I am not sure if this is out there already but I have not been able to find it. I was wondering if there is a time frame for switching everyone to “Next Gen” and turning off “Classic”? Is this the end goal?
I am asking as, for our app, it will take a very very long time to get it ready for the Next Gen architecture especially as there is no CSS or JS yet. We need to plan for this.
With the KTL we have about 40,000 lines of code & 4000 lines of CSS, admittedly this is not minimised, that we will need to rewrite to work with the new architecture which is a little worrying if you are going to turn off Classic in a short space of time.
Hey all,
We do not have a timeline for turning off access to Classic Knack. If that time comes in the distant future, we will be giving you A LOT of notice!
Cheers,
Kara
@Kara , please ask around about the previous experience of switching Knack Builder. It was all-of-a-sudden, and we suffered great pain because of the new builder.
We are now very cautious of developing new apps in Knack.
Yes I second that. The database I have designed is a labor of love, i.e I am not an employee and have no budget to change things. I would strongly urge you to consider running tandem systems.
Next gen from what I have seen is too simplistic and makes massive assumptions as to how a “standard business and it’s systems” operates.
Hundreds of hours of experimentation, workarounds and design “compromises” had to be planned to get us to where we are.
Remembering how everything hangs together would be a drama in itself. Remembering why I did something is as big of a challenge as how I did something.
When your working solo striving to achieve a goal it’s not an ideal programming environment. There is no documentation, design flows, file definitions to be had.
It has taken better part of 3+ years to get it to where it is, part time, and frankly if you shut it down in such a way that were no longer functional, we would have to walk away.
Sorry if this sounds a bit emotional but I speak from years of experience in programming in the 80s and 90s. Changing the basic functionality and/or implementation of a system is fraught with problems.
I’m aware there are currently no plans to deprecate the Classic builder, and I trust the team fully understands how complex legacy apps have become, and just how dependent companies and organisations are on them!
(@NormandDefayette_CortexRD and KTL)
Like many others, I’m a solo builder and have worked with numerous clients over the past nine years. I support many of them on a regular basis and add continue to add new functionality.
One of my ongoing concerns (having lived through the last major overhaul) is the potential for breaking changes, and the effort required to ensure Classic apps work smoothly in Next Gen. I’m fairly certain none of my clients will expect to pay me to address issues caused by such a transition. Equally, I don’t intend to give up my time for free to fix things that were previously working.
As you know, I’ve long been one of Knack’s biggest advocates. But having seen similar changes in the past, I can’t help feeling nervous that at some point we’ll be faced with issues that need attention, and there may be no clear plan for how they’ll be resourced or funded.
I remain optimistic that, in time, we might be able to simply toggle into Next Gen and find everything seamlessly converted. Code intact, pages functioning, workflows preserved, and no hiccups. However, given the platform’s complexity and the sheer variety of bespoke apps in use, I’m not convinced that’s realistic. That said, I’d be very happy to be proved wrong
I couldn’t agree more. After attempting to look at switching a simple backup app there are any number of issues. (I have reported some to Support). We can’t have HTML in a text formula to use as a link as it doesn’t open the page in a modal. I am very surprised to hear that some new users are only able to build in next gen when all features (JS & CSS) are not available.
I have tried to play with the theme builder but it just isn’t good enough to replace CSS it is so simplistic. Without JS, Knack just isn’t in a position that it can accomplish what I & clients need; especially as Knack seem to be removing features which mean we need JS to turn the features back on i.e:
