1) Imitated text button shaped action UI 2) To show your process (workflow) is in process now) by visually appealing way

AppSheet Tips & Tricks
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One of the most desired features I have been waiting to be introduced by Appsheet is to get the button shaped action UI with custom text inside it, but unfortunatley this is not yet available.

Using the existing and available functions and features, this is a workaround to fire workflow (not able to fire pure action though) by clicking the “imiated” text button shaped UI within appsheet app on detail view.

This sample app demonstrate how to fire / trigger the workflow by hitting (imitated) button presented to the users.

I also pushed an idea to present the animation (actually GIF image) to be presented to users while the process (worflow) is ongoing at the backend server, untill the process is fully completed (the user devices capture the changes made by the backend server)

On this sample app, just hit the action button and then workflow will be fired to put the date/time stamps on a certain field. Once the workflow is fired, the button is going to be disappear and in turn the sort of loading-icon will be presented while the workflow is in process.

Once the appshee workflow completes its jobs, then the loading-icon will be dissappear and the same imitated button shaped action will re-appear once again to repeat the process.

This is sample app.

https://www.appsheet.com/samples/Autocreated-from-Google-Sheets?appGuidString=bfa20fa9-df6e-40c4-bb10-368092cd85da

This will be able to give a readable guide to the app users to tell your process is onging now and also tell your jobs (workflow) is finished now etc.

This is a gif as well.

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Hope this will encourage your creativities, to implement this tricks to your decent apps.

@Takuya_Miyai

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This is pure genius ! as far as i understand there are a few requirements:

  • A designated column for the button with quick edit enabled
  • A virtual column for displaying the gif
  • A “Pro” license or better, since it uses a data change workflow

It’s amazing what our detective can find workarounds for

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Another ace from the @tsuji_koichi school of visually appealing app design.

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I love that school! (I wonder what the mascot is?)

This is brilliant!

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@MultiTech_Visions @Suvrutt_Gurjar @Rafael_ANEIC-PY

Hellow AppSheet geeks, guys.

Thanks for your comments, and love to see your excitement.

Let me expain the core-concept of the tricks behind. I actually come up with this trick by accident as usual. This tricks is using a bit hacky behavior of AppSheet, so it may NOT continues to live when Appsheet changes backend code.

Anyway.

For the imiated button, yes, this is Enum with quick edit mode is ON on detail view. See the sample app how to configulate the Enum field. Just copy it.

What happens.

We pass the initial value to this field (enum) text value which you want to appear on the button. For instance, “Click me, darling!!” or whatsoever you like. At the same time, pass exactly same value to the enum option item.

Then turn on quick edit mode. As you see, set the button to present to the users.

Strangely and curiously, when we see the detail view, the actual data stored in the spreasheet is “Click me, Darling!!”, but the enum button with quick edit mode is presented to the user is just single selection (off course), but it is actually still clickable. BUTTTT.

when we hit this button, Appsheet is actually nullize the value. We are passing the save value to the same field, but Appshet is erase the value on the backend.

This is interesting, but this is how Appsheet works.

So once the users hit the button, the value is nullize. This will hide the enum , then show the image (gif) field instead.

On the workflow, which is fired by this data changes, then we add action to push the value to the emum (same value as initial value for this enum).

Once the workflow does the job whatever we want, then at the last, the workflow push the value back to the enum field. Then gif will be hidden. and the same enum text button “ish” one will reappear again.

Very fun.

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Probably, we can implement this trick for the workflow to send email and/or generating files which takes a bit of time as it is backend-services, but the app users will be able to instantly aware “something is happening, and I need to wait and stay idle …”

Better than presenting alert message like, “BE PATIENT, I m DOING YOUR JOBS!! DONT DISTURB ME! I M APPSHEET!”

Everything is for the better UI/UX.

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Awesome. Thank you @tsuji_koichi . Yes, users need a visual feedback that something is going on. If not they will click 100 times on the screen until something happens.

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Wow~ This is what i’m looking for.
I want to be like you, but I will need a very very~~~ long time.
and Please check the sample app link. An error ‘not found’ has occurred.

thank you~

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FWIW, Jarrod Rapson had custom button shaped buttons working in an Appsheet App using GAS about 3 years ago! I could even enter a word describing the image that I wanted to appear on the button, and it would automatically search Google & grab an image for this and it would appear on the button. Guess what my first image choice was? lol