Suggestions for User Interface

JohanKuster

Is see some future/current issues with that way the nodes in the flow are displayed and specific the room that is available for data entry. I am prettry sure that some geeks will create apps that will require several parameters to be specified and probably now and then a piece of JavaScript code. I can imagine that you don't want to confront non geeks with too many parameters, as few as possible. I can also imagine that you would like to have some help/hints while entering values for the parameters. Of course there are others who already build such an interface e.g. Node-Red.

Node-Red ( I mentioned it before) is built on Node-Js like Homey. It also has a flow editor. You drag and drop the node from the left to the editor, link them together and specify parameters when needed. While selecting a node, help text appears on the right. Double click on a node will open a window where you can enter parameters and define the name of the node. 

Oh and by the way, there are currently about 400 nodes (identical to Homey apps) defined, all built using JavaScript and available in Github to be reused as an app in Homey (hint hint).

This is what the UI looks like:

JohanKuster

Nobody has an opinion or is interested in the software available on Github for Homey?

JasperKort

I like the idea and understand the issue, which is why I +1-ed your post. For the sake of the forum not being cluttered with "+1" posts I decided to leave it at that. Since I haven't really got anything to add.

The parameter display issue can already be seen in this topic (it seems): https://forum.athom.com/discussion/770/new-app-in-store-now-simple-http-get-put-post-connector-for-flows

So, good suggestion imo :-)

keverjeroen

I never uses Node-Red, but I did use Blokly and like that very much: https://developers.google.com/blockly/

JohanKuster

Yes, very nice. Never used that tool but saw the same Blocks structure used in App Inventor 2

keverjeroen

Yes App inventor uses Blokly, but for example it is user in Domoticz to..

JohanKuster

keverjeroen said:

Yes App inventor uses Blokly, but for example it is user in Domoticz to..

have a look at this:  https://www.zipato.com/how-it-works/rule-creator/