Hey there,
I created a small app with the new App Builder using a non-production environment, reading from Retool DB, and it works great in preview.
However, when I publish it, there’s no way to use that environment, it falls back to production, regardless of whether I append ?environment=alternative or ?_environment=alternative to the URL.
Are environments supported by App Builder?
I'm on the Business plan.
Thanks!
Hi there, I’m on the product team here at Retool. Like you mention, we do permit toggling between resource environments while building in the new app builder. Testing on non-production data is a core building flow, and we want that to be well-supported.
At the same time, we’re trying to better understand the use cases for toggling between resource environments in the published, end user view. Would you mind sharing a bit more about your use case?
Hi @timofey
Sure, the use case is pretty common: letting end users test an app without touching production data.
Let's say I add a feature that I want a group of users to test and play with before releasing it to production, and without touching production data by using a mirrored dataset instead.
From your comment, it sounds like testing can only be done in the editor?
In Classic Apps, this switch can be done both in the editor and in the live app, and I think that's a great capability for avoiding disasters.
Hope it is something you might consider to add.
Best
That makes sense, thanks for sharing! We need to think about whether that experience fits better in the context of a published application — e.g., the final app that’s meant for end user consumption — or in the context of a “preview” mode. On that side, we’re working on adding shareable preview links, which allow builders to try out the app ahead of publishing to end users.
Hey @timofey
If such a "preview mode" allows the use of environments, that's even better, since it's something the app developer can choose to enable or disable, while the published app remains production-only, as it's expected to be aligned with production data.
Looking forward to see this feature!