Get Started with Skuid¶
Note
How to use this Guide
Get Started with Skuid is a beginner’s guide to using Skuid. We suggest you keep this page open in a browser while following the prescribed journey through the linked content drawn from Skuid’s many help topics.
Skuid is a cloud-based, user-experience platform for rapidly creating and optimizing engaging business applications across data repositories and services. With Skuid’s drag-and-drop Composer, anyone (including non-developers) can create powerful applications with beautiful, consumer-grade user interfaces for any device—all in about 90% less time than it would take by traditional programming.
Let’s face it, user feedback and changing business needs are continuous! Skuid gives you the power to quickly iterate your solutions in hours, not weeks or months. That’s because with Skuid you don’t need to write code for business logic or UI. Yet Skuid is also open and extensible for developers who wish to create their own unique extensions.
If your business’s primary system of record is Salesforce.com, we offer |skuid.alt-name|—a managed package you can install directly into your Salesforce environment.
Here’s a Skuid page that integrates data drawn from the Salesforce data source with a custom theme (built without writing CSS) that gives it a unique, branded look and feel.
All of the data on this page can be edited and deleted (according to user permissions).
Working with Skuid¶
How can you use Skuid to build a business application like the one above? Follow these basic steps:
- Connect to data
- Create an app
- Compose pages connected to the app
- Deploy / publish app to the appropriate users.
Connect¶
To access data with Skuid, you must configure a Skuid data source to connect to the data and determine how the data source will authenticate end users.
- Learn about using Skuid pre-configured data source types to connect to a variety of data sources.
- Maintaining secure data is critical, so Skuid offers several different options for authentication.
Note
Data source options may be different if using Skuid SFX.
Compose¶
The Skuid drag-and-drop Composer is where the Skuid page comes together. Use the Composer to develop simple, streamlined processes that ensure users spend less time wrestling with technology, and more time adding value to the business.
First, take the Composer tour, then follow the next three steps to create your first page.
Create a Skuid page [[]]¶
The page is the basic canvas for creating user experiences.
- Click Compose > New Page.
- Name the page, then click Next Step.
- Select Start with a blank page, then click Create Page.
Learn more about different ways to set up Skuid pages.
Use a Skuid model to connect to the data source[[]]¶
Use models to connect the Skuid page to data source objects using the data source. For each model, choose which of the object’s fields to include in the page.
Use components to create a customized user experience [[]]¶
Check out the Component overview to learn about Skuid components, and how they can be used to create a great user experience. Then drag and drop components into the page, arrange them, and use each component’s properties pane to customize it.
Deploy >>>>>>> 7010fc9f7 (Update v1 docs to also use new Composer terminology) ——
An app is a collection of Skuid pages associated with URLs. Start by creating an app:
In the Apps list tab, click Create.
- Give the app a name.
Click Create.
Add Skuid pages to the app¶
The page is the basic canvas for creating user experiences, so now, you need to add some pages to the app. You can do this from the App or the Pages tab.
From the Apps tab [[]]¶
Click the app you created above.
In the App’s detail page, click Create Page.
- Configure the details (name, API version, Page URL Slug).
Click Create.
(The page you create is automatically associated with the app.)
From the Pages tab [[]]¶
- Click Create Page.
- Configure the page (name, API version).
- Click Create.
Note
The page you created must be added to the app using Create Page > Add Existing Page in the Apps tab.
Learn more about different ways to use Skuid pages.
Compose¶
The Skuid drag-and-drop App Composer is where the Skuid page comes together. Use the App Composer to develop simple, streamlined processes that ensure users spend less time wrestling with technology, and more time adding value to the business. To get familiar with this environment, take the App Composer tour.
Customize pages¶
First, use models to connect the Skuid page to data source objects. For each model, choose which of the object’s fields to include in the page. Once the page has data, it’s time to add components.
Check out the Component overview to learn about Skuid components, and how they can be used to create a great user experience. Then, drag and drop components into the page, arrange them, and use each component’s properties pane to customize it.
Deploy/Publish¶
Deploying pages refers to the process of packaging them so they can be moved to another site, for example, transferring pages from a sandbox to a production site.
Note
Skuid’s Salesforce.com managed package can deploy pages on both Salesforce Lightning and Salesforce Classic.
Publishing occurs when pages are made available to end users via app deployment. For more information, see the Deploying apps topic.
Updating Pages¶
It’s easy to make modifications, even after pages have been created and deployed.
- On the Pages tab, find the page you wish to edit.
- Double-click the page, or click Compose from the More Options menu to open the Composer and make revisions.
Warning
Making changes to pages in production while users are using the pages can produce unpredictable results.
Explore Sample Pages¶
If you would like to see some sample Skuid pages—complete with an example data source—check out Skuid Central by clicking the Skuid logo in the upper lefthand corner of your Skuid app.
Click Explore to generate the following sample pages in your Skuid instance:
- Advertisements: Shows how to use Skuid’s Deck component to read, write, and save data to a data source in a single screen. Named SkuidSample_Advertisements in the Skuid Pages list.
- Employees: Illustrates Skuid’s visualization components—Charts and Geocharts—in a human resources page. Named SkuidSample_Employees in the Skuid Pages list.
- Master: Shows a practical use for building a Skuid master page. Named SkuidSample_Master in the Skuid Pages list.
- Products: A sample product page complete with editable visualizations and a Table component that update in real time. Named SkuidSample_Products in the Skuid Pages list.