slight_smile:

Also added some reference :slight_smile:

You can add yours if I missed something hehe

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As @mackyangeles alwyas smilingly comments …
…hehehe, yes accordions and tabs would be great!
Good work all of you nice pals :+1:

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Bad luck, Norm. You think you’re nearly finished and your boss rolls up with a new list of things to do… :wink:

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If you want to motivate someone, then giving them a hill to climb, rather than a mountain, is the best way to go.

Far easier to climb a series of hills than a mountain who’s summit disappears into the clouds.

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Well said…

Casey

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Honestly that approach seems to stifle user input more than anything.

I assume it is referred to as a “Wish” List for a reason, why not aim for the fences? Dare to dream big and fail often, but keep dreaming and more importantly never stop trying.

@Norm has always held the discretion for the direction of the app as the developer. As the developer he should be able too easily assimilate such lengthy requests down into narrower categories. For instance users of an app that is based on the code free principle may not understand that most of those tasks listed above can be sorted down to a few core features of the app.

Without going into specific detail or getting into the facets for either, most could be narrowed down into two core things:

  1. Support for the complete spectrum of the entire Bootstrap framework.
  2. More extensive support of the CSS specification and JS support. Both through the GUI and visual tools and via direct in-app preview mode.

Those two would encompass probably 75-85% of that entire list, if done right.

Then it would offer both the ability to accomplish most of those things, but more importantly the ability for users to better help each other to implement them also. So even though the list seems endless or all over the place, in reality it can be paired down to a few well thought out features and abilities at the core of the app. Which I think @Norm fully understands.



You have exceptional design sense @mackyangeles, except for your love of exceedingly small font sizes in your designs ;–). I understand your desire for design and creation to be your core focus. Which is widely the case of most designers who seek out such code-less apps.



I think in general this eventual unrest is common for users of WYSIWYG related apps that are geared towards avoiding code and the underlying source structures of HTML/CSS/JS. Designer types quickly exceed capabilities and/or desperately seek for additional features they see elsewhere in apps or on existing sites they come across.

Because of this, its difficult for visual design centric web apps to be one size fits all especially within the code free space. Users will always be wanting additional features that they themselves don’t have to code.

To be fair to these types of apps, the problem also usually strongly includes the lack of Designers understanding the entry points to add additional things by themselves such as Javascript / CSS / Libraries / etc., either directly in app or worst case scenario via post export edits. These entry points, editing and previewing abilities will hopefully likewise improve as Blocs advances.

I know its no consolation currently but Blocs Version 3, should bring further access for implementing more.

Hopefully to start, offering more built-in Blocs and Brics to chose from. Better access directly in app to entry points for adding, editing and previewing CSS/JS/Libraries/etc. Also through custom Bric’s / Blocs by 3rd party developers (free/paid) as the Developer API emerges and advances further.

If done correctly all of these core things should open up possibilities and opportunities for users to create within Blocs. But also for “user to user” support, helping each other in implementing features and abilities, making it easier to help people implement common things.

So dream on. :wink:

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I disagree. When you have a long list it can be disheartening. A long list of stuff lacks focus and direction and can show an unwillingness to work with what is available.

I’d rather see ‘my top 3 wishes’ than ‘my 20 wishes’.

I think Norm has a limited amount of development effort and he has to be focussed.

I’d say that your suggestion of more support for the bootstrap platform, CSS and javascript goes without saying. I suspect that would be a reality if Norm was a team and not one person.

I’ll let Norm have the dreams and I’ll nudge now and again to soften the rough edges.

Whilst Norm tackles that huge list of wants, I’ll make do with what Norm makes available now. If Norm has left something out that I consider essential, I’ll find a way to do it, using blocsapp and HTML or with the aid of other tools, or all those things.

I have never used a software tool where users wish lists have not outstripped the developers ability to fulfil them. Over time I’ve come to realise that blaming software for not having features is closely akin to the carpenter blaming his tools. I have seen no end of users waiting for the next release to have features that solve their problems. They never do.

Blocsapp is improving and evolving, but will never be able to fulfil our wish lists. Well perhaps, just a little bit.

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Fair enough, yet you went on to solidify my points. :wink:

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@mackyangeles Thank you very much for the list, there are some very interesting things in the list :smiley:

@pauland I agree, but me ass developer I am happy with such a big list. I understand it as a list of ideas, where in the future I will try to create some brics from. The wishlist was not only directed to Norm, but more to the upcoming Bric Builders, which @mackyangeles also mentioned in his first sentence.

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That’s a good point. You can relax, Norm!

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I’m just happy that you all care enough about Blocs to discuss its future like this.

I always think to myself Blocs is still so young, imagine the app when it’s at version 10.

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Never mind the app, imagine the developer … :wink:

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@pauland @Norm :nerd_face:

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@Jakerlund - LOL !! That looks like my office - what a mess - :rofl:

@mackyangeles - Just wanted to say thank you for posting your wishlist - We are listening and watching & I think you will be pleased as punch, once we get the behind-the-scenes stuff ironed out w/ the API & get a little more comfortable w/ the bric building process :wink:

Bill

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Search (in my case, Google Custom Search) and Tables (for tabular data) are the only 2 key features (which any website needs) lacking in Blocs that prevents me from moving completely over to Blocs from Freeway Pro 7.

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I have yet to make a website requiring either!

Well that changes everything! I suddenly realize that I no longer need those two key features because some guy out there on the Internet never used them on his website before! :wink:

I can’t tell you the number of times I’ve been in an online forum where that’s been said about nearly everything. Somebody goes online to say they have a problem with their Mac, and then somebody else comes along to say “I’ve never had that problem before,“ as if that comment is going to rectify everything!

The great thing about humanity is that we are diverse. We all have different needs and different ways of doing things. We don’t all live in the same country, nor do we share the same culture. We don’t need to be clones of each other in order to get along and be productive and successful.

I stand by my original post. Blocs needs an easy means of adding search and tables for tabular data.

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DJW I was just refuting your point that any website would require these features. Some certainly do, some don’t but they aren’t essential for everyone as you suggest. That’s all.

We’ve already discussed that there are ways to do this already.

I don’t doubt that it’s important to you and some others and I’d suggest the quip about forum users is unnecessary.

Paul, you began the back-and-forth with me by willingly arguing the case against having search and tables, even if you contend it was merely to combat the “any website” phrase in my original post. My response was natural and only to be expected.

I stand by my original post. Site search and responsible tables are needed. And I see that mackyangeles agrees, and no doubt others do as well.

JDW, I’m not against anything. I’d just argue about it being essential. In a sense it’s not essential since you are using blocsapp and it has neither of those capabilities.

Anyway, lets see what develops and whether Norm decides to build a feature that many don’t worry about and can be done by other means.

If Norm chooses to build these features, then all well and good.