Democratizing Application Development with AppSheet

Book excerpt: A hands-on guide to building sophisticated business applications and automation using AppSheet to deliver business results quickly without writing lines of code Key FeaturesLearn how the AppSheet Editor works to configure, test, and deploy a business app without writing lines of codeGet hands-on experience with AppSheet by building a real-world application throughout the bookExplore useful tips and tricks to develop custom functionalities in the app to meet unique business needsBook Description Many citizen developers regularly use spreadsheets in their business and day-to-day jobs. With AppSheet, you can take your spreadsheets to the next level by enhancing their ease of use. The platform allows you to run your business efficiently and manage it in the field outside of an office or indoor environment. This book enables you to create your own simple or medium to complex hybrid apps for business or personal use. As a beginner to AppSheet, this book will show you how the AppSheet Editor works and how it is used to configure, test, and deploy an app and share it with others as users or co-authors. You'll learn about widely used features such as how to use data sources, create app views and actions, construct expressions with AppSheet functions, and make your app secure through security and UX options. Next, you'll create email/attachment templates and develop reports/documents based on templates, store in the cloud, and send files through emails. You'll also understand how to integrate third-party services and monitor various usage statistics of your app. As you progress, you'll explore various features with the help of sample apps that you create using the book. By the end of this book, you'll have learned how to make the most of AppSheet to build powerful and efficient applications. What you will learnDiscover how the AppSheet app is presented for app usersExplore the different views you can use and how to format your data with colors and iconsUnderstand AppSheet functions such as yes/no, text, math, list, date and time and build expressions with those functionsExplore different actions such as data change, app navigation, external communication, and CSV import/exportAdd/delete and define editing permissions and learn to broadcast notifications and inform users of changesBuild a bot through the AppSheet Automation feature to automate various business workflowsWho this book is for This book is for beginner and intermediate-level citizen application developers in small or medium size businesses and business users who want to develop their own apps. Basic knowledge of Google Sheets or Excel and an understanding of different spreadsheet formulas are required. Knowledge of SQL and basic software development will be beneficial but not necessary.