Ask HN: Any modern web UI software like WinForms?

8 points by pipeline_peak 3y ago ↗ HN

I always wanted to make some sort of web app. As a .Net dev, I’ve used Winforms quite a bit. Even though it’s long outdated, I always found it intuitive for simple little apps. Is there any web UI software that shares the same drag and drop experience? React and all this other stuff feels like you need to take a boot camp course, too much hooking things together.

7 comments

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cdaringe 3y ago ↗

Doing UIs in VBA was so good. I miss it

thesuperbigfrog 3y ago ↗

Would WebForms work?

https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/aspnet/web-forms/what-is-w...

quickthrower2 3y ago ↗

This would be the perfect choice. I developed in this in 2002. It is old tech! Wonder if aspnet webmatrix still exists (makes it even easier to build simple apps)

rainytuesday 3y ago ↗

Blazor Webassembly looks a little verbose, but you could probably figure it out without a bootcamp.

schwifty1 3y ago ↗

I've not found one, but I wish software like this existed.

Please, if anybody knows of such a tool, share it!

anditherobot 3y ago ↗

This would be great, a visual UI builder that behaves like WinForms but using web technologies.

Ideally the tech should be remain stable for 10 years or more.

DarrenDev 3y ago ↗

Not drag and drop like WinForms, but there are suites of components you can buy that serve the same purpose. A common look and feel across the page you build. Similarities in how they work.

DevExpress and Telerik spring to mind.

What's interesting about these is that they have corresponding WinForms components as the companies began their lives as WinForms or Borland component builders for desktop.