Now, You Can Do More With Wix: Inside Wix Code App Development

Small businesses know they need to get themselves online, but for some of them hiring a developer to build out a fully customized website isn’t an option. Those that don’t need many advanced features have turned to Wix to create simple websites without the hassle of servers or hosting, customizing a theme, or setting up a CDN. For some, it’s been a silver bullet—especially with its plugin marketplace and customer support. But for others, the simplicity of drag-and-drop is overshadowed by the lack of advanced capabilities.

Basic things users have come to expect like dynamic content was just out of reach, until now. The Wix platform recently launched a more advanced option for developers: Wix Code. Wix Code brings that same drag-and-drop simplicity to more advanced web application development, significantly expanding what developers can do with the Wix platform and offering more functionality that you could previously only achieve with a CMS like WordPress. It’s “an all-in-one platform, hosted in the secure Wix cloud” and it might just be the right solution for you.

Do I Have to Know How to Code to Use Wix Code?

If you know how to use Wix, Wix Code will be an easy pickup. It’s all visual, just like with a Wix site. You’ll use the drag-and-drop Wix Editor to choose the design and site components that make up the front end of your site. Then, start using the Wix Code tools to add more functionality—all without needing to use code. They’re built into the platform for you, so you can pick and choose what you need and implement it without any programming.

If you do have programming knowledge and want to work with the code of your Wix site, however, you can, thanks to the Wix APIs and the Wix code panel, which is similar to using an integrated development environment (IDE) to code. These let you tap into every part of your site and edit what you want with JavaScript (and JavaScript code completion) and other third-party APIs.

Here’s a look at its key features.

Create dynamic, content-driven pages

With Wix Code, you can use a single template to create hundreds of dynamic pages, each with their own URL, as opposed to creating those pages one-by-one and manually add the content. For example, create one profile page template for team bios, then dynamically generate as many as you need by pulling the bio information from your database, which Wix Code also provides for you.

Or, create repeating layouts to flow new content dynamically all into one page

If your site regularly publishes new content and you’d like to keep it all on one page, repeating layouts let you flow content from your database into your site, like freshly published articles. You can choose how you want that content displayed, and all you have to worry about is adding it to your database.

Databases let you control your site’s content apart from its design

Gather information customers enter in forms, comments, reviews, and more, then store them in your database to use (or export) dynamically on your site. Or, use your existing data—just import the CSV file and edit it in the Content Manager for use on your Wix site.

You won’t need any advanced database administration knowledge. Databases are typically organized by tables—in Wix Code, these are called “collections.” These database collections let you manage unlimited data for your site, to be used wherever and however you like. Edit your database in a Sandbox version that won’t affect your live site, or edit live data—it’s up to you.

Gather that data from customers with next-level input options

Wix offers some forms in its features, but Wix Code takes them a step further with input forms that let users take quizzes, fill out applications, and leave reviews. That data automatically goes into your database where it can be used dynamically anywhere on your site.

Access third-party APIs securely with back-end modules

Here’s another instance where you can write actual code to add functionality to your site via APIs, and you can do it one of two ways depending on your security concerns. Access a third-party service from the front end with client-side code that calls an API, or access them from a backend module (the more secure option).

So, Should You Use Wix or Wix Code?

Wix.com is an efficient way to build a simple website with templates, without having to worry about a server or writing any code. Certain advanced functionality might seem simple to a user may, but is instrumental in your business and how you interact with your customers. Getting that advanced functionality might not always be available in a more simple solution. If any of the above capabilities sounded like features you need from your site, Wix Code might be for you. That, and, you can get as technical as you want or stick to the visual editor.

Note that if you do need to go deeper into the code of your Wix site, Wix Code offers plenty of video tutorials and articles to help get you on board. Or, find a skilled Wix developer to get your site up and running for you.

Source: B2C