How our team learned & worked on a custom design library in PickaForm
PickaForm simplifies the world for new entrepreneurs. They make it easier to run an enterprise without having the need to be well-versed in coding.
Industry
Custom app development
Technology
NodeJS / Connect + middlewares, Websocket, and MongoDB
Accomplishments
PickaForm
PickaForm is a cloud-based web application where users can pick templates to develop custom apps without coding for their businesses.
The client was himself a proficient developer who had developed a custom UI library - KISS (keep it simple Java). He had a very specific list of the functionalities like - a drag and drop block to create a form for the app. It would give access to everything from adding a comment to recruitment forms and adding calendar events in a single click. It would support both for free and by buying its custom plans, so required stripe integration.
Working on a new library needed a lot of research to determine its capability, scalability, and compatibility with the technologies but our team was able to keep up with the client's expectations.
The Challenge
Pickaform is a new approach to CMS and e-commerce that lets users create their websites without any prior web development skills. The client needed coders with high-quality skills at par with the proficiency of the front-end they had already developed.
He created a brand new UI library called KissJS - Keep It Simple Stupid JS.
Our team faced the challenge of working on entirely new technology. Moreover, it was an existing web application and we were adding more features to it to address the issue of users bouncing back from the landing page, we also had to consider the compatibility of the technologies we choose with the exisitng ones.
Research
The client was himself an industry expert with great designing skills and we were going to develop the backend to go with it. Our team had to think about the best solutions for important attributes like:
- Full-text search
- Security
- CSV import
- Queuing, undo, redo, soft deletion
We got information about the custom library from the client but our team had to research and find architecture capable of scaling the files thoroughly. So we mutually decided to use the best ones- NodeJS / Connect + middlewares, Websocket, and MongoDB.
Implementation
PickaForm is a robust platform and was set to have outstanding features. The client had a list of functionalities he wanted to add to the existing app for better user experience so we had to research to implement these. We were able to achieve the desired functionalities by breaking down the development into phases.
Authentication
Though there was an existing authentication system, we had to update it as per the requirements. We achieved this by generating a jwt token and a new route for verifying the jwt token and Linkedin authentication. We then implemented the login and Microsoft callback route and fetched the profile data using PassportJS to keep up with the requirements.
File management
PickaForm needed diverse file management capabilities. Our team was able to add an option to add files through different sources for the ease of the users. These included my device, web search URL upload, Google Dropbox, Instagram integration, and one drive.
Msword to pdf generation
Merging form data is one of the most used features of the site's existing platform and, we were upgrading it. "LibreOffice-convert" proved to be the best choice that achieved all the goals we were looking forward to including:
- Making an MSWord template file + some form data as an input
- Merging form data into the MSWord template file
- Generating a PDF and connecting it to the record
Stripe integration
Stripe has become a go-to choice for the ease of payment it offers. We integrated it for the subscription purchases.
Acl-integration
PickaForm gives access to specific data to the users according to their roles. This role-based security added security from DoS/ReDos and CSRFas per the client requirements.
Queuing, undo, redo, soft deletion
All the mutations should be reversible. All the deleted users/workspace/application/view/model/record/fields would be stored in a database to make it easier for the users to retrieve them.
The web platform is a Saas platform but needed an on-site option for the user refraining it for security purposes. The deployment of the server would be a simple process supporting both Linux and Windows and its successful implementation added more flexibility for the users.
Launch & Delivery
We delivered the website before the set timeline. It was then launched on the local server first and then on the live site. The final product was appreciated by both – the client and the audience alike.
