I looked at quite a few options. Some constraints on my side that our direction is open source, with Linux development and servers. Radzen is .NET: I could just as well use MS Access to cobble together a front end.
CUBA and OpenXava are Java based and seem to require writing Java for logic: I last used nearly 20 years ago and 'fast' development and Java IMHO is an oxymoron. Aurelia looks a bit promising, but I am not sure if it gains anything over the current crop of JS libraries and frameworks, such as Vue, React et al, and then libraries / frameworks built on top of those such as Nuxt / Vue, Quasar / Vue or Vuetify / Vue, which seem to have far more activity on Github. I managed to set up a quick and dirty front end using LibreOffice Base over a weekend, next iteration i will probably move over to a Vue framework, probably using Quasar.. On Sat, 18 May 2019 at 00:26, Stefan Keller <sfkel...@gmail.com> wrote: > Dear all > > What about following „Rapid App Development Tools"? > * OpenXava (Java): https://www.openxava.org/ate/visual-studio-lightswitch > * Radzen (.NET): > https://www.radzen.com/visual-studio-lightswitch-alternative/ > * Other: https://aurelia.io/ (JS) or CUBA https://www.cuba-platform.com/ > (Java) > > :Stefan > > Am Do., 28. März 2019 um 15:39 Uhr schrieb Adrian Klaver > <adrian.kla...@aklaver.com>: > > > > On 3/27/19 11:49 PM, Tony Shelver wrote: > > > > Please reply to list also, more eyes on the the problem. > > Ccing list > > > > My take on below is since you are feeding a Website why not use Web > > technologies for your data entry. My language of choice is Python. I > > have done something similar to this(on small scale) using the Django > > framework. For something lighter weight there is Flask. Then your client > > becomes a browser and you do not have to distribute forms around. You > > could integrate with the existing Web apps you are using e.g. SnipCart. > > > > > > > Actually I found a possibility. LibreOffice Base on top of PG lets me > > > paste photos into a Postgresql bytea field no problem. MS Access > should > > > work well also, but I am not going to buy it, and running Ubuntu most > of > > > the time. > > > Possibly will distribute the Base forms to select users to enter data. > > > We are a startup company, so this is an affordable temporary fix, until > > > the product I have been looking at matures, or we can roll our own. > > > > > > We are building a company website, including an eStore, and have a few > > > hundred products to load and maintain. Our product data currently isn't > > > suitable for a sales catalog. > > > (Brands, categories, products, pricing and deal info, specials, images, > > > product comparisons and so on). > > > > > > Right now I input / maintain this via CSV files maintained through a > > > spreadsheet (LibreOffice Calc) which our site generator (Jekyll) uses > > > to build out the static HTML product [pages automatically. > > > This is really quick to enter basic data, but I have to manually > > > maintain image uploads, image names and so on manually in the > > > spreadsheet and through individual file uploads. We have at least one, > > > preferably 3 and up to 6 photos per product to maintain. Call it a > 1000 > > > images right now, and that will only go up. > > > Invalid text / characters in product descriptions and so on can break > > > the CSV as well. > > > > > > There are headless CMS solutions out on the market targeting this same > > > area, but for various reasons the suitable ones are still maturing and > > > shaking out in the marketplace, so I am not in a hurry to make a > choice. > > > > > > So the goal is to replace CSV with JSON file input. This will also > make > > > my life easier for more complex structures such as multiple categories > > > and specs per product. > > > I also want to migrate text that can change from the HTML pages into > the > > > database for easier changes by end users. For this the users could use > > > a WYSIWIG MarkDown editor, and just cut and past the MarkDown into Base > > > forms when finished. This will be converted to HTML at build time by > > > Jekyll static site generator or a script. > > > > > > So the proposed solution: > > > 1. Create the database in Postgresql. > > > 2. Link Base or other tool to it and design input forms where necessary > > > > > > 3. Enter the data through Base into PG including images, MarkDown / > HTML > > > text, long descriptions and so on. > > > 3a. If I don't get a suitable CMS going, I could spend some time > > > developing a Vue/Quasar/Nuxt whatever front end to handle this, in > > > several months time. > > > > > > 4. Pull the data from Postgres using Python (Psycopg2 will handle > > > images). Or a node.js app once my JS skills improve. > > > 4A: optionally use PostgREST, Postgraphile, Pytone Graphene or other to > > > create an externally accessible API, and then use Python or javascript > > > module to pull the data out. > > > > > > 5. This program will then write the JSON product file to the website > > > data source directory with image tags, and upload the files to the > image > > > store. Also create product item HTML page templates or or modify HTML > > > content where necessary. > > > 6. At this stage the Jekyll static site generator will detect the new > > > JSON data and any changed pages, and regenerate all changed pages, move > > > images and so on. > > > > > > 7. Git commit will push the generated site to Github, and Git will then > > > send everything to our CDN. > > > > > > There is no traditional web server / app server / db server setup as > you > > > would find for most websites using, for example, Wordpress, Magento > > > commerce or other tools. Just the CDN. > > > > > > Everything is static HTML and some javascript. Because there is no > > > backend system, database or anything else at run time,just when > > > generating the site, I am not concerned about performance except at > > > site build time, which will not happen that often. All the SEO data > > > (w3schema / Google, OG / Facebook and Twitter cards) is automatically > > > built into the templates and fleshed out by our build process, so it > > > exists as searchable static content on our page. > > > > > > Further down the road we will slowly migrate to a front-end javascript > > > framework like Vue / Nuxt or React / Next, where our site will remain > > > mostly static, with JS in the browser talking to back end hosted > > > services. We already interact directly from the browser with SnipCart > > > for shopping card, order management and payment gateway services. > > > > > > Not sure if that helps explain the problem space a bit better. > > > > > > > > > > > > On Wed, 27 Mar 2019 at 16:15, Adrian Klaver <adrian.kla...@aklaver.com > > > <mailto:adrian.kla...@aklaver.com>> wrote: > > > > > > On 3/27/19 3:48 AM, Tony Shelver wrote: > > > > Looking for a good tool that I can give to users to enter data > (for > > > > example, products, categories, brands, price tables and so on). > > > > Preferably it should also allow images to be copied into a bytea > > > field > > > > but I know I can't have everything. > > > > > > > > Been battling with a few open source 'headless' content > management > > > > systems the last few weeks. All they really are is a data > schema > > > > designer, an API interface (for the API / database based ones > like > > > > Strapi and Directus), and a content entry front end, along with > some > > > > access management added in. > > > > And they don't necessarily play well with the DB, or the > technology > > > > stack is something I don't want to deal with. > > > > > > > > I figure using PostgREST or Postgraphile or Python Graphene or > > > any of > > > > the dedicated 3rd party REST / GraphQL APIs will probably give > as > > > good > > > > an API as most of the new content managers, > > > > > > > > pgModeler.io is a way better schema design tool than what I have > > > found > > > > in the CMS systems I have used so far as well. > > > > > > > > Data that I would like to store (and edit) is the usual, but > also > > > > images, HTML sections, and markdown. > > > > > > > > Any ideas? > > > > > > I am not really sure from above what you want, so some questions: > > > > > > 1) GUI form interface? > > > GUI form builder? > > > > > > 2) Enter records one at time or in bulk? > > > > > > 3) Cross platform? > > > If so what platforms? > > > > > > > > > > > > -- > > > Adrian Klaver > > > adrian.kla...@aklaver.com <mailto:adrian.kla...@aklaver.com> > > > > > > > > > -- > > Adrian Klaver > > adrian.kla...@aklaver.com > > > > >
