Appian UI capabilities?

Question

I am an Enterprise Architect, coming in halfway through a project, and I'm working with an Appian platform for the first time. I have most recently worked extensively with Mendix, and I am an expert developer on that low-code platform. 
 I am trying to establish how 'rich' the Appian UI can be, but I find very few resources, either in terms of Appian material, or references to 'widgets' that might use richer interface solutions. For example, it would appear to be impossible to use drag-and-drop, resizing of elements to change data dynamically in the background, copy-paste, right-click, etc., due to the lack of javascript integration. 
 Is this correct? 
 Having asked my very experienced lead developer a few questions, his response: 
 
 Q: Thanks ... it helps me in terms of knowing that the Appian interface is quite dry and flat. :-) To be clear; Appian can NOT use JavaScript? 
 A: Exactly. And true. NO JS. We do not implement any HTML or CSS stuff directly and no JavaScript. We have the graphical widgets provided by Appian. 
 
 If this is truly the case, then it would appear that Appian is unable to fulfil the UX requirements of the customer, which would be a shame to discover in the second Sprint! 
 Any help or information would be very appreciated.

malcolm.ross · Accepted Answer

To clarify Appian's support here.. 
 
Appian provides a rich set of UI components that can be assembled into an interface. See more info here on SAIL Components 
 
 docs.appian.com/.../SAIL_Components.html 
 
Next, Appian allows you to deploy interfaces in a pre-built knowledge worker UI called Tempo, in dedicated UIs called Sites or you may override font and color styling of our UI templates through use of Embedded SAIL. 
 
 docs.appian.com/.../Embedded_Interfaces.html 
 
To create dynamic logic, as you would using JavaScript, you may use Appian's rules engine. This gives a powerful framework for creating dynamic user experiences and can easily tap into Appian Expression, Decision and Integration rules. 
 
Allowing developers to directly write JavaScript can create a number of development challenges.. such as maintaining JS security and not allowing XSS attacks on your site or ensuring your JS is compliant with all browsers and devices. 
 
By using Appian SAIL, developers are able to reliably build highly secure UIs that work on all web browsers and in a native mobile app while still providing a rich user experience. I gave a presentation on this a few years ago at an industry conference that might help you understand the benefits of Appian SAIL. 
 
 https://youtu.be/rpz1OrcmDY0 
 
We have rich documentation. Your search for the word "Widget" is applying Mendix vocabulary to Appian docs. We use the term Interface or SAIL Components.

Rama Thummala · Answer

Hi guyh0001 
 1. Appian internally uses JavaScript and CSS, but it will not allow the developer to write/customize the JavaScript or CSS code. 
 2. Yes, from developer view, all UI components are like graphical widgets. 
 3. If we want to fulfill the customer UX requirements, provision has been given with the help of Embedded Interfaces by Appian.

Appian UI capabilities?

Top Replies