Extend Mendix with Java and JavaScript

The benefits of low-code, without the limits.

"Is a low-code platform like Mendix not very limiting?" We get that question regularly, and the answer is short: no! Mendix gives you a very solid base that lets you build apps faster and more simply. But you do not have to stop at that base, because you can extend it endlessly. Curious how? Read on.

Why choose low-code in the first place?

Let us answer that question first. A few reasons to choose a low-code platform such as Mendix:

• You can build your apps from standard building blocks. That means you develop apps at a much faster pace, without giving up quality.
• Thanks to the visual builder, colleagues with little programming experience can build and extend apps too. That helps, because experienced developers are hard to find and expensive.
• In Mendix, many parts of the development process are standardised. That makes your apps stable and prevents bugs.

Sounds good, right? But because the base of Mendix is so simple and standardised, people quickly assume you cannot build anything complex with it. That is the myth we are going to bust today.

You can build almost anything in Mendix

Mendix is built on a number of programming languages: HTML, CSS, JavaScript and Java. And the beauty of it? Anything you can build in those languages, you can add to Mendix as well. So you get all the benefits of low-code, without them holding you back.

Build custom widgets with JavaScript

You build a Mendix app out of standard elements. Sometimes you run into limits doing that. What if an element has to look different or behave differently? Then you can build a custom widget using HTML, CSS and JavaScript. Think of a specific map function, an unusual screen layout, or a piece of functionality unique to your business. You can then use the widget alongside the standard Mendix components.

Want to know more about custom widgets? We wrote more about it in this article.

Use Java to add functionality to the Mendix back end

You can also add functionality to the back end of Mendix. You do that with Java, a programming language that runs on the server. Over the years we have built plenty of this kind of functionality for our clients. We now offer some of it as standard modules, because it turned out that many clients needed it. These modules show nicely what you can do with Java in Mendix:

JamAuditLog: audit logging

Mendix does not come with audit log functionality out of the box. Many clients do need it, so we decided to build it.

What can you do with this module?

• Track all activity within your Mendix environment and find out who changed what, and when
• Security compliance: audit logs are sometimes required for security compliance programmes and certificates, and you can use this module for that
• Analyse and fix bugs

Our Java module intercepts what happens on the server. That information is then written to a system of your choice, such as the Mendix log, Splunk or Papertrail.

More about JamAuditLog

WordTemplater

Mendix offers limited options for document generation. That is why we built WordTemplater, a module that can do much more.

What can you do with this module?

• Create a template in MS Word that you use in Mendix to generate documents (in large volumes)
• Full control over the styling in MS Word (no styling needed in Mendix)
• Lay out and design documents visually
• Collaborate easily with others
• Generate documents in large volumes

More about WordTemplater

Control a robot with Mendix? It can be done!

This month we gave a programming workshop to children with autism at a secondary school. We worked with Finch, a robot that can do all kinds of fun things. It can move in every direction, it has lights and it makes sound. It also has sound and distance sensors. And the best part? You can control this robot with Java, and therefore with Mendix too!

We had already put the necessary bits of code into Mendix, so the children could use Mendix as a sort of remote control. First they had to fix a small bug in it, and then the fun could start. They had the robots perform dances they had made up themselves, for example, by stringing a series of actions together. And we finished with an exciting race. So there you have it: Mendix really has no limits. You can even use it to control a robot.