Discussions

So quick question (and maybe a rant): is it just me or do low-code tools make everything feel super easy until you try to do anything even slightly custom?

I am in my final year of university, doing a business and IT double major, and right now I am building this internal HR workflow app for a class project using Agilit-e. Honestly, I picked it because our professor wanted something that actually worked and did not take three weeks to code from scratch, and I figured a low-code platform would be the easiest route.

It was easy… for like, the first two hours. I got the UI built, created forms, connected a couple of workflows felt like a genius for a second. But now I am trying to add conditional logic based on user roles (for example, if a request is coming from HR versus a regular employee), and it is like I have entered some weird logic maze. I keep getting stuck trying to map data between workflows and make it reusable. Reusability sounds amazing in theory, but actually setting it up is messing with my head.

I am also struggling to keep track of what is happening where. Like okay, I drag a few actions into a workflow, set conditions, but then something breaks and I am like… cool. But where? What even broke?

And do not even get me started on testing. Is there a better way to simulate user behavior through different paths without clicking around a million times? Maybe I am using it wrong, but I am just trying to avoid total chaos before the demo.

I checked out a few other platforms like Power Automate or Make, but Agilit-e feels more flexible overall. I just wish there was a middle ground between “drag and drop” and “now go figure out complex logic and data flow across six workflows.” Like… can we have a beginner-friendly DevOps layer or something?

Also side note: one of my group mates actually suggested we pay for some assignment writing service to finish the logic configuration part and I was like… seriously? If they cannot even write clean essays, I am definitely not trusting them with workflow logic.

Anyway, if anyone has done something similar (especially with user-specific flows or approvals), how did you structure it so it did not become a total mess? Do you map it out beforehand in a flowchart tool or just build and fix as you go?

I would really love to hear how other students or beginner developers are handling this stuff.