Since November 2022 I was focussed on learning Bubble. Back then, I was convinced to have the best NoCode tool ever. But then - while learning Bubble, and even buying a course - it occured to me that it might be necessary to overthink this decision.
- 1. Decision to Use Bubble | 💯#100 Days of NoCode
- 2. Learning Bubble | Build a Distraction Free Twitter App
- 3. Learning Adalo | Build a Social Network Like Instagram
- Did I Make an Unconscious Decision?
- Debugging
- 4. Learning Bubble | ToDo List
- Check It Out Here (Needs SignIn):
- 5. Decision to Build My First Real App LineDance with Bubble
- Bubble has so many resources for learning …
- Bubble Interactive Lessons
- Bubble AirDev Module 1
- 6. LineDance App in Bubble | Decision for a Paid Course BubbleHacks Bootcamp
- The Core Functions of LineDance App - Status so Far with Bubble
- 7. Learning Bubble | BubbleHacks Bootcamp and App MiniTinder
- 8. Decision to Give Adalo a Try
- Considerations About Feasibility
- Database Considerations
- Bubble
- Adalo
- Financial Considerations
- 9. Decision to Use Adalo for App LineDance
1. Decision to Use Bubble | 💯#100 Days of NoCode
- November 2022
At the beginning of Phase 3 of the 💯 #100 Days Of NoCode challenge, I made the decision to focus on learning Bubble as soon as the challenge would be finished.
2. Learning Bubble | Build a Distraction Free Twitter App
On the days 36 to 40 of this challenge, I learnt to build a distraction free Twitter app. Installed Twitter plugin, set up the API, built the app, added core functions and final tweeks.
When I signed in into the Twitter Developer Platform, I felt soooo much like “Yes!”.
3. Learning Adalo | Build a Social Network Like Instagram
On the days 47 to 69, I started with Adalo. And from the beginning I considered it a super tool. One of my app ideas - MoodBoard - was taking shape in nearly no time. And I did not have any problems, everything worked easily. With Bubble I had more issues and necessity for debugging.
Did I Make an Unconscious Decision?
All went so nice with Adalo. Why did I turn to learn Bubble and insisted on this so much? Was it the masonry grid? Because at the very same day I found out that Bubble allowed masonry grid now:
Debugging
It is not, that there was no debugging in Adalo. But I always had a feeling of “will manage that.”
You can try it here (login necessary, because of community feature):
Good learning path, https://twitter.com/misschumko. Thank you!
4. Learning Bubble | ToDo List
On days 85-87 on the #100Days of NoCode challenge, I built another app with Bubble: ToDoList
Check It Out Here (Needs SignIn):
5. Decision to Build My First Real App LineDance with Bubble
After the #100Days of NoCode challenge, I invented my own #100Days challenge - #100Days Learn & Create challenge, because in the end, I wanted to have a functioning app for exercising LineDance.
Bubble has so many resources for learning …
- Bubble Interactive Lessons | https://bubble.io/lessons
- Bubble Bootcamps FREE
- AirDev Handson Beginner | https://build.airdev.co/bootcamp
- Million Labs Beginner | https://millionlabs.co.uk/no-code_bootcamps
- Stack 3 APIs | https://stack3.xyz/bootcamp
- Bubble Video Lessons
- Bubble Docs | https://manual.bubble.io/
- Bubble Forum | https://forum.bubble.io/c/tips/6
- Bubble Academy
This ensured me that I definetely would be able to build my first app, because at the same time, I considered it easy.
Bubble Interactive Lessons
From Day 8 to 34 I did these interactive lessons and in parallel built LineDance. Or better - tried to build. It felt like being stuck and a good exercise at the same time. This was so, because again I learnt a lot of things, I already knew, and of course there were new insights, too. I was trapped in Oauth2 User-Agent Flow, API tutorials while trying to get Spotify connected to my app. But it did not work at all, I did not understand the documentation, and I started to doubt that I would ever be able to master Bubble for my ideas.
With the implementation of the teaching videos and YouTube videos, I had more luck, finding the suitable videos. Felt better then.
Bubble AirDev Module 1
From day 26 to 37 I did the AirDev tutorials. I generally liked them, but the Party RSVP app in the end was not specified properly. So I ended up in trying to build something that looked like other Bubblers had done. And finally I thought, I am soo bored to build things, I do not want nor need.
An example of my drawbacks:
Here is a functioning Party RSVP:
And here is mine. No, I did not complete this, and that makes me feel inadequate. But I like the design.
6. LineDance App in Bubble | Decision for a Paid Course BubbleHacks Bootcamp
On days 38 to 42 of my personal #100Days Learn & Create challenge I decided to concentrate more on the LineDance app. On days 58 to 60 I was considering to book a masterclass for Bubble. But I was not prepared to have the LineDance app as The Product.
The Core Functions of LineDance App - Status so Far with Bubble
So, after several days of investigating, what was hindering me to proceed, I decided to give a paid bootcamp a try. Main goal: Launch. Therefore my choice was the BubbleHacks Crash Course by Damian Janzi.
7. Learning Bubble | BubbleHacks Bootcamp and App MiniTinder
From then on for 32 more days, I went through another “Beginner’s Path”. But I must say without all the struggling I had before I would never have made it so far. The bootcamp uses a Tinder clone to show variuos basic concepts to make the Bubble app look&feel like a native app.
Especially the explanations about basic concepts about responsive web versus PWA (Progressive Web App) versus native app were very good explained and important knowledge. I wish I would have known that before walking on the Bubble path, because a Bubble app always needs an additional tool - a wrapper - before it can be published in appstores like Google Play. But - of course - I would not doubt my decision to use Bubble right at the start of this course subscription.
Consequently I walked through several lessons designing two SPAs (Single Page Application) in parallel.
MiniTinder (Tinder Clone)
Onboarding Screens:
LineDance
Onboarding Screens:
Single page applications are built by the use of Floating Groups. And I started to hate them soon. Whenever I wanted to preview, I needed to fiddle around with visibility of the Floating Groups. Whenever I wanted to copy a group or component from one FG to another, the freshly copied component vanished somewhere in the current FG, not in the new FG. It felt as if I spent all my time finding something, I new was there. I could not imagine to continue with development after a three days break. Thought I would have to restart all over again.
But then suddenly the lessons were over. I was left alone with a sample app that did not work properly. I continued to build and tried and tried, studied the database of the demo app and its workflows. But since there is no specification (I do not know what the app should do), I decided on my own. But the the demo app does not really help. Felt like the cat biting its own tail.
And I did as before: Finding tutorials to answer my questions in the internet.
Really, is this nice? Even if I regroup and use colors (which is possible), I had a feeling of being lost soon in my own app. But then, how can I find my way in this demo app, which I cannot group and colour code?
One night, when another #100Days challenge ended, I reconsidered Adalo. Well not really, I tried for another seven days.
8. Decision to Give Adalo a Try
Considerations About Feasibility
The more important app I would like to make has the working title “CITIES”. The LineDance app is only intended as learning experience and something I would like to have for myself. Well, there will be other people interested, I guess, but the main reason of learning all this is
(a) to learn to make something interesting
(b) learn about interesting topics. That means content curation. And at the same time collecting this into an app.
So the comparson between Bubble and Adalo is made on hypothetical app “CITIES”. And for this I just need the functions I already know in Adalo and rich text, whch is no problem. And hoping for masonry in the future.
How about the LineDance app functions?
Bubble | Adalo | |
from zero to core function | 4 weeks | 2 weeks ✅ |
wrapper necessary for PlayStore | yes | no ✅ |
monthly subscription | 33 € ✅ | 56 € |
confidence that I can build the apps I want | 20% | 70% ✅ |
user flow 2 | —- ❌ | nice ✅ |
conditional visibility of button with user flow 2 | N.A. | no ❌ |
Teaching videos | yes ✅ | yes ✅ |
YouTube videos | yes ✅ | yes ✅ |
play Spotify tracks | could not make it ❌ | could not make it ❌ |
Summary | 3 ✅ and 2 ❌ | 6 ✅ and 2 ❌ |
Database Considerations
Really, everything in Adalo looks so much more tidy and clean and more modern than in Bubble.
Bubble
Adalo
Financial Considerations
Plus BubbleHacks subscription (lifetime price); not sure, if I need a desktop app. This is for products sold to enterprises. Not for the protoype nor MVP of LineDance app.
OPTION 4 | ADALO costs 56 €/month (AppStore publishing, 2 apps, API, external databases, Zapier (not Xano), native push notifications
9. Decision to Use Adalo for App LineDance
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