Book Image

Building Low-Code Applications with Mendix

By : Bryan Kenneweg, Imran Kasam, Micah McMullen
Book Image

Building Low-Code Applications with Mendix

By: Bryan Kenneweg, Imran Kasam, Micah McMullen

Overview of this book

Low-code is a visual approach to application development. It enables developers of varying experience levels to create web and mobile apps using drag-and-drop components and model-driven logic through a graphic user interface. Mendix is among the fastest-growing platforms that enable low-code enthusiasts to put their software ideas into practice without having to write much code, and Building Low-Code Applications with Mendix will help you get up and running with the process using examples and practice projects. The book starts with an introduction to Mendix, along with the reasons for using this platform and its tools for creating your first app. As you progress, you’ll explore Mendix Studio Pro, the visual environment that will help you learn Mendix app creation. Once you have your working app ready, you’ll understand how to enhance it with custom business logic and rules. Next, you’ll find out how to defend your app against bad data, troubleshoot and debug it, and finally, connect it with real-world business platforms. You’ll build practical skills as the book is filled with examples, real-world scenarios, and explanations of the tools needed to help you build low-code apps successfully. By the end of this book, you’ll have understood the concept of low-code development, learned how to use Mendix effectively, and developed a working app.
Table of Contents (18 chapters)
1
Section 1: The Basics
6
Section 2: Building Your First App
11
Section 3: Leveling Up Your App

Understanding common microflow elements

In previous chapters, you made some small microflows for your application while working with entities and pages. You used activities in those microflows to perform certain functions such as changing attributes on an object or showing a page. Microflow activities give Mendix developers a wide variety of preset functions to use in Mendix applications. For the more professional developers out there, Studio Pro can be extended with custom Java actions. You can read more about that in the full online Mendix documentation. For now, let's learn about some common microflow elements.

Controlling the flow with events

You may have noticed (if you were paying attention) that the microflows you worked with in previous chapters all started with a green dot and ended with a red dot. These dots are events. Microflows read left to right. Let me rephrase that: good microflows read left to right and top to bottom, the same way an artist would interpret...