No Code: How to Build Apps and Automate Processes with No Programming Knowledge

In the software development industry, there is a growing demand for no-code and low-code tools. Without writing a single line of code, they help to start something quite right. Not needing to know how to code to create applications is a fascinating idea.

Many companies are already using this in their internal applications or creating automated processes that they could not otherwise afford, because they dont have enough working capital (developers and UX designers) or because they are still proof of concept in the purest bootstrapping way.SaaS Platforms for Prototyping, Building and Automating in the Cloud Without Writing a Line of CodeThis kind of SaaS platform is visual interfaces that use components already created, connected, and easily reusable. They allow us to build flows based on user actions, or certain previously-described rules.

Generally, the path you follow is to create a prototype, test, and finally distribute it to the end-users (deploy). Later on, we will be able to think about whether to migrate that experiment to something within our technology stack involving the developers. In the meantime, we can continue to use these third parties as if it were our system.

We can find various platforms within the business of many companies, such as a Typeform to create a perfectly segmented, vitaminized form, which we then export to a Google spreadsheet, AirTable, or even analyze in some machine-learning process in the cloud.On the other hand, automation has made its way strongly using Zapier or IFTTT, so that when any trigger (event) happens, it performs certain actions such as sending an email through Mailchimp or Twilio, saving a multimedia file, updating some charts in a dashboard with Google Spreadsheet, etc.The examples mentioned previously are SaaS platforms that allow for various actions or processes that, until now, would require a service infrastructure that is difficult to configure and not at all affordable for a small company. The business model of these platforms is focused on providing more and more customized services without the need to integrate a single line of code. Only by offering dozens of integrations to other services that serve as a source of data or a communication channel to the end-user.We all know that most websites and applications are hosted in the cloud, either on Google Cloud, AWS, or Microsoft Azure, for example. However, we also have to keep in mind that all these associated processes come from other SaaS services. All the emails, SMS, or Push Notifications we receive as users come from Mailchimp, Salesforce, Twilio, Amazon SNS, etc.Even the actions that triggered the sending of those communications have not required, in most cases, a couple of lines of code or complex event queues. Many of them come from services such as Firebase o AWS, for example, which are capable of generating audiences based on the associated analytical tools. Although, if we need something concrete, we can include small scripts or code fragments in the cloud as Cloud Functions or Lambdas.What Is the Difference Between Non-Code and Low-Code Tools?It is crucial to make a clear differentiation that no-code and low-code are not the same. In the case of low-code platforms, we need a minimum of programming knowledge. On the other hand, in no-code, we work with visual interfaces, and we are not going to see (unless we want something advanced) a line of code.Low-code is a huge boost for lower-skilled programmers and even a great way to launch something fast for more advanced programmers who can work on it later, creating integrations with more challenging code. Its also a natural progression in the domain of software development where languages are becoming more abstract by adding layers and layers to focus more on what we want to do than on how.In no-code, we focus on the question of what we want the user to see. Thus, abstractly, the tools can create, according to our indications, the multi-platform visual interfaces of our idea, whether it is a web app, native, or even an exchange of messages by slack or by one of the voice assistants.

The low-code concept is not something we havent seen before, but rather its from the 1990s. Thats how they described it recently in an article in Spectrum IEEE. We can remember those CASE tools and that old Microsoft Visual Basic framework that many people will still remember. Right now, some tools try to emulate this approach, such as Microsoft Power Apps, Oracle Visual Builder, or Salesforce Lightning Platform. Even Google has recently acquired AppSheet, a no-code platform for creating mobile apps.One of the web development tools that is having a big influence is Webflow, which is capable of creating complex websites with just a couple of lines. You can design the look and feel of your website by simply dragging components, connecting flows, and reusing anything the platform provides without forgetting the external integrations that would be more challenging. You can see dozens of tutorials on its website.The Three Key Elements of a No-Code PlatformIn short, this kind of Non-Code platform has to have the following elements to allow such user empowerment without the need to write a single line of code.

A user interface builderWebflow is a good example. We can work with a set of components already defined through a visual interface that is closer to a design tool than a programming tool. It works by merely dragging and positioning it where we want the element to be shown to the user. Whether its a box with a paragraph, a few images, a formulary, or a dynamic layout that depends on an API that provides us with the data, we can combine all these elements and reuse them on each screen.Visual modelingBesides dragging and dropping elements on a layout, we have to define steps, flows, and connections between the elements. It even creates a hierarchy between the components and the data models. So most of these tools allow you to visualize and configure using diagrams of the relationship between the elements.IntegrationsIt is essential that our applications can communicate with other tools, especially those SaaS tools we mentioned at the beginning, to automate the process or communicate with the user.Where Do You Begin With These Programming Tools Without Dropping a Line of Code?The first step would be to think of some processes that we can automate. This way, we can start to get comfortable with automation tools like Zapier, IFTTT o Microsoft Flow.Creating some real flows that, for example, check the email and write a registry in a spreadsheet, or that trigger some automatic message or integrate a small CMS that processes actions depending on the state in which we place each of the elements, for example. Whether it is the products of a virtual store or on the board of pending email to customers or contacts. There are hundreds of integration from Gmail, YouTube, Spreadsheet, Drive, Dropbox, Salesforce, Stripe, social networks, or even sending SMS, pushes, or creating flexible databases such as Airtable.Recently I found the website of Codeless How, where you can see small video tutorials on how to create a set of integrations that automate many processes such as a chatbot calendar, a complete No-Code MVP, a personal assistant, etc. All are using the above tools.Afterward, I would try to explore some of the tools that allow creating a digital presence. My favorites are Webflow, AppSheet, and Microsoft Power Apps.Of course, no-code platforms dont mean that they replace software developers entirely. Rather, they are an evolution of ecosystem software tools that allow more and more people to be empowered in the software building chain. Above all, they allow you to focus on what is essential and to iterate quickly with functional prototypes to assess whether an idea is feasible before developing it by code or integrating it into our product stack

·RELATED QUESTION

Software programming question involving Java?

If you have been through the top 100 google searches, then there is not going to be much that we can suggest. I suggest you get your hands on something like Programming For Dummies. This book will guide you through things like variables and objects (neither of which are specific to Java). I would suggest Barnes and Noble and Amazon to do a search for beginning programming books. Once you have some titles, you local library can probably get them for you if they don't have them