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Show HN: Hyper Workspace – A no-code framework for JSON

9 points by fdb75017 12 hours ago | 1 comment

Hello HN !

I'm Florian, and I would like to share with you a project I've been working on over the past few months: Hyper Workspace.

Before working in tech, I have been in the finance industry for more than 10 years. During this time, I've experienced using Excel+VBA and Python notebooks as main interfaces, but never felt completely satisfied. Interfacing potentially complex and nested objects that you need to consume in your applications is still a pain. Modern browsers can offer much more in terms of UI / UX, especially when coupled with JSON data representation, but they require to write and deploy specific code, use a rendering library... and I believe there is a better way: JSON deserves a fully horizontal framework, abstracting web semantics, and filling the gap between data, views and behavior.

To this end, I've been trying to shape Hyper Workspace so that it can provide no-code tools to build Documents':

   - Fields: strongly typed, deeply nested and potentially recursive, data structures (inspired by Typescript).

   - Views: drag n' drop configuration of documents' pages (ie sub-objects): layout, fields, widgets, actions, graphs.

   - Methods: visual configuration of your "business logic" using a Domain Specific Language, plugged at every layer of your data structure, with an "object-oriented programming" philosophy. Builtin "Modules" can be used to add more functionalities.

You can build "standalone" Documents (like spreadsheets) but also Collections where Records share the same Schema, like a NoSQL version of Airtable. Unstructured data (pdf, images, audio, video) are stored as "Files" that can be linked inside Documents.

All this in a multi-desktops OS-looking environment. You will find a complete documentation inside your workspace.

So far, this is a purely local application that stores everything in your IndexedDB. It can be installed locally (PWA) and will then work completely offline. No account required and nothing leaves your device.

This is more the early stage of a framework than a complete product, but I hope it can shed a light on a potential new way to "configure" interfaces or even workflows, given that Documents can be seen as stateful representations of business processes. Builtin "Modules" are the key to extending the framework's capabilities: calling APIs, using AI agents to structure or query documents, or even take action...

I'd love to read your feedbacks, questions and ideas on it, and see together what could make it useful for you !

Thanks ! Florian

huem0n 3 hours ago

I've felt your exact pain: I can only give normal people spreadsheets, because they don't know how to interact with any other data structure. It's a serious problem.

I'm super impressed. I love the names (text not string) and extra fields (like the multiple choice and tensor). But I'm a bit concerned about the complexity. Don't answer these, I figured it out, but this is how it felt: how do I make an array (numbered list) vs a named list (object)? I didn't realize the intro document itself was, well, a document. I was thinking it was a typical website with a sidebar. Script, whiteboard, simulator (??) I though json was just a hierarchy. Schema, Interface, raw data, json. Its a lot of jargon. Is a document a type of json object? Is there a fundamental difference between whiteboard file and a document file? Is a whiteboard a type of document? Can a document be a field in a document? When editing an item, do I need to fill out the interface, methods, snapshot, etc. Where is the save/submit button? (I known their isn't one, but I kinda expect a "I'm adding a new field, okay I'm done adding it and want to go back to a table-of–contents view") I think the UI needs to answer these because it feels overwhelming). You probably even explain it in text somewhere, but let's be real; IRL people aren't going to read the docs.

Good news is, I think its easy fixes; hide the templates the first time someone is making something (only let them make a doc). Hide the methods, snapshots, etc too. Wait till they've done some stuff. Change the "x" button to "save" even though its not really saving.

The windowing system is really impressive, and I've always loved the detached tables of MacOS's spreadsheets. But at the moment I think it adds to the overwhelming feeling.

Don't let my criticisms weigh you down though! I would've been happy if this had 1/10th of the features.