#tabletop.js

Have you ever used Google Spreadsheets with something like Tabletop.js to create a miniature ad-hoc CMS?

I'm working on something named Flatsheet that is intended to solve that problem more effectively.

Flatsheet is a tool for managing tabular data with a friendly editor and a simple JSON API. The editor allows the creation of rows and columns of data, similar to a spreadsheet. The JSON API exposes that data so it can be easily utilized by websites and applications.

The current goals are to improve the editor UI to create the simplest possible editing experience, to create integrations with other tools, like syncing with Google Spreadsheets and dat, and to allow group collaboration on a dataset through the UI.

The prototype is built with Rails, Postgresql, Backbone, and modules from npm.

How can I use it?

Right now you can test out Flatsheet by creating an account and uploading a CSV file or a JSON file that contains an array of flat objects.

When you view your sheet you'll see a link for the API endpoint for that sheet. Make a GET request for that endpoint and you're ready to integrate the dataset into your app.

Check out the documentation.

Important: This is a prototype, so while we'll preserve any data that exists on the system when upgrading to new versions of the app, remember that Flatsheet is in heavy development and may change at any time. The project is open source, so you can set up your own instance of Flatsheet if you wish.

So this is open source? Can I contribute?

Heck yeah, bud.

Fork the repo here: github.com/flatsheet/flatsheet-prototype

There's also the beginnings of a javascript API client here: github.com/flatsheet/flatsheet-javascript-client

The parts that make up Flatsheet will always be open source, so you'll be able to run your own instance on your own server if needed.

What happens next?

Conducting user testing with the existing proof of concept version of the project, and iteratively creating new versions of flatsheet based on what's learned from each round of user testing.

Writing documentation, developing API client libraries (the javascript client is in development), creating example projects that show usage of the API, and integrating with related tools.

If you'd like to stay updated you can sign up here and I'll let you know when big things happen with Flatsheet

Let me know what you think