My View on Xavvi – What LiveCoders Need to Know

Over the last few weeks we have produced some rather fancy-looking videos showing off the incredible things that Xavvi will be able to do. We’ve also sent a bunch of emails and held a few Q&As. This afternoon at 16.00 pm whilst having my last coffee of the day, I felt that not everyone has fully grasped everything that Xavvi is and intends to be. I came to that conclusion after reading a few forum posts and hearing the questions that have been coming in on the live Q&As, So I’ve opened up a Google doc and I am bringing it to you, straight up!

I’d like to start by clarifying that this blog post is intended for people already using the LiveCode development tool, looking at Xavvi and wondering what it means for them.

AI – its not everything

I’d like to start out with AI. It’s a massive part of Xavvi’s future. Still, I think there is a misconception out there that Xavvi is some kind of cut-down simplified version of LiveCode where all customisation and flexibility are taken away. You simply type in what you want and press go. This is not the case. Let me try to explain…

Xavvi is something that has been in the works for a long time, long before AI burst into our lives. If AI disappeared tomorrow Xavvi would still be one of the best options out there for creating powerful apps and it would still be labelled as a no-code tool. I’m going to bring AI back into the conversation a little bit further down in this blog post, but for the moment let’s put it to one side whilst I attempt to make my point. 

Why Xavvi Exists

Let me talk about why Xavvi exists. I think if we all understand that then we may start to understand a little bit better what Xavvi is and why all LiveCoders should take notice. LiveCode is an incredible platform with an incredible programming language. Over the years we’ve seen users really learn to love the LiveCode language – many could not imagine building software in anything else. Once you are hooked, you are hooked. For us as a company, this sounds like an incredible thing to have. A product that hooks people in and for those people to be loyal and stay hooked for many years! So what’s the problem? Why on earth are you off building another tool? Here is what it comes down to: not enough people get as far as everyone reading this blog post has for it to be an exciting business. In LiveCode, as it stands today it takes too long for a new user to understand the benefits of using the platform and they are not willing to commit 6 months in order to reach that “aha!” moment. Maybe some years ago that was ok, but expectations have changed. Users have to learn the language far too early in their journey in order to do anything and the vast majority of users are not willing to do that. In today’s market, there are a variety of options where these users can build incredible things with very little friction. What they don’t realise is they are pushing that friction down the road by using other tools where they won’t be able to finish their app when they need something not included in the toolset, or they will have to spend a couple of years learning the JavaScript basics. But this is what they are doing. People need success quickly to stick around with a tool and LiveCode as it stands makes this too challenging.

So we have probably the world’s easiest programming language, but probably one of the more challenging experiences for new users. So why not just fix the experience and make LiveCode better? The secret is… that is almost exactly what we are doing…

It’s all about the user

We’re creating a new user interface with a user experience at the heart of everything. This involves reworking and adding new widgets, which has required a meticulous process to ensure they function as needed without jumping through hoops. We’re also reviewing each widget to ensure users can achieve their desired outcome by simply adjusting the widget properties. This is huge for new users but also a game changer for you guys who are used to using LiveCode. Right now we make it far too difficult for you to build a table or even simple fields with email validation. We’re fixing that. We are improving all panels such as the Property Inspector, Message Box, Project Browser, and Script Editor. We’re also streamlining the process of creating a backend and setting up a cloud database with a point-and-click interface. Once you have your data, interacting with it in the UI is as easy as setting a couple of properties with Data Binding. We’ve introduced actions that allow you to perform simple and complex tasks without having to write code. You can simply select the action and we’ll write the code for you, but if you prefer to code yourself, you’re welcome to do so. We’re also addressing any quirky behaviour that has accumulated over the years and streamlining any processes that feel unnecessarily complicated. By doing all of this, our users can make significant progress in their app development journey without having to write a single line of code. However, if and when they need or want to write code, they are motivated to do so given their progress thus far. We are minimizing friction at every step of the way.

So… why Xavvi, not LiveCode Super Plus?

So why are you not just doing the above and putting it into LiveCode? Good question, one you should be asking and one we thought long and hard about. 

Firstly, no-code is the market that (with the above changes), our tool has everything it takes to be a major player in. With a name such as LiveCode, it’s pretty confusing to label this as a no-code tool! Secondly, the new experience that users expect in today’s market is a web-based one. We need to take that new improved experience and make it run perfectly on the web, so users don’t have to download a thing. This has become an expectation and we need to move forward with that. Lastly, the new improved experience is a cloud-based one that requires a completely different pricing structure which is more in line with tools like this. We wanted to make this a choice for LiveCode users and not a requirement so it needed to be something new. It’s for those reasons that Xavvi and the LiveCode desktop tool must be separate. 

No Limits

If you are looking closely you might now be realising that Xavvi is a better version of LiveCode that is designed for today’s market. One thing that I think all LiveCoders need to understand is that you can do everything you currently do in LiveCode in Xavvi. Just like LiveCode, Xavvi has no limits, it is not a watered-down version. It is the experience we have always wanted to deliver. It will make experienced LiveCoders work easier and it will provide an experience to new users that will stop them from making the mistake of going to other tools! 

It’s still all about LiveCode

Why are users switching to other tools? Earlier in this blog post, I mentioned that they do so because they don’t achieve early success with LiveCode, and other tools offer a polished and sophisticated experience that allows them to create incredible things quickly. The biggest friction point for LiveCode users is having to learn the language at the beginning of their journey. However, with other no-code tools, users may be left making the attempt to customize their project with languages like JavaScript or Dart which can be daunting. Xavvi sets itself apart by making the LiveCode language the key differentiator. Once users gain momentum and make progress in their app development journey, they can extend their app using the LiveCode language, which is, in my opinion, the easiest language bar none to learn and use.

So I hope by now you are seeing the power of Xavvi both for new users and more importantly for you. I also hope you are seeing that even without AI this product is incredibly exciting.

What about AI then?

Now let’s add AI into the mix! We have approached AI very carefully, we didn’t want to do anything that was a gimmick. We want to use technology in a way that makes the experience for our users better. So instead of having to design a UI yourself, you can ask the AI to have a go for you. You can code everything from scratch, you can use our point-and-click Actions, or you can just tell our AI what you want to happen when a specific event happens and it will do it for you. You can copy a bit of code in from the forums and hope it works and does what you need, or you can ask the AI what that bit of code actually does and have it comment the code correctly in your app. You can use the message box exactly as you do right now in LiveCode, or you can use the AI to ask it to translate all your labels to Spanish or add a button in the bottom right of your app. You can look up the dictionary to find the exact syntax you need, or you can have a guess and you might get it right, but if you don’t just let the AI suggest the correct syntax for you. You can ask the AI how to do something and it will tell you. You can even ask the AI to tidy up and refactor your code. AI is huge for Xavvi, it’s there to help you. If you don’t need that help you will find a million things in Xavvi that make your life better. Even if you have 20 years of LiveCode experience you will still want to write ALL your LCS in the Xavvi script editor.

What does no-code mean for LiveCoders?

One last thing I want to touch on is no-code. Xavvi is a no-code tool, but if you know LiveCode and you like to code, why would you want a no-code tool? The answer to this question is Xavvi is a no-code but without limits. 

Our goal with Xavvi is to remove the need to write code where possible. In some cases that will be 100% no-code and in others, it may be 60/70/80% no-code. Xavvi will offer the same level of no-code experience as its main competitors in the sense that you can build a beautiful UI, bind it to data and use actions to control what your app does. The more widgets we add, the more API connectors we add and the more actions we add the more apps can be built without writing a single line of code. When the user needs to do something that is not covered by the no-code side of the tool, we are not putting you into JavaScript or Python or Dart or saying you can’t go any further, we are putting you into the LiveCode language where along the way we have been adding clean English script each time an action is added, giving you the opportunity to learn and understand. We are adding all sorts of AI support when writing a script to give you the best chance to learn the language and succeed with it. 

In my opinion, once we have Xavvi – and we do need Xavvi to get here – it is the LiveCode language that makes this the best no-code app-building offering that exists. No-code is a massive market opportunity where Xavvi can thrive. We will be working very hard on our messaging so that people fully understand the pitfalls they will face when picking any other no-code tool. What I would say here is don’t let the no-code label put you off, it is there to help you. Even if it handles just 50% of your workflow then you are winning. To the purists out there, do you ever forget a property name when typing a script? You’ll want to use the Xavvi Script Editor for all your LCS even if you’re running it inside the classic IDE.

Support us

I said I would be straight up and I will. LiveCode needs Xavvi. I hope I’ve maybe made many of you realise that you need Xavvi too. If you want to see LiveCode and Xavvi succeed then this is the direction we need to take. Please support the campaign today. If there are any parts that I have not made crystal clear please post in the comments below.