Hey all. Last week we made our first blog post about the launch of Autocode — The Online IDE for APIs. As a recap, Autocode is an in-browser code editor that automatically generates API-to-API code (specifically, Node.js code) for you using API autocomplete and a few other nifty features. The Standard Library platform can then host your code as API endpoints and webhooks in response to custom events. Autocode and Standard Library, together, provide a central location for all of your API ↔ API automation logic as well as an open library to publish custom APIs (called Connector APIs) for endless reuse.
(Update 11/18/2021): Maker mode has since been deprecated on Autocode.
I promised that we'd be working on Autocode and adjusting to user and customer feedback quickly. With that in mind, the early response has been awesome! A number of makers and developers have been really pleased with how quickly you can build webhooks and custom scripts linking your favorite APIs together in minutes. However, we got repeated feedback from makers — those who are not professional developers — that jumping right into code is a little intimidating.
So, today, we're officially announcing Maker Mode (Beta) for Autocode.
You can click here to jump into Maker Mode immediately, if you'd like to just play!
What is Maker Mode?
Maker Mode (Beta) is a visual workflow builder reminiscent of Zapier and other workflow automation tools. The difference between Zapier, IFTTT and others as compared to Autocode's Maker Mode is that Maker Mode automatically generates code for you as you interact with the UI, which you can see to the right. The goal of Maker Mode is to bridge the gap between makers and professional developers by providing tools that guide, teach and introduce folks to code instead of completely abstracting it away.
We think that, even as a seasoned developer, you'll find Maker Mode is still an extremely quick way to prototype out basic code solutions. You can switch back to writing code at any time by simply clicking on the generated code in the UI.
How can I use Maker Mode?
You can get started with Maker Mode (Beta) using this link:
It will automatically open up Autocode in Maker Mode (Beta) in response to a Stripe: Charge Succeeded event with a Slack and Airtable API selected as part of the workflow, as seen below.
As you play with Maker Mode (Beta), the URL at the top of your browser will be adjusted to reflect the current event / workflow you are configuring. You can share this link with other people if you want to give them a quick link that uses the same template of the workflow you're building. We're excited to see what you do with it!
Why Beta?
Maker Mode will be an evolving addition to Autocode. We're extremely passionate and enthusiastic about making software and API development simpler for all, so Maker Mode as it exists today is only the first iteration of workflow tooling we'll be launching. Expect a lot more features within and adjacent to Maker Mode as we keep making updates in the coming weeks and months. As usual, if you have feedback you can drop us a line in our developer Slack channel.
Thanks!
It's been a really fun journey so far and we're just getting started with Autocode. Special shoutout to community member Ben Sehl who has kept the team smiling with a lot of positive feedback.
We'll be coming at you with more updates next week, keep on the look out! In the meantime, jump into Autocode or say hi on our Discord server. Thanks for the support!
Keith Horwood
Founder and CEO, Standard Library