Introducing CloudTables
I'm delighted to introduce our third major product to you - CloudTables. CloudTables joins our existing DataTables and Editor products, building upon the foundations laid by both, making CRUD development easier than ever.
Over the dozen years that we have been developing DataTables and the eight years of Editor development, we've gained a deep understanding of how our library software is used and how that use has evolved over time. The key takeaway we have is that library software should save developers time, so you can focus on other things - be it growing your business or adding new features. As library authors, that is what our software is, and has to be, all about.
To that end, we've created CloudTables. It can be thought of as Editor's Generator on steroids, providing a web interface to let you define data sets (effectively database tables). Where it differs from Generator is that the configuration is retained so you can modify it in future, but also rather than downloading the created code, the database and code is hosted for you, letting you embed the dynamic data set into your application with a single <script> tag. This includes features such as live updating of data, audit logs and of course a configurable DataTable.
In the following video, I give an overview of CloudTables:
Getting started
Keen to give CloudTables a go? We're keen for you to do so as well! We've created the following video, with Colin introducing the basics of getting started with CloudTables:
Additional videos are also available, covering how to use CloudTables, and we'll be adding more in the future, including tutorials on using our API libraries to let you securely embed data sets into your pages.
Relationship to DataTables and Editor
Having using our existing software, your first question might be: "What does the future hold for DataTables and Editor?" In short it means continued development! As noted above, CloudTables builds upon DataTables and Editor - it actually uses our existing software. A version of DataTables 2 (development of which continues) is used, while the Editor used tracks the main releases. As new features are added for CloudTables, they will also be available in our existing software. Likewise, as new features are added to DataTables and Editor, CloudTables will also be able to benefit.
We do not see CloudTables as a direct competitor to Editor - rather it is a complimentary tool for developers who which to rapidly create CRUD tables, without needing to worry about infrastructure, features and maintenance. There will always be things Editor can do which CloudTables cannot, since you can write your own code against it, but CloudTables abilities will cover the majority of use cases, and as it develops its capabilities will grow.
Coming soon
You might have noticed the Beta tag on the CloudTables logo. While CloudTables is ready for use and its basic feature set is complete, there is much more we plan to add before a general release of CloudTables. This includes:
- WordPress plug-in (coming very soon!)
- File upload options
- More table filtering options (including SearchPanes and a new advanced search builder)
- Multi-user account support
- And more!
CloudTables is free to use during beta, and will be commercial software on general release (i.e. it will carry a price tag). We'll also be looking to offer a self-hosted version in future. Pricing plans are yet to be defined.
Feedback
While we have a lot of domain expertise in this area, CloudTables is a new product class for us, and we would warmly welcome any feedback you have - suggestions for improvements, or even just what you like / don't like about it. Please send feedback using this form or the Support option inside your CloudTables application.
We hope you enjoy using our latest offering!