How to build and publish your first project

Sign in and start a new project

After your Biscuit account is created (and approved, in case you were added to the waitlist), you’ll land on the Biscuit dashboard. If this is your first time, the dashboard will be empty.Click New Project. The next screen is where you describe your app. If you have an idea, type it in. If you’re exploring, pick one of the example apps under the prompt box.If you have screenshots, PDFs, or a blog post that describes the app you want, click the attach icon and upload them; Biscuit uses them as reference.

Try this prompt

I want to build a simple notes app where I can save text notes, find them by keyword, and browse by date.

Pick the features

After you submit the prompt, Biscuit suggests a list of features. Check the ones you want, uncheck the ones you don’t, click Suggest more if you want it to think of additional ideas, and write your own if you have some features in mind. Click Next when you’re happy with the list.

Watch the canvas build

The canvas is your sketch view. Biscuit lays out each screen of your app as a frame on the canvas. Use this phase to explore the design before you commit.To make a change, click Edit, select a UI component, and prompt the change (“remove this”, “make the buttons bigger”, “use a darker color for the header”).Optionally, select any screen, click Explore, and pick from Different layouts, Different styles, New color schemes, or Surprise me. Biscuit builds a few variations side by side. Pick the one you like, deselect the rest.

Build the app

Once the canvas looks right, click Build. Biscuit sets up the database, the workflows, and the live version of your app. The canvas turns into a working preview.

Add sample data

Biscuit asks how to seed the database. Three options:

• Generate sample data lets Biscuit populate it for you.
• Upload your files takes a PDF, CSV, or Excel file you already have.
• Import from website pulls data from an existing site.

Test the app

Use the preview to add records, click around, and check that everything works. The view selector at the top lets you switch between desktop, tablet, and mobile, and between yourself, an anonymous user, and another logged-in user.

Publish

Click Publish in the top-right. Biscuit gives you a default URL on the .bsct.so domain. Edit the slug if you want a different one, then click Continue. Add an app icon, check the website info, and let Biscuit run its safety check. When it passes, click Publish, and that’s it: your app is live!

Connect a custom domain (optional)