A recent university graduate, Pushparaj recently got his first professional job as a software engineer for Persistent Systems, where his work touches every phase of the SDLC. In less than a year working with the Unqork platform, he has already earned Associate and Professional Certifications, has become a Subject Matter Expert in the Unqork Community, and won first place in the 2022 Unqork Creator Hackathon.
You can watch the Pushparaj and the other winners of the 2022 Unqork Creator Hackathon discussing their entries here.
Tell us about your award-winning Hackathon project.
Pushparaj: These days, data and communications are key, so I built an application that allows users to send emails and messages, including attachments. It is very easy to integrate into other Unqork applications, and you don’t have to worry about creating and maintaining a third-party messaging application to connect users.
How did the Unqork platform enable you to build this solution so quickly?
To build an application like this in a traditional environment, you would need the expertise of a front-end developer, a backend developer, and a CSS specialist. Even with the architecture and logic worked out, it would definitely take more than a week for them to build it out. But with Unqork, I was able to configure the application in less than an hour all on my own.
Also, building with Unqork makes it much easier to ensure that your solution is highly scalable, that maintenance requirements are low, and that the performance will be very good. It would definitely take a lot more time to achieve all those things in a traditional environment.
“To build an application like this in a traditional environment, you would need the expertise of a front-end developer, a backend developer, and a CSS specialist…. But with Unqork, I was able to configure the application in less than an hour all on my own.”
Did the capabilities in the platform or in Unqork Marketplace help you think more creatively about your Hackathon project?
Yes. For example, Unqork makes it really easy to add functionality to help users who have forgotten their passwords. Using a standard grid API from Unqork Marketplace, I was able to add a button users would click, triggering the application to send a password reset email to the email address associated with their ID.
How long have you been an Unqork Creator, and how quickly were you able to start creating?
I started working on the Unqork platform about 10 months ago. If you already have an understanding of logic and analysis, it is very easy to learn and even to master. So far, I have earned my Associate and Professional Certifications, as well as my SME badge as a member of the Unqork Community by regularly participating in the community.
What is your favorite aspect of the Unqork Platform?
I really like the Data Workflow component of the Unqork platform. You can use it in so many ways. It enables you to introduce complex computations into your apps using familiar Excel equations to support all kinds of sophisticated user experiences and business logic.
I also like the Unqork Community. Whenever you have a question, you just have to post it in the community, and you usually get an answer from other Creators really quickly. I like answering the questions myself because it truly helps you learn new skills, reinforce what you know, and grow as a Creator.
Do you have any best practices to share with your fellow Unqork Creators?
Here are a quick few I would like to share:
First, I would recommend that when you are using APIs, you test them first on a tool like Postman, so you can be sure they’re working properly. Otherwise, you end up wasting time trying to troubleshoot problems in the platform when in fact the problem was with the API itself.
For the same reason, I recommend that when you build a formula, you implement it first in Excel to be sure it is working the way you want it to. Then you can easily integrate it into your Unqork application.
Finally, when implementing APIs, make sure that you separate out the UI and the business logic so that the business logic does not impact performance for the end user.
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