Wix Velo Overview: Does it Differ from Wix Corvid?

Velo is an open development platform built into Wix’s visual builder, giving users the ability to create their own web applications.

Wix offers a lot of features through its platform. Like, a lot. But even though it flies close to the sun, it still cannot reach the abilities of a professional web developer. Velo gives users that extra boost to get about as close as possible while still using a web builder by accelerating the way you can create your own custom functionalities. This includes dynamic pages, custom interactions, and site monitoring.

Usually, if you wanted these features, you would have to hire a web developer. This would cost you an average of $75 an hour, but Wix includes them in their normal editor. That’s nice of them, isn’t it? All in all, Velo is a cheaper and beginner-friendly way to get into web development, but we’ll cover this in the next section.

You don’t necessarily need coding experience to use Wix Velo, but it certainly helps. At the very least, you’ll need basic computer skills. Velo provides plenty of easy-to-follow guides whenever you get stuck but, if you’re a total beginner, there is still a learning curve for using Wix Velo.

Wix Velo is also suitable for web designers who want added creative freedom above what is offered with the generic Wix Editor, but don’t want to navigate a complex open source software, such as Magento or WooCommerce, either.

Like the sound of Wix Velo?

Well then, why not use your coding skills to build a masterpiece today?

Let's Get Coding

Think Velo sounds cool? So do we! Thankfully, it couldn’t be easier to get started.

To enable Velo, all you have to do is select “Dev Mode” in the Wix Editor while you are building your Wix website. Once Velo is switched on, you’ll need to double-click “Home Page Code” at the bottom of the Editor page to open the code panel. Then, go wild!

Activating Velo couldn’t be more basic but, once you’ve enabled this awesome new feature on your Wix site, you’ll find that it’s anything but basic.

Luckily, Velo offers courses to get to grips with coding if you’re a beginner. Coding is difficult, so do not worry if you’re feeling overwhelmed in the beginning. If you want to watch someone walk you through the process, video tutorials are also available. Velo is adamant about getting everyone to grips with coding, something we at WBE give a stamp of approval for!

Wix Velo consists of three main components that grant you various coding powers. We’ll briefly explain each feature below, before going into more detail about them further down the article.

• Database System

This is where you can store all the information you need to populate your website –think images, URLs, product descriptions, etc. Velo’s database system is the foundation for building dynamic pages and repeating layouts.

• JavaScript Snippets

You can access the JavaScript code and create snippets to build custom interactions, such as collapsible menus.

• Wix API (application program interface)

Using the API, you can influence how your website interacts with third-party apps, creating a seamless integration between your website and apps such as Vimeo, Twitter, and Stripe Payments. Again, more on this later.

Very Interested In Velo?

Wix Velo lets you add a whole world of additional functionalities to your website, putting you on par with professional web developers. Try it out today with your Wix Plan.

I Want To Check Out Wix Velo!

Wix Velo raises your Wix website to a new level of advanced functionality. Here are some of the coolest things you can do with Velo:

Database Collections

A database collection is a spreadsheet containing information and media, such as images and product descriptions. You can create your own database collection using Velo, and use it to automatically generate content on your website. Database collections are useful for websites that will need to display a huge variety of unique web pages, such as food recipe websites.

When you enable Wix Velo, your site is automatically connected to Wix Data, providing access to Wix’s built-in databases, which you populate yourself. Alternatively, you can connect your site to an external database using the External Database SPI.

Create Dynamic Pages

Let’s say you’re building a website for your muffin-baking business. After creating your database collection spreadsheet, you can create a single web page in your Wix Editor. From here you will then link each area of the page to the relevant column on your database spreadsheet, e.g. ‘name of muffin’, ‘picture’,  ‘ingredients’, ‘cooking method’ – and Wix Velo will generate individual pages for each database row automatically. In this case, the dynamic page feature will generate individual pages for each muffin recipe automatically.

Repeating Layouts

Having individual pages for each recipe is great for the user, but you might also want to include a snapshot of all of your recipes on one page. This can be done using the Velo repeating layouts feature.

From the “Add Elements” menu in the Wix Editor backend, simply click “List and Grids”, then select your chosen grid layout. Velo will then pull through all of your chosen database fields onto one page.

Custom User Input Forms

Wix Velo makes it easy to collect information from your users, such as reviews, feedback, or user-generated content for a competition.

It’s the same principle as generating on-page content or dynamic template pages except, in this instance, you’ll create an empty database collection. Then, in the editor, you’ll design an empty form, link the text boxes with the relevant empty columns in your spreadsheet, set the mode to “Write” instead of “Read”, and presto! Your users can now write in these empty text boxes. Once the user clicks “Submit”, their answers will be automatically added to your empty table.

Custom Interactions

With Velo, you can create custom behaviors for your web pages by updating the JavaScript code. This means your web pages can react in a different way based on each individual user.

For example, you could create animations that appear while the page is loading, or set up different actions depending on how people answer the questionnaire form you’ve created. Overall, custom interactions make your website more interactive and engaging for users!

APIs

An API is a type of JavaScript message that tells different software how they should interact with each other. Through APIs, you’ll be able to seamlessly integrate your website with third-party plugins, such as Facebook or Vimeo.

API integration is quite advanced and is only really suitable for JavaScript pros. However, you could easily learn about APIs with a little bit of research – check out Wix’s instructional video below for some helpful insights into Velo:

Play

Ready to Give it a Try?

Wix Velo could be the rubber beneath your wheels that your website needs to ride the internet highway. What are you waiting for?

Take me to Wix Velo!

We’ve run through the tops and bottoms of Wix Velo, and hope you feel prepared to explore the world of web development!

Remember, coding is hard. If it was easy, everyone would do it! But Wix Velo gives you a platform where you can learn and experiment with a safety net underneath. Expanding one’s knowledge is crucial to your online journey, and we hope we’ve alleviated some of the anxieties. Happy coding!