Visual UI Designer for web apps?

Question

Is there any tool which allows designing a web app visually (drag and drop controls to design page similar to WinForms) for visual studio or any is there any other web app building platform with such feature?

I know that drag and drop is not the best way to design an app, I know this and I am not here to debate you on this. I just need to create one web app, it will be the first and last one so I don't want to learn xaml,css,html ...etc

if there is any tool or plugin for visual studio that will help, I will appreciate it if you tell me about it.

Answer 1

Yes, you can do this.

In fact, when asp.net + web development came out?

99% of developers had worked on desktop software.
99% of developers had used a visual form designer
(FoxPro, ms-access, VB6, vb.net)

So, this visual design approach? (desktop)

Lets drop a button + text box on a form Drag a button from toolbox on to form. Click on button, add event code.

We have this desinger:

double click on the button, and put in say this code:

   private void button1_Click(object sender, EventArgs e)
    {
        string s = "";
        int i;
        for (i = 1; i <= 10; i++)
        {
            if (s != "") { s += System.Environment.NewLine; }
            s += i;
        }
        TextBox1.Text = s;
    }

And we get this:

The WHOLE COMBINED software industry worked this way FROM DAY ONE WHEN the graphical user interface was born for computers.

So, now lets do the same in asp.net web forms.

we create a new web page, and I have this visual designer:

Now, double click on the button, and we have the SAME code as before. (as above).

Note how there was no HTML markup, and just good old fashioned drag + drop.

The output is this when run:

Was that easy or what!!!

So, Microsoft made a great choice. They realized that if they could not provide this REALLY easy to use development paradigm for asp.net? Then EVERYONE would have dropped .net - since the WHOLE reason and WHOLE success of the Microsoft development tools work this way.

So, if Microsoft was going to save .net, and not have everyone drop it - say for ALL THE OTHER web systems appearing?

They had to offer and build a transition type of software.

And THAT IS EXACLTY what they did.

So, back then, the first renditions of web development EXACTLY followed this desktop approach. This is what we call a "transitional" technology choice. (you do this to SAVE the product and ALL OF the developers that ALWAYS worked that way)

If you create a asp.net web application, then you can choose to create what is called a web-forms application. The WHOLE IDEA of this choice is to with GREAT EASE pull developers from the desktop system to the web based system.

So ZERO surprise you are asking for this kind of development system, since EVERY SINGLE DEVELOPER SYSTEM prior to the web worked that way (at least for high developer productivity, and ease of development you worked that way!!!).

Now, of course that was close to 20 years ago, and since now EVERY new developer NOW starts out with web tools and DOES NOT come from desktop development? Well, they have now DROPPED the web forms designer. (this is beyond sad - but is a reflection of the industry NOW - NOT back then!).

So what then do developers do?

Well, they KEEP a web page open, make changes to the mark-up, hit ctrl-s to save, and then flip over to the browser and hit f5 (to refresh). So developers don't miss (much) the web forms designer and GUI. So, developers thus don't miss the GUI web forms designer much these days.

The other problem? With web standards changing VERY fast, then Microsoft could not keep up with web browsers - and thus that BUILT IN web designer often can't render the page all that well. I still love it - it gets you basic layout, but with new things like css style sheets etc, the the web form designer often does not do all that great of a job. So MS quite much has moved towards you HAVING to use the browser to get correct layout rendering. It was just not possible to "include" a great (perfect) web designer inside of Visual Studio due to the rapid change in Browser technology.

And as noted EVERYONE ELSE in the web development landscape just keeps a browser open and running during development - so the web form designer not all the rage right now.

But, back when asp.net came out? EVERYONE was from desktop, and EVERYONE was working with drag and drop software design. So asp.net ALSO started out this way.

Now, while choosing to create a asp.net web forms project? It is quite old, and is quite legacy right now. But, ironically, a truckload of existing sites were built that way. And the cost of building MVC web applications is VERY high - close to double that of asp.net web forms.

(thus, you can actually find a lot of work for asp.net webform applications).

So you can STILL choose web forms - they are great way to get into asp.net development REALLY fast, and with a MUCH shorter learning curve.

Asp.net web forms are still supported well - but they are "last generation" and considered "legacy" right now. But for a small project to get up and running? webforms are STILL a good choice, and you STILL get that wonderful drag + drop designer!!!

In fact the FIRST version of this site (Stack Overflow) was made with asp.net web forms, but they switched over to MVC for the first release. (and in fact that first version was vb.net!!!).

So MVC (without that wonderfull web layout desiner) is better for large proejcts - say the next FaceBook, or StackOverflow.

But, a typical small business site? Gee, even with 50 users or 100 - it just don't matter performance wise.

The other good reason to choose MVC projects? Well, now we see the rise of what is called Blazer - and that is a REALLY big deal. And you can't choose to use Blazer technology with asp.net web forms. So there are even more reasons to drop the web forms designer.

In the longer run? Without question, MVC is the road and path forward. But, to get something up and running - and with great ease? Web forms is a great choice. Once you get up to speed, then over time, you can make the jump to MVC web projects.

So?

Yes, you can choose to have a drag and drop visual designer for web development, but you be choosing a "older" style technology choice in return for that easy approach.

I don't recommend this choice for longer term, but it can get you up and running if you come from a long time desktop enviroment.

Answer 2

First of all, The answer is YES, HOWEVER, this is not possible through Visual Studio, there are several ON-LINE websites such as:

• Visual Composer
• Page Cloud

These websites are not as flexible as a human-made build, and may even cost money.

PS. I Personally do not recommend using these Websites, Instead get someone on fiverr to build a website for you within a gauranteed time period.