I am currently testing and converting some smaller apps using the new App Builder, and I wanted to ask whether there is a recommended best practice for using Modules in this context.
To give you some background, in our classic apps I currently use a module that contains the URLs for all of our apps. This module is reused across multiple apps as a shared navigation menu. The main benefit is that when we create a new app, I only need to add it once to the module, and the change is then reflected across all apps that use it. App access and permissions are managed separately through the Admin dashboard.
The challenge I am facing is that I have not found a way to replicate this same setup in the new App Builder. Based on the documentation, I understand there are some limitations with modules, but I wanted to confirm whether I am missing something.
Is there currently a recommended workaround or alternative approach that would allow us to maintain a shared navigation menu across multiple apps with the same level of flexibility?
Code reusability via modules or some equivalent is definitely a feature that we're tracking, but not something that the new app builder currently supports. I'll bump the ticket internally and surface the additional context that you've shared here.
I did another test by adding the module to one of the apps I converted using the new App Builder.
The first thing I noticed is that the Agent converts each app in the navigation menu into a hardcoded link/URL. This could work within the Testing space, but I see a potential issue when promoting the app to Production through a GitHub PR.
If the converted app is moved to the Production space, those hardcoded URLs would still point back to the Testing apps. Also, as we know, the UUIDs are different between the apps in the Testing space and the apps in the Production space.
The apps may share the same database resource names, but each space renders different connections using the configuration variables defined in the Admin Centre.
Because of this, Iām concerned that hardcoded app URLs in the navigation menu may not work reliably across Testing and Production. Is there a recommended way to handle shared navigation in the new App Builder without hardcoding environment-specific app links?
Just to clarify for anybody following along - we're able to convert existing apps that contain modules, but don't yet utilize modules when building net new apps!
This is a gap that I've already flagged to the team! I'll check to see how they're currently thinking about a solution and make sure to surface the additional context that you've provided.
Okay, thanks a lot for the details. I do convert a few apps that I have created that were separate apps, but I am more and more thinking of putting together a business suite, so to say, and having one point of departure for many applications. They should also look and feel the same way. Now, what is the best way to cast them into a unified interface? Is it to make apps with pages, or is it something else?
It really depends on how big and complex the apps are. It's certainly possible to build out a mono-app with multiple pages, but will almost certainly be more efficient to create a standalone app that serves as a landing page and router.
I get that many users will like the AI assisted app creation. I personally used Retool because it DOES NOT - or at least did not - use AI. I need to know everything about my app. I need to take the time to build the pages. I need to be able answer why something works the way it does. If I wanted the AI assist, I might use something like Cursor to build a Next.js app. For my use case, building an app with the component library is 100% necessary. I really hope that Retool can accommodate users like me in the future.
