How to use custom widgets in Retool?

 

Using Custom Widgets in Retool

 

Custom widgets in Retool allow you to extend the platform's capabilities by incorporating custom-written JavaScript/HTML/CSS components. This guide provides a comprehensive step-by-step approach to leveraging custom widgets in Retool effectively.

 

Prerequisites

 

• Active Retool account with at least one application created.
• Basic knowledge of web development using JavaScript, HTML, and CSS.
• Understanding of Retool's UI elements and data fetching capabilities.

 

Accessing the Custom Widget Module

 

• Log in to your Retool account and navigate to the application dashboard.
• Select the application where you want to add a custom widget, and click on it to open the editor.
• Within the editor, locate the component panel on the right-hand side.
• Find and drag the Custom component into your canvas. This component allows you to write custom code for your widget.

 

Writing Custom Widget Code

 

• Click on the custom widget to open the configuration panel.
• Navigate to the Code tab within the panel, where you can start writing your custom JavaScript/HTML/CSS.
• Within the code editor, specify the HTML structure you want to render using document templates; for example:

  <pre>
  

  <div>
  <h2>Custom Weather Widget</h2>
  <div id="weather-info"></div>
  </div>
  

• Integrate JavaScript under the JavaScript section to handle interactivity or data fetching. Here’s an example to fetch and display weather data:

  <pre>
  const weatherInfoDiv = document.getElementById('weather-info');
  fetch('https://api.weatherapi.com/v1/current.json?key=YOURAPIKEY&q=New York')
    .then(response =&gt; response.json())
    .then(data =&gt; {
        weatherInfoDiv.innerHTML = Temperature: ${data.current.temp_f}°F;
    })
    .catch(error =&gt; console.error('Error fetching weather data:', error));
  </pre>
  

 

Styling Your Custom Widget

 

• Go to the CSS section in the code editor to write custom styles for your widget.
• Input corresponding CSS to enhance the widget's design. For instance:

  <pre>
  h2 {
    color: #333;
    font-size: 18px;
  }
  #weather-info {
    background-color: #f7f7f7;
    padding: 10px;
    border-radius: 5px;
  }
  </pre>
  

 

Connecting Custom Widgets to Retool Data Sources

 

• Use Retool’s JavaScript to query data from other components or Retool queries directly within your widget code.
• For example, to use data from a Retool query named weatherQuery, you can do something like this:

  <pre>
  const weatherData = {{ weatherQuery.data }};
  document.getElementById('weather-info').innerText = weatherData ? weatherData.temp : 'No Data';
  </pre>
  

 

Debugging and Testing Your Custom Widget

 

• Use the Preview option in Retool to see your widget in action and detect any runtime errors.
• Utilize browser developer tools, such as console.log() statements, to debug JavaScript code.
• Retool’s debugging console can be used to display logs for easier troubleshooting.

 

Final Adjustments and Deployment

 

• After verifying that the custom widget performs as expected, return to the editor and refine styles and scripts accordingly.
• From the dashboard, deploy your Retool application to production to make the new widget available for end users.
• Ensure all permissions and data requirements are correctly configured for deployment.

 

By following these steps, you will be able to utilize custom widgets in Retool to enhance your applications with bespoke functionalities, thereby providing a tailored user experience.