Like many of you, I'm on a steep learning curve regarding how (and how best) to apply no-code tools to create useful process automation for myself and others. One of the things I've learned is to avoid thinking in terms of no-code OR low-code approaches. Increasingly, I'm finding opportunities to combine no-code AND low-code in complementary ways. I thought I'd share an example.
(If you aren't following Exploring the No-Code and Low-Code Landscape series on LinkedIn by Jon Darbyshire, you should.)
Background
Many people in the community (including Vasken Bakalian and Dan Leeman) know this terrain far better than me. Nevertheless, a little context may be useful to those of you who are relatively new to the game.
Here's how Formstack presents the spectrum from no-code to low-code (SmartSuite being a glaring omission):
No-code platforms bring automation to the masses, allowing even those without coding knowledge to create workflows. Their drag-and-drop interfaces simplify the process. However, the process of abstraction requires assumptions that unavoidably reduce flexibility.
Full-code (or traditional) tools offer the greatest degree of flexibility. That flexibility comes at the expense of accessibility, requiring extensive coding experience and more resources for development and maintenance. (Most of us simply don't have the skills of a Peter Novosel.)
Low-code sits in the middle. Some coding knowledge is required to tap into more flexibility.
Extending a No-code Platform
My approach is to start with a no-code platform. For me, that usually means SmartSuite or WordPress. In most instances, that's more than enough.
Sometimes, though, I'll need to leverage the capabilities of other tools. So, I'll reach into my toolbox and grab Zapier. Others in this community really like Make, formerly Integromat. Additional flexibility can be achieved with tools such as Ply and Bardeen.
In a few cases, even the huge array of automation actions offered by SmartSuite and Zapier doesn't quite fit the bill, so I'll leverage the additional capability of Code by Zapier, which allows you to insert custom Python or JavaScript code. Clearly, we're now in the low-code realm.
I've picked up a bit of Python along the way—at least enough to be exposed to the mind-boggling array of special-purpose "extensions" (known as libraries or modules) to the core Python Standard Library. Inevitably, I find myself wanting to tap into these external libraries. At the time of this writing, however, Code by Zapier doesn't support external libraries. Furthermore, the rate limits imposed by Zapier can inhibit performance.
So...
Most recently, I'm learning how to use Zapier (and the Webhooks by Zapier integration, in particular) as a process orchestration tool that strings together a series of API calls to bits of custom code hosted on a service called Anvil. (Anvil is a platform for creating "full-stack" web applications using only Python. It's in the full-code realm but still not as demanding as traditional full-stack development.)
An Example
Like Garrett Clawson (and maybe you), I want to "enrich" contact data with information derived from their LinkedIn profile. In some cases, I want to do that at scale. So, I'm playing around with combining Zapier with custom code modules hosted on Anvil. (Note: SmartSuite is building a webhook integration, which means this could be done entirely within SmartSuite.)