VSCode has a very customizable UI with Activity Bar, Sidebar, Tabs, Status Bar etc (https://code.visualstudio.com/docs/getstarted/userinterface); customizable via extensions and seems to have been developed without any of the common web frameworks (https://github.com/microsoft/vscode/issues/99845).
It is well maintained, works in different OSes and has automatic updates.
Even if we remove the code-editor part, there is a lot of work in that.
This makes me wonder if it is possible to write a totally different app (not a code editor) on top of VSCode. For example a Slack-like messaging app, an Obsidian-like knowledge base app, etc.
Is it possible? Are there apps built on top of this code? Have I missed an important point that makes this idea unviable?
EDIT:
Some have pointed a very valid point. Some of what I mentioned here as VSCode features are really Electron features that VSCode inherits. Having developed an Electron app (5yrs ago) I see many things in VSCode that are not in Electron (but maybe my concept of Electron is wrong).
I want to emphasize that VSCode UI (bars, tabs, etc) + its extensibility seems to be a valid development framework. And I am ignorant of anything in this sense.
EDIT (jan/2023):
I guess we can add StackBlitz as a product that just did that.
I think your question is very valid and I was wondering the same thing, so thanks for asking it.
One thing that VS Code gives you that Electron doesn't is a distribution model - the marketplace and how new versions of your app can be detected and downloaded automatically etc. This is a big deal.
I think the disadvantages are that a very fancy UX may not be possible directly - but you have to "work around" by putting HTML within a Web View perhaps. This is just my guess and I haven't directly tried it.
To answer your question - the only one I am aware of is Thunder Client - so think of Postman - but as a VS Code plugin.
See also https://stackoverflow.com/a/67069697/314780 , which points to Eclipse Theia which uses parts from Visual Studio Code (i.e "Code - OSS") - https://theia-ide.org/ . The site links to a number of IDE-style apps built on top of it.
VS Code is an electron app. You might want to research what electron is – because you mention it: The Slack app is built on that same framework.
So, you've just invented something that already is done, very widely, in practice.
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Everything that I have coded upto this point has been launched from Command Prompt or the IDE itself. I would like the ability to deploy an application such that launching it doesn't require a tutorial for novices. .exe, .apk, .app, ELF. Double-click and go.
I recall creating .exe files from Python as being restrictivly difficult. I was thinking C# and found .net/maui. It doesn't support linux, which I could maybe look past, but it also doesn't appear to support creating .exe files.
Java is more low level than I would like to deal with. Learning a new language that runs virtually could be the solution. I havn't done much investigating as this wouldn't be the ideal. (Edit: JVM requires an additional install, so that's not going to work.)
I don't have any experience with web developement, but it seems like a promising route none the less. It is not clear to me if I can create a local icon-launchable webpage that will run an application in your browser sans-server. Additionally, I am not sure how far my known languages will take me before I have to then learn CSS or whatever.
Thoughts?
Electron seems to be popular choice for cross-platform development in case you don't mind developing with JavaScript.
QT is another cross-platform framework that was around for a long time.
Specifically for .NET, there's MAUI (mobile-focused, no Linux), Avalonia UI, Eto Forms, AlterNET UI. The last one is desktop-only and still in beta.
I am using this code: https://github.com/pradeepramakrishna/Lightning-Experience/tree/master/aura-components to compile on my org.
I have got one components as eventLib.lib and interactive.js in eventLib folder. I have put this folder in c:MyDevOrg\force-app\main\default\aura folder in the local machine and tried to deploy in the org using VSCode but it didn't work.
I tried creating folder in the Files tab and added the interactive.js in the folder but that is also not seeming to work with the Aura components.
How can I deploy this lib into the org as it is being used in some Aura components.
We don't know what you're trying to achieve. You asked a very technical question to which the answer is "you're probably doing it wrong". Instead try to write what business functionality you are trying to achieve and you might get better answers.
You shouldn't have to import ui:eventLib. It's supposed to be part of core Salesforce's Aura components framework. But.
You've referenced a repo that wasn't updated in a while, no promises this still compiles / is best way to do X.
This repo seems to rely on open source Aura framework which is well... dead in the water.
You might be able to reuse something from this repo in your app using SF's built-in tags - but whole ui: library has been deprecated. Announced in Winter'20 = almost 2 years ago, finally dead in May 2021.
I don't think eventLib was ever exposed, might be something needed just in open source version which complicates the matter more. The answer would be to not work with the really "decompiled" tags but with their higher abstracted versions like ui:inputDate.
So, back to my question. What exactly are you trying to achieve.
You want to build something on pure SF platform (use pure Aura/LWC).
Want to have an app written in Angular, React etc, pure JS, connecting to SF data via API? (build it, upload as static resourcethen import using lightning:container)
want to prettify an existing Java/PHP/.NET app, make it look more Lightning-ish and embed it as iframe? (look into https://www.lightningdesignsystem.com/ and connected apps + "canvas")
want to expose piece of SF as reusable element that can be embedded in another website but could even be an Outlook plugin? (search for "lightning out")
want to look at modern equivalent of that old open source Aura repo and decide what to do next? Check https://lwc.dev/ out.
Is Chrome Dev Tools available only through Chrome extensions? Or is there a way we can use it, for instance, as a library from a JS standalone file?
Update
Chrome DevTools Frontend is now an NPM package that you can take advantage of. It is based from the new DevTools sub-repo in Blink. So you can easily pull in the DevTools assets and keep then up-dated without much work.
Original post
It depends on what you want exactly. You can dig in and rip out bits of the frontend to use. Like Betwixt by Konrad pulls the network panel design out and plugs it up to an OS interceptor. So you can use the network panel you know and love to debug any app on your desktop.
Now, can you easily do this kind of stuff. Even keeping it auto-updated? No, not really. It is fairly complicated and you need to be able to handle ripping the stuff out yourself. That being said, if you want a challenge then the code is open to everyone.
I'd say that the first sentence on the About website is pretty clear:
... built into Google Chrome.
So officially, by Google, it's only for Chrome. It's part of Chrome, not a standalone library. Issues linked to DevTools are part of Chromium, where people can contribute.
is there any drag and drop environment to work with GWT widgets.
or any user friendly IDE or plugin on IDE's
i remember using some thing like MyEclips for developing Hibernate was better then working with .xml files.
The Eclipse-based WindowBuilder Pro supports GWT and is now free, courtesy of Google.
I tried GWT Designer, http://code.google.com/webtoolkit/tools/gwtdesigner/index.html, but I think for now I'll stick to code the guis myself by hand.
The main reasons are:
Sometimes, it takes a little while (longer than I can wait) to load the design mode.
Sometimes it breaks after you modify code underneath.
Sometimes, does not do what you expect it to do.
I would suggest you giving it a try and see if it works out for your needs.
In my opinion, the experience using it has been frustrating than encouraging.
I am looking to speed up time to develop website layouts. So I am wondering if using DreamWeaver for layouts is useful - efficient. I am looking at purchasing this software, so, I had a few questions.
I am very comfortable coding HTML, CSS and JavaScript(jQuery) by hand in either PHPDesigner or Notepad++. Most of the time for layouts I use FireFox and Firebug to see results in real time, and then check if it works across different browsers.
I want to know the opinion of people who have worked on the front-end:
I feel code validation is important but not the end of the world(as my priorities) - I do however like to change my code often by hand. Does the output from this software let you do this?(compare to the html/css that micorsoft word vomits - Does this software do a similar thing?)
Is this software used as a primary design tool by people who can code by hand and does it actually improve efficiency? or is it just for newbies?
I understand the Adobe family of products work really well with each other but I am trying to understand is if DreamWeaver really deserves to be in the front-end workflow(if you are proficient coding by hand).
Once you work with HTML/CSS/Javascript enough, it isn't difficult to "code by hand" but it is important to remember that front-end developers also code with their eyes, as well. There is a lot going on up front that depends entirely on the code that runs on the client and you want to use an editor that helps you organize your code and, more importantly, gives you visibility into the challenges presented by complicated CSS and adhering to web standards.
If front-end coding was nothing more than pushing around angle brackets then notepad and repeatedly pressing F5 would be enough. A great web editor will present the structure of your code in a meaningful way and all of your HTML, CSS, and Javascript takes on a complete feel.
You want a professional editor that will allow you to:
Understand CSS inheritance
Run visual diagnostics
Debug across different browsers
Create modern layouts/designs that are faithfully represented
I haven't used Dreamweaver in a few years but, these days, I'm really enjoying Microsoft Expression Web. It is not the FrontPage mess of yesteryears - it is a serious tool for web design and I urge you to take a close look. The code is clean and smart and it certainly gives you the option of using its tools to build a site or you can code everything 100% by hand. Don't forget, the key is not deciding which editor is best for coding by hand. The thing you should be looking for is which editor makes you a better developer.
Regardless of whether or not you're a Microsoft, LAMP, or other platform person, Expression Web is a great tool for front-end developers.
I've been using Dreamweaver for a few years now. While I initially used some of it's code generators, these days I pretty much spend my time in the code widow coding by hand and viewing the output in the browser. The design window is nice for simple coding as it will build the html for you. However, I did have problems getting the right insertion point to edit it. For example, it might place my update before and end tag when I wanted it to be after it. That led my to switch to the coding window to be sure.
I do like the fact that it opens all included files specified in the file you originally opened. I also use it's site views to synchronize my changes to the production server. I'm sure I could take advantage of other features if I bother to learn them. I haven't used any tools besides FrontPage so I can't compare.
Best thing that happened to me was learing about Eclipse and then after about Aptana. I was using notepad++ for everything, but now im doing everything with eclipse and aptana as plugin for eclipse. Just my 2 cents. Oh and its free.
Primarily I do use Adobe Dreamweaver when working on websites. It is a pretty nice tool to use along with Adobe Photoshop for any graphic designs that I create.
Also, I use Microsoft Visual Studio 2010 for Web Application Development (i.e Console apps, Web Apps, Silverlight, etc.). VS is a little different from DW but its still a nice tool for development projects.
Alison, I looked a preview of Expression Web and may check it out. It may aid as an impressive tool for my front-end dvelopment work. I also tried Microsoft Expression Blend when designing Silverlight applications. It does remind you of how Expression Web looks and feels