Building a directory app with Adalo
An app that lists places, people or businesses that visitors can browse and filter.
Directories are usually seeded with imported data, then made discoverable with filters. Both steps have well-known failure modes.
What this kind of app usually needs
- A list of entries with a photo, category and location
- Category and location filters
- A detail page for each entry
- A way to import your starting data from a spreadsheet
- A submission form so people can add entries
The parts that take the most work
Importing the initial data
CSV imports fail on inconsistent columns, mixed date formats and blank required properties.
Category filtering
An "All" option in a category filter returns nothing unless you handle it explicitly.
Deep links to entries
Sharing a single entry needs an encoded deep link that passes an id.