Join us on our Journey to Reimagine the Quickbase Exchange
We have taken our first step on the journey of fully re-imagining the Quickbase Exchange. In July 2023 we released an open beta of the new Exchange to all Quickbase users. In this first iteration, you can now browse and install formula fields. You can also install apps in the same way you can in the current exchange. While this is an exciting first step, it is only the beginning!
Sub-App Components
The legacy exchange has only supported full applications. Over time, we have identified a strong desire from the community for smaller components such as formulas. For example, "Magic Buttons - Having Fun with Formula URLs" is listed for the sole purpose of sharing formula techniques. You may have also seen apps which share components such as code pages or pipeline templates. In the new Exchange, we want to make it easier to discover and consume these types of components.
As Quickbase builders, we all know how important and powerful formula fields are:
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They help us level up our apps by adding visual cues for better user experience and adoption.
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They allow us to create buttons to facilitate our custom workflows.
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They help us crunch and calculate our data for business intelligence.
And much, much more...
However, formulas can be a hurdle to learn and master, especially for new builders. Certain types of formulas require knowledge of HTML and CSS, which not all of us are proficient at. We are very interested in making this feature more accessible to all builders.
This is precisely why we decided to start with formulas as our first set of sub-app components. However, this is just the beginning! In the coming months we will be hard at work designing for more components such as:
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Jinja Snippets
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Pipeline templates
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Code Pages: HTML/CSS/JavaScript pages
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Table Modules: A collection of tables and relationships you can inject into your app.
Apps
We are re-thinking how we view apps in the context of the new Exchange. The current exchange has over 1200 applications, all categorized under the same label of “app.” This can sometimes make it difficult to understand each app's purpose. It may also make it time-consuming to find what you’re looking for. This is the main reason why we have decided not to do a mass migration of existing apps from the legacy Exchange. We are taking a more focused approach with apps to avoid the 'cluttered' feeling you get today. In the new Exchange we will be publishing more polished apps which showcase our most recent product investments such as forms and dashboards. Over time we will be publishing apps with more distinct categories, such as:
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Starter / Foundational Apps: Apps that have a foundational structure specific to a singular use case. These apps are meant to be a viable starting point you can build on top of. They are intentionally simple and don't contain clutter you may not want or need. Most of the apps you see in the new Exchange meet these criteria.
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Inspirational Apps: These apps are complete solutions that demonstrate a wide range of Quickbase's capabilities to show a new user what's possible on our platform. They can be a starting point for your build; however, apps of this complexity are usually a poor starting point. These apps generally require as much work tweaking what is there vs. the actual customizations needed to solve your use case. They can, however, provide a great deal of inspiration when you have a similar problem to solve.
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Tutorial / Educational Apps: These are applications that house 1 or many tables for the purpose of teaching techniques. They provide examples on how to use specific features. They may also supplement QBU courses and empower sessions.
Community Features
Last but certainly not least, we want to integrate the new Exchange experience into the Quickbase Community. The first step we have taken is to start gathering formulas and apps from the Quickbase Qrew. We will evaluate all submissions and publish the best entries in the coming months. We have not fully formed our strategy on publishing criteria or the number of submissions we will accept. In this first phase we are focused on measuring the level of community engagement to inform the best possible solution. On top of that, we have many exciting features we are exploring such as likes, comments, and integrations to the Champions platform.
Click here if you have a formula or app you’d like to share with us!
Parting Thoughts
We want this new Exchange to be an integral part of our builders’ lives. Over the coming months, we will continue to publish new apps and formulas. We will also start to expand into new types of resources. We urge you to check out the Exchange often for new developments as well as leave us feedback. This is a feature designed for the community, and your feedback is so valuable!
