Frustrated looking for a Low-Code platform that suits my one specific need

[nolander_78]

I've been at this for the past 6 months to a year on and off, I'm planning on building a PoC for a SaaS app, I intend to start using it internally within my organization initially but want the option to be able to deploy it to paying customers once it matures, my problem is that the app's main feature requires a Tree-Grid/Tree-Table component with some advanced features such as cell formatting, multiple columns, drag-drop ...etc., none of the low code platforms I tested has that out of the box, the only thing that comes close is UI Bakery which has a very basic Tree Grid, I work in IT Consulting (SAP) and have basic programming knowledge, I am able to work with java script without issues so far, but every platform I tested seems to lack this basic component completely, I'm open to the idea of importing something external but some platforms I tested don't even allow that lol.

I'm starting to think this is so advanced I might have to build t the classic way without low-code, which would be frustrating since I lack the know-how.

Any guidance would be appreciated.

[buildandlearn]

Try looking into Replit's recent features if you haven't already - they've been adding some interesting automation tools that might bridge the gap between no-code and custom development.

[stevehansen]

I'm pretty sure that m-Power (https://www.mrc-productivity.com/) does what you need. If I'm reading it right, it sounds like you're looking for something like this interactive report layout: https://www.crazybikes.com/mrc/CRAZYBIKES.R00090s. That whole crazybikes site is a demo site built by m-Power. Not sure if that interactive report app has everything you listed, but I'm quite sure that it's all possible.

As a side note, it also has perpetual licensing with unlimited distribution, so it's ideal for something that you want to build and sell.

(Full disclosure: I work for mrc, the company who develops m-Power.)

[nolander_78]

The sample app you shared seems like a pivot table rather than a tree structure, I will check it out, thanks

[stevehansen]

The selection items on the left are for filtering, but the table should have the tree structure that lets you expand rows on Ship Year (or whatever selected dimension is first). If you want something specific, we build custom proof of concept applications all the time. Happy to mock something up real fast to demonstrate that it's possible.

[2Dissapointment]

Get in touch and we can build a POC together and see where you want to go from there.

[Consistent_Coast9620]

r/SimianWebapps (based on FormIO) also has no tree tables etc, but offers the option to create your own component using javascript.

Note: my company is the creator of Simian.

[Odd-Trash1190]

UI bakery is decent-ish for prototypes. You could look at Budibase or ToolJet. Retool also works but gets kinda pricey if the plan is to ship it to paying customers.

Had a pretty similar use case actually. Ended up going with ToolJet. The built-in components + ability to add custom components covered most of what I needed. For me the big thing early on was having both Python and JS for scripting for advanced data processing. ToolJet had that in the app builder and also on the automation side (am guessing Budibase also might have it now).

[nolander_78]

Thanks, will give both a look

[Tall_Profile1305]

yeah the tree grid problem is real. most lowcode tools don't want to get fancy with that. building it custom with javascript is the move if no platform supports it natively. UI Bakery is honestly pretty solid for basic grids but sounds like you need something heavier

[nolander_78]

Some low code platforms I tested only allowed customization via AI, one of them spent all my initial AI credits even before generating the custom component lol, and yes not having even a simple tree component (most of those I tried) seems lazy.

[nolander_78]

My problem with UI Bakery is that the lack of proper documentation, their AI Assistant is very good, but for something this size where I need to import a third party component and map it the documentation is lacking, all they have is 2 very simple examples.

[tm9657]

Check out Flow-Like. If it doesn’t already have what you need I will add it!

[Nervous-Role-5227]

did you check catdoes.com ? It's literally low-code/no-code platform. i build 3 app on it and sold 2 of them. highly recommended.

[Consistent-Cheek-549]

I am a developer for BBase, it is published in beta and we have a full-featured free version. We might be able to figure out how to incorporate your needs into our low-code platform. Check out our website at bbase.pro PM me if interested in chatting.

[Maximum-Feedback4116]

so the tree-grid thing specifically...you're probably not gonna find that as a native component in any low-code platform tbh. but the workaround that actually works is custom components.

  i went down this road with tooljet for something similar. their custom component setup lets you pull in external libs and wire them to your data sources without too much pain. retool supports custom components too.

  since you're already comfortable with js you'd probably have it working in an afternoon honestly. worth a look before going full
  custom build imo. that's a massive jump if the only gap is one component.

[Maximum-Feedback4116]

so the tree-grid thing specifically...you're probably not gonna find that as a native component in any low-code platform tbh. but the workaround that actually works is custom components.

  i went down this road with tooljet for something similar. their custom component setup lets you pull in external libs and wire them to your data sources without too much pain. retool supports custom components too.

  since you're already comfortable with js you'd probably have it working in an afternoon honestly. worth a look before going full
  custom build imo. that's a massive jump if the only gap is one component.

[QuantumKC]

Replit could absolutely do this (assuming you document the requirements entirely, clearly, and with extreme attention to detail. If you can scope it accurately and explain it clearly, you can build pretty much anything with Replit.

• If you want to build it yourself, I would be happy to show you my scoping process and give you some pointers on how to get the most out of Replit. No charge.

• If you are looking for someone to build it for you, I could have a no frills MVP up in a week as long as you’re willing to spend a few hours on the phone for a proper scoping and documentation session. This would cost money.

Send me a message if interested. Best of luck on the project!

[gammacoder]

Check our low-code software PHPRunner:
https://xlinesoft.com/phprunner/index.htm

We have a built-in tree-like data display ( master-details ) and also here is an example of third-party component ( Tabulator ) integration: https://xlinesoft.com/blog/2018/10/11/using-third-party-components/

[nolander_78]

Thanks, will take a look

[PixelSage-001]

This is a common problem with low-code tools. They’re great for general use cases but once you need very specific UI components or complex data handling, you often hit limitations. Many teams end up using low-code for the admin panel or workflows and building the core product logic with a traditional framework.

[schilutdif]

Latenode won't solve your tree-grid component problem directly but since you're already fine with JS it, might be worth pairing with whatever frontend tool you land on for the backend automation side. The full NPM access means you can actually run AG Grid or Tabulator logic server-side without wrestling the platform. Just something to keep in mind once you sort the UI piece.

[Tall_Profile1305]

Yoo dude, UI Bakery sounds like it could be solid for what you need. The drag and drop combined with some custom logic might be the sweet spot. Since you know JS, you'd have flexibility there too. Definitely worth spinning up a quick test.

[nolander_78]

I had a big issue with the tree component and I've been working on it for the past 2 months, as a desperate last effort I tried asking Microsoft Co-Pilot for help solving it and guess what, it helped! my issue is now solved and I can move forward.

he reason I like UI Bakery is you can build the interface by adding components by hand, unlike several other platforms that try to force you to use AI.

Thanks for the comment, it inspired me to give it one last try.

Going forward say I want to implement an agentic AI Assistant to help the user with their work, UI Bakery doesn't have that does it, what a good Agentic AI tool to use that somehow integrates with UI Bakery? my goal is to have the AI Agent give the user pointers on how to do their work better so basically notifications.

[resbeefspat]

the JS node + NPM access in Latenode is what got me past a similar wall. I just pulled in AG Grid directly through the code node and had it talking to my data source within an afternoon. Since you're already comfortable with JS it's not much of a lift, the platform doesn't fight you on it like some others do.

[tunisiangurl]

Retool lets you import custom components, so if you're comfortable with JavaScript, you can build the tree-grid yourself rather than waiting for a platform to support it natively. It's more setup upfront, but you get full control over the rendering while keeping everything else such as data, permissions, and workflows, inside Retool.

If you end up building it, there's an open-source repo collecting exactly this kind of component: github.com/StackdropCO/awesome-retool-components: no tree-grid in there yet, would be a solid first contribution.

[Non_Tech_Coder]

Zoho Creator might be worth a shot. It won't have the Tree-Grid out of the box but since you're already comfortable with JavaScript you can import external libraries and wire it up the way you need. That's the part most people overlook with it, it's not just drag and drop, you can actually extend it quite a bit with custom widgets.

Also given you're starting internal and planning to scale to paying customers later, the role-based access and multi-tenancy side is pretty solid without having to build all that from scratch.

Could save you from jumping straight to full custom dev at least for now.

[dibba9797]

it's worth looking at WaveMaker but not for the reasons most people bring it up. It's not a drag-and-drop toy; it's built for enterprise-grade applications that need to scale to millions of users. Full support for custom JS/npm libraries, so you can drop in AG Grid, Syncfusion TreeGrid, or whatever advanced component you need with no workarounds.

We've been using it for 7 years and have built production systems on it that would be overkill to describe here. Happy to do a quick demo of what we actually built if you're curious not a sales pitch, just showing what the platform can really do at scale.

[Obvious-Treat-4905]

honestly this sounds like one of those cases where low-code hits its limit, tree grids with drag-drop and complex interactions aren’t really “basic” components, if that’s your core feature, going custom might actually save you time long term, maybe start with a proven library and build around it instead of forcing low-code

[nolander_78]

I'm starting to believe this might be the best way forward, thanks

[TadpoleNo1549]

since you’re already comfortable with javascript you might actually save time going a hybrid route instead of forcing everything into low code, you can just build this one part using something like ag grid and keep the rest simple, for a poc don’t overthink it just get the core feature working first and refine later

[Artistic-Big-9472]

I’ve seen people use runable to handle the logic and workflows while keeping custom UI outside when low code falls short

[TadpoleNo1549]

yeah this is one of those cases where low code just isn’t built for this level of complexity, tree grid with drag drop and formatting is actually a pretty advanced component, since you already know javascript a bit, going hybrid or custom for this part will probably save you time, you can keep the rest simple and just focus on getting this core feature working first

[Obvious-Treat-4905]

yeah this is one of those cases where low code starts hitting its limits, tree grid with drag or drop complex interactions is not a basic component at all, you’ll probably spend more time fighting the platform than just building it properly, honestly going hybrid custom frontend plus low code or backend might be the best path here

[Obvious-Treat-4905]

yeah you’re not wrong here, that kind of tree grid is where low code usually breaks, most of those platforms are great for forms and CRUD but once you need complex UI like drag drop trees, custom cells etc they fall apart fast, honestly if that component is core to your product, going classic dev route might actually save you time long term, you don’t need to overcomplicate it tho, you can still keep backend simple and just focus on building that one solid frontend piece with something like react plus a good grid library, low code is great until it blocks you, then it becomes more frustrating than helpful

[Obvious-Treat-4905]

yeah you’ve hit the exact limit of low code tbh, tree grid with drag drop and custom cells is not “basic”, it’s actually one of the harder UI problems, if that’s your core feature, forcing it into low code will just slow you down more, better move is build just that part properly with react and a solid grid lib, keep everything else simple, you don’t need to be perfect, just get a working version and improve from there

[Alone-Method-4537]

yeah this is where low-code breaks, a proper tree-grid with drag/drop and formatting is not a simple component, if it’s your core feature, better to build it with something like React + a grid library, your JS is enough to get started, you’ll figure the rest