I’m still fairly new to Anvil & Python.
At the moment I learn what I want to achieve by using VS Code. Then I duplicate it in Anvil. And make changes in the code until I get it working.
But this is a lot of duplicate work, and a learning curve with Anvil.
Is it worth it? Or am I wasting my time?
I’m very frustrated at the moment. The only reason I’m using Anvil is because I thought it will save me time by not having to create a GUI in a separate GUI builder.
I started out learning python and anvil at the same time just like you.
My advice - don’t waste your time trying to build things twice - just build everything in Anvil.
There are great tutorials available that teach you the key aspects of how to work with both python and Anvil. The more tutorials you go through the more confident you will become and the more you will be able to apply the same techniques to your own app.
Secondly the docs are Fantastic! Easy to read but in deep thy enough to solve most issues and they all have real core examples.
The other thing with using the anvil Ide is that it comes with loads of help tools available (like code snippets and autocomplete).
Have you tried any of the tutorials?
Is it worth it ? ABSOLUTELY
Will it save you time with the UI ? ABSOLUTELY
To mirror what @rickhurlbatt said, don’t make extra work for yourself.
I’ve programmed in dozens of languages over the years and it’s universally true that having the shortest possible Edit-Compile-(Link)-Run cycle makes all the difference, whether it’s your first “Hello, World!” in a language or some massive sprawling code base. Working in a short EC(L)R cycle helps you build basic skills, increases your confidence, turns the syntax into muscle memory (so to speak) and reduces frustration. It lets you write longer and longer bits of error free code between needing to compile and run, and it also teaches you to troubleshoot faster, which is an equally important skill to develop.
If you want to get a grasp on the basics of Python, try learning directly in the interactive shell, or try out a simple live coding environment (which are a lot of fun). Try getting a free account on Replit and play around with the Python environment.
And if you’re good with basic Python and want to get building webapps, I cannot think of a better environment than Anvil. The docs are excellent, tons of worked code examples, etc. I’m still new to Anvil myself, but I have already build two apps for my department in a matter of weeks that would have taken ages to design/code/assemble and configure all the servies/etc. in any other framework or platform.
Cheers,
Ken