Customization

Hi,

@developers : I know this questions returns in many posts, but do you plan to add in the near future full customization of every component on a page (font, fontsize, fontcolor, background, margin, padding, alignment…) like in many other no-code-builders?

I also know a lot can be done with CSS in a rich-text-component, but when you put “Create powerful apps and websites, without code.” on your website (in a very big font), I think the CSS-workaround isn’t really no-code.

So please, add this often-asked feature !!!

Wim

(I don’t work for Glide.)

I sure hope that’s not in the roadmap, what a nightmare that would be. I’m a little familiar with the mindset of the leadership team having been on a few calls/webinars/presentations, and I don’t think giving full control over design to Glide developers is in the works.

Simple explanation: Glide wants to make it easy for anyone to build apps that look great, and design is not simple, and not everyone can design.

Other explanation: by keeping control over app design, Glide apps look great today, they will look great tomorrow and they will look great in 10 years, because Glide can update on their end the best practices related to design at given times. If the user does what they want, the design will quickly feel outdated.

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Hi,

Thanks for the reply, but do not really agree with the “other” explication:

  • when users could have design-customization, they can change it whenever they want, just to avoid outdating
  • by now, almost all Glide apps have a similar look, except those made by css-experts…
  • and… why are some many users asking help in this forum for css-design-coding. And answered by Glide-css-guru like ThinhDinh
  • and… why is there a separate website with css-tricks on
    Notion – The all-in-one workspace for your notes, tasks, wikis, and databases.

ANSWER: Just because need the customization that Glide doesn’t offer yet.

Hoping one day…

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Who is “they” in “they can change it”? If “they” is Glide, then Glide would have to override developer-generated CSS. Sure Glide has always maintained that they did not support CSS and it could break at any time, but overriding CSS would defeat the purpose of the CSS in the first place. If “they” is the developer, then I disagree, most of the time the developer will probably not update their CSS and their app design will eventually be outdated.

Somewhat correct. Is it a problem that Glide apps have a similar look? Glide mobile and web apps are not meant to be the next Whatsapp or TikTok. They are meant to be apps for work: beautiful and functional in their context, somewhat unique and bespoke for the problem they solve, but not necessarily unique in the way they look.

In a way, you could say the same of Word or Powerpoint: they kind of all look the same. But if the software editors had imposed a few more constraints, we’d have less just-please-kill-me-now presentations and more Steve Jobs presentations (though presentations are much more about the presenters than the slides, and most don’t even need slides, but I digress).

Most ____ (fill in blank) look the same. Most things are not exceptional or the word would have no meaning. In Glide, adding the ability to play around too much with design would lead exactly to our Powerpoint situation: tons of crappy-looking non-exceptional decks of slides (only my opinion of course). I’m not sure this is an outcome anyone could wish for.

If they are asking, this is probably a sign they shouldn’t be tinkering with CSS in the first place …

Thinh is exceptional. Most people are not. That’s precisely why they need a tool like Glide, so Glide can do the exceptional stuff and make them look exceptional.

If developers can focus on solving a valuable business case in a specific domain, not only is that good enough in my opinion, but it’s also the heavy lifting that Glide cannot do. Let Glide be the expert at what apps are supposed to look like, and business professionals can be experts in their field and solve problems there thanks to Glide.

Thinh and others push the boundaries with CSS and document it, they are the Christopher Columbus’ and Marco Polos of Glide. Thank goodness for them. By pushing the boundaries they allow everyone to follow in their footsteps. But not everyone is a Christopher Columbus or Marco Polo.

Sure, there could be some more customization here and there. But probably not through CSS. And it’s a tricky balance to strike: enough so some customization can be made, not so much to protect the Glide developer from him/herself.

I realize my comments might pass off as extremely cynical :pray: :pray: :pray:

I hope I’ll be forgiven the day I change my mind, when I use CSS in my projects and (gasp) even support it :joy: :zipper_mouth_face:

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