Fflow

Overview:

fflow is a free, open-source developer tool designed to streamline the process of creating React applications. It aims to eliminate the excessive boilerplate code and time required to get a React application started. fflow offers a simple drag and drop UI and combines the most compelling features of Create React App, React ES6 snippets, and a user-friendly experience. This alpha version of fflow is available for download and the developers are looking for feedback from users.

Features:

• Drag, Drop, Reorder and Delete HTML Tags: Users can easily drag and drop HTML tags onto the canvas, reorder them as needed, and delete unwanted tags.
• Create Custom React Components: fflow allows users to create custom React components within the tool.
• Light and Dark Theme: The interface of fflow can be customized based on the user’s OS preferences or toggled manually between light and dark themes.
• Delete Project and Clear Canvas: Users have the option to delete a project and start from scratch by clearing the canvas.
• Live Preview in Code Editor: The code editor in fflow provides a live preview of the React application as the code is being written.
• Interactable CSS Code Editor: Users can directly edit CSS code within the fflow app.
• Easily Switch Between Files: fflow provides a file tree view and on-canvas navigation to easily switch between different files within the application.
• Easy Redirect to App.jsx: Clicking on the fflow icon allows users to quickly redirect to the App.jsx file.
• Export App with Preconfigured Webpack: fflow enables users to export the React application with preconfigured and versatile webpack settings.
• In-Built Terminal: fflow includes an in-built terminal that initializes an instance of the exported app without leaving the fflow environment.
• Accessibility Features: fflow includes accessibility features such as canvas item highlighting when an HTML tag or component is selected.

Installation:

To install fflow, follow these steps based on the desired mode:

Production Mode:

• Download the latest release of fflow for MacOS or Windows (Linux version coming soon).
• For Mac users, open the dmg file and drag fflow into the Applications folder. Then, CTL + Click the fflow icon and choose “Open” from the context menu.
• For Windows users, run the fflow setup 1.0.0.exe file to install the application.

Development Mode:

• Clone the fflow repository using the command: git clone https://github.com/oslabs-beta/fflow
• Install the dependencies by running: npm install
• For Mac users, run ./node_modules/.bin/electron-rebuild in your terminal. For Windows users, run .\node_modules\.bin\electron-rebuild.cmd.
• Start the development mode by running: npm run start

Summary:

fflow is a developer tool aimed at simplifying and accelerating the process of creating React applications. With its drag and drop UI, users can easily create and manipulate HTML tags and custom React components. The tool provides features like live preview, interactable CSS code editor, and accessibility options. fflow can be installed in both production and development modes, offering flexibility to developers. This alpha version of fflow is free and open-source, and the developers are actively seeking user feedback for further improvements.