The challenge
As a Mendix developer, efficiently switching between diverse apps became increasingly challenging.
The difficulty not only lay in navigating through a growing list of apps but also in the need to swiftly transition between various test and production environments of these apps. This also extended to switching between app variants, such as mobile and tablet versions, and reaching the right landing pages.
At some point, maintaining a list of bookmarks started to be cumbersome, thus began my quest to find a better alternative
The first prototype
To address this issue once and for all, I developed a tool that provides organized and quick access to different app versions and landing pages.
The concept is simple: a list of saved apps where variables determine the specific location in the app. With just one click, you can switch between different versions and landing pages.
The initial version of my tool relied on URL manipulation, allowing me to adjust the port and device profile.
Your environment Mendix App
Integration of Mendix environments
A significant breakthrough was the integration of Mendix environments. Using the Mendix API, I could directly access all relevant environments, rendering manual bookmarking obsolete.
Environment
Sandbox
Landing Page Customization
With the MVP working, I was eager to make it more user-friendly. Since every app is unique, some required unique landing pages that differ from the default index.html or login.html. For example, there could be a specific page for SSO login.
To give users more control, I added the possibility to create custom landing pages. These custom options will appear in the landing page dropdown, alongside the default options.
One way this new functionality adds excellent value is by allowing users to revisit the same deep links in environments like local, acceptance, and production multiple times.
