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Refine HTML pages low-code quickstart entry and examples #54

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12 changes: 11 additions & 1 deletion docs/html-pages/index.md
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Original file line number Diff line number Diff line change
Expand Up @@ -8,7 +8,17 @@ Starting with SeaTable 6.2, a Universal App can contain a new page type: the **H

A static bundle on its own can only display fixed content. To turn an HTML page into a real application — a custom form, a dashboard, a calculator — it needs to read from and write to the base. That data exchange runs through the [`seatable-html-page-sdk`](https://www.npmjs.com/package/seatable-html-page-sdk).

This section is written for developers. It covers how to set up a project, how to develop and package a page, and the full SDK reference.
This section covers how to build a page, from a single copy-and-rename file to a full project, plus the complete SDK reference.

## How a page is built

However you build it, an HTML page is three parts:

1. The **look** — your HTML and CSS. Design it however you want.
2. The **SDK** — one script that loads the bridge to your base.
3. The **connection** — the code that reads tables and writes rows through the SDK.

The [low-code quickstart](low-code-quickstart.md) keeps all three in a single `index.html`; the [developer setup](getting-started.md) splits them across modular files. The parts are the same either way — only how they are organised differs.

## Architecture

Expand Down
124 changes: 116 additions & 8 deletions docs/html-pages/low-code-quickstart.md
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Expand Up @@ -18,9 +18,9 @@ The fastest way in is not to build one from scratch. It is to **copy a page that
[developer setup](getting-started.md) instead. See
[When this approach stops](#when-this-approach-stops) below.

## What this page does
## The example: an event sign-up page

The example below is a small **event sign-up page**. It:
Rather than start from a blank file, you copy one complete, working page and adapt it. The example here is a small **event sign-up page** — not the only thing this approach makes, but a worked example that puts the whole pattern in one place. It:

1. reads a list of upcoming **sessions** from your base and shows them as styled cards;
2. lets a visitor pick a session, type their name and email, and click **Sign up**;
Expand All @@ -30,6 +30,8 @@ The example below is a small **event sign-up page**. It:

That is the whole loop: **read a table → show it → write a row back**. Everything else on this page is styling.

A plain form, a read-only list or an info page is just a *subset* of this loop — build one by keeping only the pieces you need and deleting the rest. [Two smaller shapes](#two-smaller-shapes) below shows exactly that, as complete pages; the [Snippets to adapt](#snippets-to-adapt) section then breaks the loop into individual pieces you can recombine.

## Required tables

The page expects two tables. Create them as below, or rename the code (in [step 3](#3-change-the-names-to-match-your-base)) to match tables you already have.
Expand Down Expand Up @@ -278,15 +280,120 @@ Open the page's configuration and drag your ZIP into the **Upload HTML page file

Open the app and use the page: you should see the sessions as cards, and signing up should add a row you can find in the **Signups** table. If the page is blank, go back to [step 7](#7-grant-table-access) first.

## How it works (the mental model)
## Two smaller shapes

The sign-up page reads **and** writes — most pages need only one half. Here is the same page with a half removed. Each one is complete and runnable; both drop the `<style>` block for brevity, so add your own look (or copy it from the example above).

=== "A form only (write)"

A page that only **writes** — no reading, so no `loadTable`. This is all a contact or feedback form needs.

```html
<!DOCTYPE html>
<html lang="en">
<head>
<meta charset="UTF-8" />
<meta name="viewport" content="width=device-width, initial-scale=1.0" />
<title>Feedback</title>
</head>
<body>
<form id="feedback-form">
<h1>Send feedback</h1>
<!-- One <label> per field, same as the main example. -->
<label for="name">Your name</label>
<input id="name" type="text" required />
<label for="message">Message</label>
<input id="message" type="text" required />
<button type="submit">Send</button>
<p id="status"></p>
</form>

<script src="https://unpkg.com/seatable-html-page-sdk@latest/dist/index.min.js"></script>

@simonhammes simonhammes Aug 28, 2026

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I'd argue that this should be updated in a similar manner to ensure the stability of the generated HTML pages:

24a342b

<script>
async function start() {
const sdk = new HTMLPageSDK(window.__HTML_PAGE_DEV_CONFIG__ || null);
await sdk.init();

document.getElementById("feedback-form").addEventListener("submit", async (e) => {
e.preventDefault();
const status = document.getElementById("status");
try {
await sdk.addRow({
tableName: "Feedback", // ← your table (keep the quotes)
rowData: {
Name: document.getElementById("name").value, // ← rename to your text column
Message: document.getElementById("message").value // ← rename to your text column
},
});
status.textContent = "Thanks — sent!";
e.target.reset();
} catch (err) {
status.textContent = "Something went wrong: " + err.message;
}
});
}
document.addEventListener("DOMContentLoaded", start);
</script>
</body>
</html>
```

The page is **one `index.html`** with three parts:
=== "A list only (read)"

1. The **look** — your HTML and CSS. Design it however you want.
2. The **SDK** — one `<script>` line that loads the bridge to your base.
3. The **connection** — a small script that reads a table (`loadTable`) and writes a row (`sdk.addRow`) on submit.
A page that only **reads** — no form, nothing written back. A directory, a schedule, an info page. It keeps the `loadTable` helper unchanged.

```html
<!DOCTYPE html>
<html lang="en">
<head>
<meta charset="UTF-8" />
<meta name="viewport" content="width=device-width, initial-scale=1.0" />
<title>Sessions</title>
</head>
<body>
<h1>Upcoming sessions</h1>
<div id="session-list"></div>

<script src="https://unpkg.com/seatable-html-page-sdk@latest/dist/index.min.js"></script>

@simonhammes simonhammes Aug 28, 2026

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Dito.

<script>
let sdk;

// Same helper as the main example — reads every row and restores column names. Leave it as is.
async function loadTable(tableName) {
let rows = [], metadata = null, start = 0;
while (true) {
const res = await sdk.listRows({ tableName, start, limit: 1000 });
metadata = metadata || res.data.metadata;
const page = res.data.results || [];
rows = rows.concat(page);
if (page.length === 0) break;
start += page.length;
}
const nameByKey = {};
(metadata || []).forEach((c) => { nameByKey[c.key] = c.name; });
return rows.map((row) => {
const named = { _id: row._id };
for (const key in row) if (nameByKey[key]) named[nameByKey[key]] = row[key];
return named;
});
}

async function start() {
sdk = new HTMLPageSDK(window.__HTML_PAGE_DEV_CONFIG__ || null);
await sdk.init();

const sessions = await loadTable("Sessions"); // ← your table (keep the quotes)
document.getElementById("session-list").innerHTML = sessions
.map((s) => `<div class="card"><h3>${s.Title}</h3><p>${s.Time}</p></div>`) // ← keep s. ; rename Title / Time
.join("");
}
document.addEventListener("DOMContentLoaded", start);
</script>
</body>
</html>
```

Everything tricky about reading data — paging past 100 rows, translating column IDs back to names — is already handled inside the `loadTable` helper, so you never touch it.
Both are the sign-up page minus a half: drop the read and you have a form; drop the form and you have a list. For finer pieces to mix back in — a dropdown, an update, a delete — see the catalogue below.

## Snippets to adapt

Expand Down Expand Up @@ -383,6 +490,7 @@ That is a genuine application, not a static page. When you reach that point, mov

## Next steps

- [How a page is built](index.md#how-a-page-is-built) — the look / SDK / connection mental model, on the overview.
- [SDK Reference: Rows](sdk/rows.md) — every read/write operation and the exact value shapes.
- [SDK Reference: Files & Images](sdk/files.md) — let visitors upload files from your page.
- [Developer setup](getting-started.md) — when you outgrow a single file.
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