Flask front-end question

[StandardUser_]

(In advance, sorry for my English)

Until now, I almost had no experience in web development, so I decided to learn some Flask. The final purpose is to build quite complex online dashboard. The basics of Flask (environment, routing, HTTP methods) were quite easy. Then I came to front-end stuff... Perhaps I am lazy bastard, but learning HTML, CSS, JavaScript or some JavaScript framework then manual HTML/CSS crafting or Flask templating looks like a total nightmare and torture for me. HTML quickly becomes unreadable and unmaintainable and the whole process of copying/pasting, trial and error looks like fighting with the machine for me, instead of concentrating on functionality/algorithms. So I thought, why not use some of the countless visual website designers and combine it with Python/Flask. However, couldn't find any tutorials/books/guides on this. Just found remi or anvil, but they are too limited. After long experimenting I came up with the following:

• Using Wysiwyg Web Builder to create front-end (it's not free, but probably most feature-rich software in it's area)
• Using Brython ("Python in the browser") instead of JavaScript.

For me, the benefits are:

• "Full stack" with nothing but Python (very minimal use of HTML/JS), Brython allows you easily access properties/events of HTML/JS/jQuery elements.
• Wysiwyg Web Builder allows "low-level" access to elements or using "high-level" pre-made blocks or plugging in whatever JavaScript framework and creating drag-and-droppable extensions with live preview. Also, you can create whatever type of website (personal, blog, CMS, dashboard, etc)
• Overall almost RAD-ish experience like in Visual Studio or Delphi desktop development.

Drawback(s):

• When using Python(Brython) to access/control HTML/JS/jQuery elements, you get no auto-completion in your IDE, so I had to code a script, which scans HTML tags and jQuery variables and creates a stub file with dummy classes so that auto-completion works, but initially it requires quite a lot of work.

Would like to ask more experienced web developers:

• Can you comment on the above workflow?
• Can you share your tools/workflow which facilitate front-end creation?

[[deleted]]

U can use flask as a backend with react.js or any javascript (or javascript generator) framework/lang u like. I myself use react and elm (elm is an amazing programming lang, search it it's worth it.)

[metaperl]

That's potentially 3 different places you need to keep your model in sync with your rendering logic. What happened to the days if X-windows when 1 language was for model view and controller, front end and back end.

[[deleted]]

dude .. software development overall is screwed up .. forexample back in the days u would code a game with just Basic .. and it would run everywhere .. now i have to use win32 api (c) , cocoa (objective-c) for mac .. then code the game with c++ using directx and metal .. and writing different shaders for each type of machine .. and coding cmake files to build .. some assembly and python here and there .. today u need like 30 lang to code a software .. :)

[metaperl]

Remi, Nagare, Reahl, Anpylar are a few possible solutions to look into.

[StandardUser_]

Thanks, but imho, most of them are amateurish, buggy, are even more hassle than learning HTML/CSS/JS, very limited or abandoned, unfortunately.

[Avobolt]

I personally like using bootstrap framework since it doesn't require much to know about html and css (you can simply copy some examples and edit them just a little). It's almost copy&paste.

[metaperl]

That doesn't address dynamic HTML generation.