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Launch HN: Pagedraw (YC W18) – Compile UI Mockups to React Code

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Re: Launch HN: Pagedraw (YC W18) – Compile UI Mockups to React Code

#101

Post by tmzt »

I'm absolutely a believer that some form of this app will be the future of programming, probably with a touch of Eve, some AI, etc.

I'm also looking at this problem, but coming to it from a different angle. I'm not a designer, and I'm not at home in Sketch. I'm looking at developers that can take a very well designed and coded HTML page, where the designer themselves has built the interaction design in whatever they feel comfortable in. I'm looking at a model of taking those pages and adapting them in a similar way, into React - or other framework - driven applications.

This comes later. I'm starting with a simple template language that can capture a component-driven design in quick to iterate, programming-in-the-large style. The compiler builds both a backend app which renders HTML that's ready to be infused with reactive goodness without an unsightly flash of re-rendered content.

I'm a one-person show, cranking out a playground site which is now open at https://playground.isymtope.org

Re: Launch HN: Pagedraw (YC W18) – Compile UI Mockups to React Code

#102

Post by shermablanca »

redindian75 wrote: post #78

As a UI/UX guy, ReactJS/JSX is a very high bar for us to cross. I have tonnes of Sketch/Figma files ready to be wired, as a JS newbie, JSX is too complicated for a Designer mind to understand :-) Any hopes for a beginner friendly language like VueJS or Webcomponents (AMP Pages/Polymer). The tool has great potential, if u can address the UX market than the dev market. Devs have many many tools they wont give up, but w…

Not to plug, but if you’re near SF we are organizing a full day conference to to help introduce people new to React in a linear manner.

https://www.reactathon.com

Re: Launch HN: Pagedraw (YC W18) – Compile UI Mockups to React Code

#103

Post by jpochtar »

shermablanca wrote: post #102
redindian75 wrote: post #78

As a UI/UX guy, ReactJS/JSX is a very high bar for us to cross. I have tonnes of Sketch/Figma files ready to be wired, as a JS newbie, JSX is too complicated for a Designer mind to understand :-) Any hopes for a beginner friendly language like VueJS or Webcomponents (AMP Pages/Polymer). The tool has great potential, if u can address the UX market than the dev market. Devs have many many tools they wont give up, but w…

Not to plug, but if you’re near SF we are organizing a full day conference to to help introduce people new to React in a linear manner. https://www.reactathon.com

That's awesome! We might be interested in doing something together with a react conference— how do we get in touch? Can you shoot me an email?

Re: Launch HN: Pagedraw (YC W18) – Compile UI Mockups to React Code

#104

Post by jpochtar »

tmzt wrote: post #101

I'm absolutely a believer that some form of this app will be the future of programming, probably with a touch of Eve, some AI, etc. I'm also looking at this problem, but coming to it from a different angle. I'm not a designer, and I'm not at home in Sketch. I'm looking at developers that can take a very well designed and coded HTML page, where the designer themselves has built the interaction design in whatever they…

Love the recursive self-hosting! Where can I read more?

Re: Launch HN: Pagedraw (YC W18) – Compile UI Mockups to React Code

#105

Post by tmzt »

jpochtar wrote: post #104
tmzt wrote: post #101

I'm absolutely a believer that some form of this app will be the future of programming, probably with a touch of Eve, some AI, etc. I'm also looking at this problem, but coming to it from a different angle. I'm not a designer, and I'm not at home in Sketch. I'm looking at developers that can take a very well designed and coded HTML page, where the designer themselves has built the interaction design in whatever they…

Love the recursive self-hosting! Where can I read more?

I need to update the doc site, but the source is at https://github.com/tmzt/isymtope

You should have seen it when the iframes all tried to load in the nested view, I counted probably six deep! ;)

I wonder if there might be a good meta format for a reactive-component AST or intermediate language which could be target different frameworks?

Re: Launch HN: Pagedraw (YC W18) – Compile UI Mockups to React Code

#106

Post by redindian75 »

acemarke wrote: post #100
redindian75 wrote: post #78

As a UI/UX guy, ReactJS/JSX is a very high bar for us to cross. I have tonnes of Sketch/Figma files ready to be wired, as a JS newbie, JSX is too complicated for a Designer mind to understand :-) Any hopes for a beginner friendly language like VueJS or Webcomponents (AMP Pages/Polymer). The tool has great potential, if u can address the UX market than the dev market. Devs have many many tools they wont give up, but w…

As someone who spends a lot of time helping answer questions about using React: what aspects of React and JSX do you consider to be a "high bar"? What concerns about React cause you to say it's not "beginner friendly" ?

Thanks for the reply.

I guess programmer's mind are wired different :)

I getby copy/pasting JS snippets or fork fully made apps or follow tutorials etc to make my stuff move, behave & work. Good enough for prototypes and explaining my designs interactively.

But React feels like Level:10. I do get the "concept" of React (tell the overall endstate, the code redraws the page to that, instead of focussed DOM targeting). It feels like something which can be one only after MASTERING JS.

I started learning Vue - it felt more natural & simple. Like Python. Conceptually add a & go. It does all the magic and works right away (loved typing lazyload to lazyload). No nodeserve npm -v or bower -x, .git, command-line cd mkdir launch serve localhost. It maybe second nature for programmers, but it is daunting.

It is not specific to React, but to toolkits like Polymer as well. It was supposed to be simple webcomponents:

...but "importmodules", "server start", various little files to make it work & the localhost it needs to run. Uff! too much overload. Just discovered AMP, loving the fact that it has no JS :) :) so it kinda levels the playing field :)

Re: Launch HN: Pagedraw (YC W18) – Compile UI Mockups to React Code

#108

Post by redindian75 »

zackbrown wrote: post #96
redindian75 wrote: post #78

As a UI/UX guy, ReactJS/JSX is a very high bar for us to cross. I have tonnes of Sketch/Figma files ready to be wired, as a JS newbie, JSX is too complicated for a Designer mind to understand :-) Any hopes for a beginner friendly language like VueJS or Webcomponents (AMP Pages/Polymer). The tool has great potential, if u can address the UX market than the dev market. Devs have many many tools they wont give up, but w…

Since you like the idea of wiring Sketch designs with logic, but you want a solution created for a UX designer, it sounds like you'd like Haiku. We're in the same YC batch as Pagedraw. https://www.haiku.ai/ Haiku focuses on connecting UX designers with developers through shared version histories (git & npm), on a foundation of animated & interactive code components. Haiku supports Vue, plus React, native iOS and nati…

Oh yes, I signed up on day0 and finally scored an invite few weeks back. Coming from Adobe PPro/AE motiongraphics background, it was so exciting to see a timeline based tool.

But I primarily viewed it as micro-interaction & animation tool (like Lottie or Rubberhose) - didnt think of it as a UI interface builder. I didnt know it can do Vue. I'll fire it up again to see how I can use it as a lively UI/Interface Builder.

Re: Launch HN: Pagedraw (YC W18) – Compile UI Mockups to React Code

#109

Post by jpochtar »

redindian75 wrote: post #106
acemarke wrote: post #100

Earlier quoted context omitted.

As someone who spends a lot of time helping answer questions about using React: what aspects of React and JSX do you consider to be a "high bar"? What concerns about React cause you to say it's not "beginner friendly" ?

Thanks for the reply. I guess programmer's mind are wired different :) I getby copy/pasting JS snippets or fork fully made apps or follow tutorials etc to make my stuff move, behave & work. Good enough for prototypes and explaining my designs interactively. But React feels like Level:10. I do get the "concept" of React (tell the overall endstate, the code redraws the page to that, instead of focussed DOM targeting).…

Have you checked out StackBlitz (https://stackblitz.com/)? They can get you a full, sharable React or Angular environment in one click. Full disclaimer, we're partnering with them to bring you some of Pagedraw, but I just really like their stuff!

As a beginner programmer back in the day, setting up my tools was way harder than actually writing code. Setting up tools isn't programming! Don't think you're not a programmer because you don't want to deal with it— no one does. I hope StackBlitz can save a generation of potential programmers from being scared away because installing tools is gross.

Re: Launch HN: Pagedraw (YC W18) – Compile UI Mockups to React Code

#110

Post by pjmlp »

andrewstuart wrote: post #95
urda wrote: post #91

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Yup and closed tab. Either make your product work in the major browsers or don't make it at all. Not acceptable here.

>> Either make your product work in the major browsers or don't make it at all. Not acceptable here. I don't agree. Especially for a startup trying to get an MVP out the door. If your product is aimed at a technically oriented audience then its a reasonable assumption that they have Chrome installed.

That is how the IE only path started, getting MVP out of the door by supporting IE 5.
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