Feedback on Local Storage in Wappler and the New Data Store

So I’m practicing how to use client side data storage. I have some limited programming experience in the past and I’ve used Bubble extensively for the last two years, so the general concepts are familiar to me.

In summary, with Wappler, I am finding the way that data storage has been presented so far is very confusing.

Why I’m Confused

The typical way we experience storing local data is through defining a variable of some kind. In that single definition we will may have the ability to define:

• a name
• a type or structure of the data being stored
• Some sense of how/where it is store and how it may persist
• An initial value
• Quite often a clear definition of whether we are defining one of these things or a list of them (an array)

So we may have some syntax which says:

• define a variable: name window_mode of type text storage in session initial value 'login'.
• define an array: name ordered_products of type cart_item storage in local no initial value.

What I find confusing in Wappler is that we define these different aspects of a variable or an array in different places - the array/variable definition and the Local/Session Storage element. So far there has been a strange way of connecting the two through the Value Updated attribute.

I also find the whole idea of an array versus a keyed array very confusing too. I believed it to be the case that a keyed array is an array with two fields… until I went through the shopping car example and a keyed array is used with 3 fields… so I’m still not sure what is going on here, but I think it is to do with how easily you can retrieve the data afterwards. It would be great if either all array became keyed ones, or if there was just a box to ticked which says something like “allow more flexible search”.

Having just tried out the new Data Store, I am also finding the reasons why I would use an array versus the Data Store quite confusing, along with the completely different list of actions that can be carried out on each.

The Ideal Scenario From My Perspective

Looking from the outside, it would seem most logical for Wappler to work like this:

• When you define a variable or array, at the same time you select where it is stored (Local, Session, etc)

• A separate element only exists for defining more complex data structures - maybe called the Data Structure element. So for example here you would define a structure such as a cart_item which has fields product_id, product_description, price

• In the “type” field of an array/variable definition you can select any of these complex data structures along with the standard types - so for example the list of types to choose may be text, number, boolean, cart_item

• For array elements, there is consistency in how they are defined - right now a normal array requires an array element, and a Data Store array doesn’t!

• For array elements, there is a consistent list of actions that can be applied.
  (I’m currently feelings a lot of confusion around the actions that can be applied to a Data Store variable and the actions that can be applied to an array!).

• There is just one kind of array element - I really have no idea when it will be best to use a Data Store or an Array without many long hours of experimentation.

• There are no longer elements “Local Storage Manager” and “Session Storage Manager”

In conclusion… as you may well know, there is a saying about product design: "Don’t make me think! (so make everything obvious)… and at the moment I find I am having to think too much!

Feedback on Using Data Store

Structure Being Lost
I keep finding I go and do something outside of the Data Store schema and then the schema has disappeared. Once it was when I duplicated the Data Store, and once when I went to change the id of the page’s body (in code view). I’m short of time to re-produce these scenarios at the moment but will submit a bug report if I can.

Field Names and Underscore Error
I defined fields as “product_id” and “product” and they both appeared just as “Product” in the Add Record box.

Naming of The Element
I find the name “Data Store” rather confusing as it implies to me it is the place my data resides. This isn’t the case - the data reside in local storage (and soon to be session storage). It also implied to me that I would define all my local data storage items in this one element, which isn’t a good way to work.

As it looks to me, this new element is for defining a local storage method that will be accessed in a similar way to data from the database. So each Data Store element is like defining a database table. Data is then added and removed from the table through the “Add Record, Delete Record, etc” actions. So you would have one Data Store element for your Cart Items and a different one for your Shipping Addresses.

In Conclusion

I hope this feedback is useful and can be taken as ideas for ways forward with client side storage to make Wappler as easy to use as possible!

Best wishes,
Antony.