Need Help With Solving An Issue Of Testing A Custom Widget

[SamLee1]

When testing my custom widget, this link: https://........./webappbuilder/?id=2 will not refresh my custom widget with it's new features that I implemented. But this link does: https://.............:3344/webappviewer/?config=sample-configs/config-demo-MyWidget.json. Why is that the case? How can I test it with the first link?

[RobertScheitlin__GISP · Accepted solution]

Sam,

  Sounds like you may be in the same boat as this user the other day. See my reply to his post.

https://community.esri.com/thread/244945-web-app-builder-has-horrible-experience 

[SamLee1]

Hello Robert,

I have read your response. Is that where you are supposed to be developing your custom widget?

[RobertScheitlin__GISP]

That is one correct workflow method (that I prefer).

[SamLee1]

Which is the main way people use to develop a custom widget?

[RobertScheitlin__GISP]

That's hard to say without polling a sample group. But lets just say as the owner of the Web AppBuilder Custom Widgets space and the largest contributor of custom widget, you are safe to use my preferred method.  

[KenBuja]

Another way to develop a widget is to use the tools and methodology available here:

GitHub - Esri/generator-esri-appbuilder-js: Yeoman generator to help customize Esri's WebAppBuilder 

Most of this is about generating all the files and directory structure for a widget, but it also talks about keeping your widget edits synced up with your app (see "Running the Grunt Tasks" section).