Review of Wix Code - a new product from wix for developers. Wix rules again: functionality for editing page code and creating a database

Wix stands out from other website builders thanks to its extensive functionality. The developers are constantly improving it and trying to surprise customers. At the end of July 2017, employees introduced the world to a new technology for web developers called Wix Code. With its help, you can make code edits and create databases for pages. Wix is no longer an ordinary website builder intended only for beginners. Nowadays, website creation includes new opportunities for advanced users who want to create unique projects.

Wix Code is not the only application that will help improve and develop commercial projects. In this review we will look at the TOP 10 solutions for business problems.

Wix Bookings

This application was created for online registration for events, meetings, trainings, procedures, consultations and other events. It is suitable for trainers, stylists, coaches, tutors, psychologists, photographers and other professionals who have their own small business.

Possibilities:

Sale of services 24/7. The client will be able to independently familiarize himself with the offered service at any time of the day or night. He will choose a convenient time for the meeting and send you his contact information.
Synchronization with Google Calendar and selection of a specialist. If you are the owner of a fitness club and your clients prefer to sign up with different trainers, then with the help of Wix Bookings you can provide them with this opportunity. The application synchronizes with the Google Calendar of all specialists. Each employee can have an unlimited number of calendars. The manager will be able to control their schedule and working hours.
Ease of settings. A simple interface allows you to set up a booking system in just 3 steps. Information about new applications is sent to your e-mail. You can set the system to remind you of upcoming meetings.
Own CRM system. It stores not only contacts and names of clients, but also their history of interaction with your business: dates of payment, visits, birthdays and other things. You can send emails to clients directly from Wix Bookings.
Linking the payment system to functionality. The service is available in the paid version of Wix Bookings.
Adaptability. You can order services from any device.

Wix Stores

This application is a full-fledged module for organizing sales on the website.

Main features:

Setting up payment acceptance using plastic cards via Paypal, Yandex.Cash, Stripe and other methods.
Sale of physical goods and digital products (files, audio and video materials).
Adding discount coupons.
Setting up delivery methods.
Wide selection of design templates.
Adaptability: it is convenient for the client to browse the store and place an order on any device.
Flexible settings for design customization.
E-mail notifications to the store owner and customers about order payment.

Form Builder 123

Wix allows you to create online forms to fill out. These can be forms for subscribing to newsletters, ordering goods and services, booking tickets and many other purposes.

Main features:

Up to 10 or 30 form fields depending on the selected package (free or premium).
Up to 100 or 1000 form fills depending on package (free/premium).
Sending messages to users after filling out the form: you can send text messages, photos and attached files.
Users will be able to upload photos, videos, audio and other files when filling out the form.
Integration with MailChimp, Dropobox, Google Drive.

With this application, you can post and present information about planned events, send out invitations, accept requests from guests, and sell tickets.

Key features of Wix Events:

Designing the appearance of the announcement, adding significant details: time, address, etc.
Creating a registration form;
Selling tickets using a customized payment acceptance system;
Generating guest lists with the ability to export to an external file;
Automatic sending of reminders by e-mail;
Receiving notifications about each submitted application for participation;
Mobile version of the registration form;
Bright invitation templates;
Formation of a waiting list if there are no available places.

Wix Hotels

This module is designed to organize the work of hotels. With its help, you will provide customers with the opportunity to book seats in advance directly on the website.

Advantages:

Quick installation of a reservation system on the website;
Possibility to set different prices for different seasons;
The ability to offer clients the order of additional services, for example, food delivery or cleaning;
Clients will be able to book a room from a PC, tablet or smartphone;
Posting information about the hotel on TripAdvisor;
Support 10 languages;
Accepting payments by plastic cards;
Manage orders using a mobile application.

Sell Tickets

Another application for selling tickets. It is not free: the trial period is 7 days, after which you will need to pay for the premium version.

Main functionality:

Ticket order form;
Setting up payment acceptance;
A single panel for editing orders, tickets, guest information, etc.;
Ticket sales statistics with information about where buyers are coming from;
Printing guest lists.

Currency Converter

So that a site visitor can imagine how much a product or service costs in terms of the currency of his country, you can install a currency converter on the site. This module supports more than 100 currencies and provides current rates. There is a premium and a basic free package with limited features. By default, the converter is in English, but you can request a translation into any other language.

Possibilities:

Instant conversion of more than 100 currencies;
Select the background color and text of the converter.

Calculator Builder

Using this tool, you can build a calculator that will calculate what you need: the cost of services, loan size, etc. The application offers many formulas with which you can build any calculator. There are also 7 ready-made templates for calculating body mass index, mortgage loan, car loan, etc. The widget can be customized and adjusted to the site design.

Simple Google Maps

Using this tool, you can show the geolocation of offices, offline stores or any other points on Google Maps. The free version has a limited set of marker icons and the ability to create footnotes with content that will be visible when you click on the marker. The premium version adds 100 more markers to the set, as well as:

Bulk import of locations from spreadsheets and other maps besides Google Maps;
Ability to place multiple markers on one map;
Search bar;
Ability to create custom icons.

Google Maps

Google Maps is an application developed by the Wix team. It has a minimum of functions, but is absolutely free. With it, you can add the company's address, location on the map and description.

Summarize

Wix is not just a website builder. In terms of functionality, it is close to a cloud CMS with the ability to:

code edits;
CRM system management;
accepting online payments, reservation requests;
inserting forms and other widgets;
integration with mailing list services;
product and discount management.

These and many other business functions are available in the App Market.

Hello, dear readers of the blog site. Today's post will be useful to everyone who has wondered how to create their own website. If twenty years ago someone said that from a phone it would be possible not only to make calls, but also to take photographs, watch movies and listen to music on it, then many would have twirled their finger at their temple.

Now they say that creating websites in the builder includes the ability for the user to edit the code. I had already put my finger to my temple, but then I noticed that the author of the “remake” was Wix. You can expect everything from this, so you better check it out!

Focused on the main thing

The main disadvantage of any website builder is generally recognized as the lack of “exit” to the code. But if you “neutralize” this problem, then Wix will turn into a cloud CMS. Or has it already transformed?

The new tool is called Wix Code. How successful its implementation is, we will see from our own experience: we’ll climb, we’ll talk about what and how! In the meantime, a brief overview of what the new tool can do:

Not available to everyone yet

At the time of writing, the design team continued beta testing of Wix Code. That is, for now the new functionality is available only to a limited number of platform users.

I thought that I wouldn’t get through, or that it would take five days. To take part in testing Wix Code, you need to go to the landing page dedicated to the launch of the tool. After that, click on the “Apply for Beta” link.

Fill out the form to participate in the “test rides”. In it, indicate your name, website address, and company name. And also the type of your activity and who told you about the launch of Wix Code: social network, media or other source.

Well, I think everything will fail! I'm stuck in the process of reviewing my application. They will “spin” it for five or six days, no less. But to clear my conscience, I still filled out the form and went to drown my “grief” with another cup of tea.

While I was pouring in, a letter was sent to the specified email informing me that I was enrolled in the Wix Code “testers” team. To celebrate, I even managed to burn myself and choke on my tea :)

Let's start!

I have no choice but to start testing the new tool, and using the language “burnt” from reviews of other designers to tell you about the intricacies of the Wix Code implementation.

In the web page editor window, select “Tools” from the top menu. Expand your toolset by activating the Developer Tools option.

*click on the picture to open it full size in a new window

After this, the editor interface will change. It will contain previously unavailable tools that will have miraculous (for a website builder) properties.

Check out the new wonders of Wix

The new functionality is located in three items in the side menu. The main component, the code editor, is located in a separate frame at the bottom of the work area. Let's take a look at each innovation separately.

*click on the picture to open it full size in a new window

JavaScript code editor– allows you to bind an event to a specific element of a page or site. To do this, just select the desired design structure and select “View Properties” in the right-click menu.

*click on the picture to open it full size in a new window
In the “Events” panel, select an event, go to the code editor and click in the desired place. After which the handler will be automatically added to the general script.

*click on the picture to open it full size in a new window
Adding External Scripts– through the “Public” section, the user can create external scripts and place them in separate folders. To do this, click on the “Add new file” link.
Then specify the name of the script file and you can start writing program code in a specialized editor with highlighting and syntax validation.

*click on the picture to open it full size in a new window
A developer console is also implemented for debugging and testing code. It is available in preview mode.

*click on the picture to open it full size in a new window
Creating Modules– web modules are the main means by which a Wix user can implement the integration of their code, interaction with other scripts and their execution in the front-end of the site. The tool for creating modules is located in the “Backend” section.

*click on the picture to open it full size in a new window
The model for constructing web modules and working with them is described in more detail in the relevant sections of the designer’s help.
Database Collections– this is one of the most “bewitching” moments of the entire review. Just think: a full-fledged database in a website builder!
To create a database, go to the “Collection” menu section.
Scheme of working with databases in Wix Code.
First we set the name of the collection.
Then select a database template.
We create, fill out the table and configure access to the data it contains.

*click on the picture to open it full size in a new window
After this, we bind the collection to the desired element on the page and display information from the database.

*click on the picture to open it full size in a new window
In the new (testing) version of the Wix editor, after clicking on any of the page design elements, a stack icon appears. Clicking on it allows you to connect any of the collections created by the user.

*click on the picture to open it full size in a new window

Finger to the side!

Everything is possible! It's Wix! So I remove my finger - there is no reason to twist it at my temple! Wix Code rules, although not for everyone yet. But judging by the fact that technical documentation on the new functionality has already been prepared, every user of the designer will soon be able to use it. More precisely, already a cloud CMS :)

Good luck to you! See you soon on the pages of the blog site

Interface

The Wix website looks nice. You can see this for yourself.

When you scroll down the site, a window appears with categories that can be used to create a site. By hovering your cursor over any of them, you will see subcategories.

Below you can read about the benefits of using the platform. The header and footer contain sections: designer, company, support, community and others.

This is what the service admin panel looks like:

To proceed to editing the site, you need to click the Editor button. A minimum of information, but everything is clear and accessible.

Step-by-step instruction

To register in the service, click on the Create website button. Registration is simple. Just enter your email address.

We get to the site control panel.

The control panel consists of the following items: quick actions, site settings, domains and mail, App Market, my applications.

Click on the button What site do you want? Let's select the Business site.

Now we have to choose one of the business theme templates. So far everything is clear.

Pay attention to the subcategories: consulting and coaching, maintenance and repair, marketing and advertising, cars, real estate, finance and law, applications and technology, animals.

Select a recruitment agency website template and click on the Editor button.

Let's start editing the site on the Wix platform.

Place the cursor over the image and select it. A context menu appears. Let's click Replace photo.

You can choose an image from the Wix collection, add a photo from social networks, your own image, or a Bigstock photo.

We'll upload our own photo and click Ready.

We have replaced the photo. Now you need to edit the text. To do this, move the cursor in the same way, and then left-click on the text area.

Click Edit text. Change the parameters: color, font size.

To change the text, you need, as in Word, to cross out the old one and type a new one.

As you can see, you can change the appearance of the menu. Let's choose a slightly different appearance for the menu. To do this, put a tick in front of it.

Let's save our site just in case. There is an icon to the left of the Preview button for this purpose.

Wix invites us to decide on a domain: will we use our own or use a Wix subdomain. It’s very nice that the choice is present even on the free platform.

But we're not done with editing yet. To do this, let's go back to the editor tab.

To go to another page, you need to highlight the menu and press Navigation.

Let's select a page About Us. Here you can add a new page.

This is such a nice page we have.

Something is missing. Too empty. Click on the plus sign in the left menu of the site.

You can see in the screenshot that you can add any element you want.

We decided to add some colorful stripes. This is what happened.

Conclusion:
Wix is easy and truly enjoyable to work with. There were no difficulties or problems during the creation of the site. Everything is simple and accessible, on par with uKit and A5.ru. There weren't enough layouts for individual pages or a more detailed structure for different pages in the selected template.

Main characteristics (filling)

Characteristics	Weebly
Number of working sites	Millions of sites around the world
Payment options for the selected tariff	Payment by credit card
Templates	432
Editing templates	Simplified editor
mobile version	Yes
Counters	Google Analytics http://www.google.com.ua/analytics/
Social media buttons	VKontakte vk.com Facebook.com, Twitter.com, Google+ https://plus.google.com/getstarted?fww=1
Technical support	Around the clock
Test period	Free version without expiration date
Adaptation for mobile devices	Provided
Widgets	Title, text, image, gallery, slider, button
Content blocks	Products, showcases, categories, coupons, orders, parameters
Contacts section widgets	Feedback (feedback form), Contacts, Map, lead collection form
Changing text options	Select color, style, text size
Additional services	Not provided

Excellent functionality, on par with other platforms: compatriot Weebly and the uKit constructor. It is possible to create an online store. The functionality is higher than that of A5 and Umi.ru. There are many templates and they all look modern and attractive. The only negative is the small selection of payment methods.

Templates

Templates play a huge role when choosing a website. Their quantity is important, as well as the aesthetic component. Templates in Wix are divided into categories: business, online store, photo, music, design, restaurants and food, hotels, events, portfolio and resume, blog, health, fashion and beauty, education and culture, art, landing pages.

A total of 432 templates are currently provided, including 108 business-themed templates. In terms of quality/quantity ratio, Wix is on par with uKit (236 attractive templates) and ahead of Weebly in quantity (24 templates), and Umi.ru (over 550 ) by quality.

The uKit system provides 236 templates. They also look attractive and are not far behind Wix in beauty.

If we talk only about quality, Wix lags behind Weebly by a hundredth of a percent, is on par with uKit and is significantly ahead of Umi.ru and A5.ru.

The editing technology is simple - based on the “drag and drop” principle. Wix has provided the ability to manually add your own or ready-made HTML code.

Customization and custom design of the template are not available. Unfortunately, this is a common practice for resources on this topic.

Rates

Wix offers four packages for entrepreneurs:

Tariff parameter/name	eCommerce ideal for business	Unlimited businessmen and freelancers	Personal	Connect Domain
Price, rub./month	488	375	249	123
Performance	10 GB	Unlimited	2 GB	1 GB
Data storage	20 GB	10 GB	3 GB	500 MB
Domain connection	+	+	+	+
Google Analytics	+	+	+	-
Premium support	+	+	+	+
Free hosting	+	+	+	-
Removing Wix Ads	+	+	+	-
Free domain	+	+	+	-
Favicon	+	+	+	-
10 mailings per month	-	-	-	-
Online store	+	-	-	-
Expert site analysis	-	-	-	-

Please note that prices on the website are indicated in dollars. They are converted into rubles at the exchange rate as of June 21, 2018.

Rate Umi is 550 rubles per month. uKit charges a fee of 256 rubles per month, business tariff A5.ru costs 450 rubles per month. The difference in price is significant. Rates Weebly, on the contrary, are more expensive: $38 per month, $25 and $12 per month. You need to pay tariffs with a bank card.

Integrations

In total, Wix provides 245 ready-made applications for the site. Applications are divided into categories: free, from Wix, social networks, forms, galleries, store, marketing, business applications. Free applications - 96.

At this point, Wix is significantly ahead of its competitors A5, Umi.ru and uKit.

Technical support

Wix has developed a detailed technical support center: 24 help sections. You can start a discussion (private or public) at any time. You can ask a question by following the link https://ru.wix.com/support/html5/submit-a-ticket

Communication methods	Post on the forum (private, public) Call back (English, Spanish or Portuguese only)
Working hours	Around the clock
Response rate	Few hours
Information content of answers	Excellent
Representation on social networks	Youtube https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCm9VYDcIJEqwxlnK3bxhT9w?guided_help_flow=3 Instagram https://www.instagram.com/wix/; Google+ https://plus.google.com/u/0/communities/104139468859305624510; VKontakte http://vk.com/wix_official Facebook https://www.facebook.com/WixRussian Twitter https://twitter.com/Wix_Ru
Blog link	http://ru.wix.com/blog/
Openness on social networks	good
Openness of the company as a whole	Excellent

We contacted technical support several times, creating private tickets. They answered us quickly - within a few hours. I liked the answers: informative, competent, accompanied by links.

The VKontakte group actively discusses a variety of issues. The administration answers questions and resolves conflict situations. It's clear to the naked eye that Wix cares about its customers.

Competitive advantages

Beautiful, stylish templates in large quantities.
Prompt technical support.
Built-in SEO optimization tool.

Clients

Wix support says that the service is used by more than a million entrepreneurs (and others) around the world. On the blog http://ru.wix.com/blog/category/%D0%B8%D1%81%D1%82%D0%BE%D1%80%D0%B8%D0%B8-%D1%83% D1%81%D0%BF%D0%B5%D1%85%D0%B0/ you can read success stories of people who work with Wix.

Examples of websites on Wix

Chicago Slackliner Academy website
http://www.chicagoslacklinersassociation.com

Website of artist and freelance illustrator Sian Summerhays
http://www.siansummerhayes.com

Today, more and more people are turning to the Internet to advertise their business. And for those who want to delve into the process of website building themselves and are responsible for creating websites, the Wix visual designer is well suited. The demand for this tool is constantly growing, as is the need for the creators of their web project to add more and more interactive features. It is no longer enough to have a simple static website, even for a business card. Interactive elements attract attention and hold the visitor.

The news about the emergence of new Wix features will please website owners.

New tools

Currently launched in test beta mode Wix Code, which will completely change the platform, making it possible to easily and quickly change the code of a web page and add interactive elements. Advanced technologies will appeal to both experienced webmasters and those who are starting to develop a resource for the first time.

To explain it in a nutshell, previously you had to fill out and publish every page. It was also not possible to make changes to the HTML code.

And with the expansion of capabilities, it will be possible to edit the source code and, having made one template, get as many similar pages as the output, but with different content using a database.

For example, in a product catalog, each product page is built according to one type. And, of course, it will be easier to enter product data into the database than to create hundreds of pages one at a time. This significantly speeds up the content filling process.

Creating a database is like filling out an Excel file. Look at the screenshot what it looks like:

You can control the content on your website without affecting the design. To do this, add and edit all texts and images in the database.

I hope I was able to explain in my fingers what it gives Wix Code. I would especially like to note that this innovative solution for the designer turns it into a full-fledged cms.

The inclusion of a new tool is optional. If you don’t want to go deep into the code, you can only work with the visual editor by dragging and dropping blocks.

What's happened Wix and its credo

Wix is a combination of beauty and advanced technology that makes amazing websites.

This cloud platform is used by millions of users around the world.

It's about having a stress-free web experience.

Wix's strategy is to present complex things in a simple and accessible way.

What can Wix Code do?

Create dynamic web pages;
Automatically assign unique and SEO optimized URLs.
Implement your own styles to display various elements;
Collect information about users;
Create databases;
Use internal applications from the WIX Market;
Integrate third party APIs.

Now let’s take a closer look at Wix and the announced new Wix Code.

Wix Code is the latest and phenomenal offering from website builders.

A myriad of settings are offered: creating dynamic pages, collecting data and designing.

Lots of professionally designed templates for your choice.

Ideal for developers

If you do not plan to learn a programming language and practice, but want to create your own professional business card website, catalog, online store, then with the code on wix you will do everything with ease.

This easy-to-use platform is ideal for novice webmasters.

All you have to do is select a template, make the necessary changes, and add a few images and videos. And the website is ready!

Ease of receiving information from visitors

There will be no confusing system settings here and wix offers various options for working with such information.

Vicks has a wide range of data collection elements in the box, such as surveys and quizzes, forms with input of initial data, and review sections.

You just need to drag and drop the required element - Drop in the editor is designed to configure all data collection tools. Users can even create a data collection tool order that meets their requirements.

Wix Artificial Intelligence

This is an intelligent search and selection of designs from billions of combinations of layouts, contact forms, images, texts, etc. Design on the fly!

Convenient and simple platform

With so many chips in this constructor, a person could face enormous difficulties. But these features are integrated in such a way that every user gets a positive experience when working with wix code and it is easy to design a website for any industry.

Improved user integration

Most developers offer basic settings that take a lot of time. Wix Code offers dedicated elements for creating custom interactive pages. Using JavaScript will not take several hours of your time. Minimum effort and create a clean and interactive website.

Dynamic pages

Such pages increase user convenience and improve behavioral factors. Wix code allows you to create different pages using a single template. You just need to choose a design. After this, the site will continue to create additional pages depending on your wishes.

Each has individual SEO settings.

Previously, only static web pages were available.

API integration

Now you can use various WixAPICode.

API - application programming interface, application programming interface.

JavaScript and API - these interfaces allow you to integrate services from other sites onto your Internet resource. However, developers with basic coding skills can also integrate the API on their website.

Internal APIs are currently available for the service from YouTube, Google Drive, Dropbox, Vimeo, Twitter, Facebook.

As I wrote above, you can use third-party services on your website to improve its functionality and performance.

Quote from Wix CEO Avishai Abrahami:

Conclusion.

Taking into account all the above aspects, it is safe to say that Wix Code is the most recommended tool for developers, regardless of the level of knowledge of programming languages and the concept of a database.

Any user can create a professional website easily and without limitations in functionality in just a few clicks. In addition, you don’t need to set up a server and rack your brains about which hosting to choose.