Why aren't there (great) Design to Code tools?

[alexstyl]

I've been building apps for over a decade and the tools we have on the UI -> Code department seem to be lacking.

Even though I am rather fast with building UI using code, I wish the feedback loop was faster. With code you go type stuff -> save -> look at a different window to see if the UI looks right -> repeat.

On the other hand, visual tools tend to be graphics based instead of interface based. This means that while one is designing the app on tools like Figma, they are making something that looks like an app rather than designing an app.

This comes with its sets of problems while implementing the design. For example, there is no way to tell if the design will look right on different screen sizes and orientations.

I really wanted for a design tool that focuses on interfaces to exist so I built one for myself. It lets you design your app as if it was a graphics tool and it exports native mobile apps.

You can try it out for free at https://builtwithpaper.com?ref=hackernews

[orionblastar]

I always liked Visual BASIC 6.0 and Delphi UI building and code generation. I can't seem to find any FOSS tool that works the same.

[alexstyl]

haven't used them. what made them special?

[orionblastar]

You could paint and drag and drop GUI elements and it would generate code for you automatically.