WeChat mini program development tutorial, eight questions that most people get wrong

Mini programs are currently a hot topic, with countless media and companies taking advantage of the opportunity to gain reading traffic.

This once again proves that whatever WeChat wants to be popular, it can really make it popular. No one in China has this kind of ability, and neither does the government.

But a lot of the news spreading around is distorted. Without further ado, let’s list 8 issues that most people get wrong:

1. The mini program is HTML5;

2. The mini program is B/S;

3. You can access the mini program by modifying the M station;

4. The mini program experience is not good;

5. The mini program is suitable for low-frequency and long-tail applications;

6. The mini program is new Appstore;

7. Mini programs cannot be built, and the demand is not high;

8. Mini programs will be built, but they will coexist with native applications for a long time. .

The above 8 conclusions are drawn by many people based on intuition. However, after in-depth investigation and thinking, we found that intuition is far from the truth.

Note: This article has both technical and commercial aspects. Those who do not understand technology can only read the commercial related ones.

1. Mini program is not HTML5

Mini program is a newly defined specification of WeChat. It is based on XML+JS. It does not support or be compatible with HTML, and is compatible with limited CSS. Writing method.

The picture above shows the code directory of a small program. The suffix names are wxml, wxss and js.

However, WeChat’s full name definition of wxml is not weixin xml, but WeiXin Markup Language, which is very domineering and has a sense of its own system. Of course wxss is also WeiXin Style Sheets.

Because many people pronounce xml as Ximeier, please don’t pronounce it wrong now. Don’t pronounce it as Dabuliucha Meier, but pronounce it as WeChat Meier.

The following is a wxml example. Compared with the early XML, the writing method of curly brace template is expanded.

Although it is XML that requires strong closure, the if writing method is different from standard XML.

In the JS part, the mini program supports ECMAScript6. Since there is no Web, naturally DOM and Window cannot be used, and jQuery is even less relevant.

Many novices say that JS is not part of HTML? HTML is managed by W3C, and JS is managed by ECMA International. JS is a ubiquitous interpretive scripting language. In addition to browsers, there are also Nodejs running on servers, nodewebkit running on PCs and Macs...

In other words, the mini program is based on WeChat A set of markup languages ​​defined by XML and JS, a new ecosystem, and a light OS.
Development tools and UI frameworks are also made by Tencent. In the past, the third-party tools and framework ecology on the Web were completely useless.

That is, small program developers will be an independent profession.

Some training institutions are very busy. In this new ecosystem, everything has to be restarted.

By the way, I would also like to clarify a misunderstanding. Mini programs have nothing to do with Tencent X5 engine. X5 is from the QQ browser team and is based on HTML, but the mini program is self-developed by the WeChat team.

2. Mini programs are not a focus of B/S

WeChat promotion. They are easily accessible and do not require installation.

But the mini program is not an online page of B/S, it is a C/S architecture.

In wxml, connect to the server through wx.request (similar to ajax) or socket.

Many people don’t understand why C/S applications can be used instantly without installation. In fact, this is not WeChat’s first initiative. The first one is DCloud’s streaming application. As long as it is a dynamic language and has appropriate algorithms, you can first download part of the program and run it, and then download it while using it, similar to streaming media.

Don’t forget that WeChat also promotes powerful offline capabilities. After all, the screen switching experience of B/S is terrible, so C/S can have a better user experience.

I just don’t know how WeChat will manage the space occupied by mini programs. Anyway, WeChat will definitely get bigger and bigger in the future.

3.M station cannot be transformed into a small program

In fact, if you understand the first two points, you will naturally understand the third point. An HTML-based, B/S M station has nothing to do with mini programs.

The bosses may think that the M station or the Wap station in the previous public account can be connected to the mini program by simply changing it, and then they are incomprehensible to the construction period reported by the engineer. At this time, the engineer can forward this article to the boss. , a small program is equivalent to remaking an App, and it is a separate set from development, design, testing, operation and maintenance upgrades. Oh, you also have to add learning costs and risks. It is unlikely that such a new thing will be successful at once.

If you have a Wap station with a service account before, you cannot give up the service account and only do small programs, so your business will be maintained by multiple parties.

There is a big question here, that is, is the ROI (return on investment) positive when making a version of a small program? It is definitely expensive to open a new product line and maintain it for a long time. Is the corresponding user traffic large enough? Is the ARPU value (value per user) high enough? Can the investment be recovered? This problem is a bit big, so let’s talk about it separately.

4. Is the experience of mini programs not as good as native applications? Contrary

I know this view is a bit counterintuitive to most people. But the world is changing.

User experience is affected by many factors. In the past, the experience we talked about was mainly the smooth operation after entering the application. Regarding this dimension, many opinions are: As for small programs, the operational fluency is based on the difference between the Web and the native App.

In fact, with the development of mobile phone hardware and networks, users cannot feel the difference between the smooth operation of small programs and native ones on mobile phones launched within two years, including low-end phones with a few hundred yuan. In fact, before mini programs, HTML5+ and React Native had already achieved this.

And you can also think about it the other way around. Mini programs are WeChat’s most important strategy in the second half of the mobile Internet. If the operation fluency is not good, will Zhang Xiaolong come out on the platform and approve it to go online?

In addition to operational smoothness, user experience is also affected by many links.

One thing that is not common in other developer ecosystems is that WeChat has developed a UI framework and emphasizes the consistency of the experience of each mini program. It hopes that when users use various mini programs in WeChat, the UI will be basically the same. , users will not feel confused and do not need to learn and adapt.

Then WeChat also has a unified account login system, coupled with the characteristics of the mini program itself that is at your fingertips, then imagine the user’s comprehensive experience: constantly using various kinds of things that are at your fingertips, just go when you use them, Mini programs with consistent UI experience, smooth operation, and no need to log in or register are quite enjoyable. This experience is even better than using native applications.

As the times have developed to the point where the operating experience of the App can no longer be significantly improved, the user experience pain points have shifted from the simple smoothness of operating in the App to other places. If you still hold on to the old ideas, you will only be surpassed by competing products that change your thinking.

5. Mini programs are not only suitable for low-frequency or long-tail applications

When the iPhone first came out of the Appstore, entrepreneurs were indeed the first to be active in it, but in the end everyone was involved.

The design goal of the mini program is a large ecosystem, and it is not positioned to only absorb low-frequency long-tail applications. It was only a matter of time before everyone was involved.

Some people think that too deep an entrance will cause high-frequency applications to remain on the desktop, but the depth of the entrance will evolve. If WeChat feels that the current depth of the entrance affects user convenience, it will immediately improve it. A shortcut will be created on the desktop. Don’t be surprised if one day WeChat launches an independent desktop launcher or mini program entrance App. The core of the next generation of WeChat is no longer the communication app WeChat. The core is already a huge ecosystem of small programs. It doesn’t matter which entrance you enter from. Oh, by the way, don’t be surprised if Tencent entrusts OEMs to produce mobile phones that cannot install native applications. Oh, don’t be surprised if iPhone users can replace their phones for 0 yuan.

I'm off topic, but there is indeed a sequential relationship in the current ecological development of small programs. Low-frequency ones come first than high-frequency ones, and barefoot ones come first than those wearing shoes.

Players who have a large number of native apps are the ones wearing shoes. They hope that users will continue to keep their native apps on the desktop.

In the first half of the mobile Internet, there is a rule of the game: because the emphasis is on Apps, users generally only have one App for each category on their mobile phones, so the one who spends money to buy the most traffic will be the final winner, while competing products It is very difficult to win over users again.

The remaining big players who had burned countless amounts of money in the first half must have extremely complicated emotions when faced with the change in the rules of the game.
But there is no solution to the complexity. Tencent’s own sons and godsons occupy most of the mobile Internet. In the mini program, there will be big players from the beginning. Whether other competitors will follow, I have to follow with complicated feelings.

Of course, the most embarrassing thing is Alibaba and Baidu, watching others draw your blood but unable to think of a way.

6. Mini programs are not app stores, they are OS

Many people say that WeChat wants to be an app store, but they can only say that WeChat is too underestimated because they obviously want to be an operating system.
Zhang Xiaolong was planning an app account in 2015. How could it be a small business like an app store after being behind closed doors for more than a year? The app store is just a distribution link in the OS ecosystem, and WeChat does not intend to make distribution money.

Domestic app stores are all centralized traffic distribution and are in the business of selling traffic. What users see is not the best one, but the one with the highest bid. Not only the app store, Baidu is also having this problem now. By the way, I would like to complain about Baidu’s third law of search: the highest bidder has the most confidence in his own website, which is the most valuable to the end user.

WeChat obviously does not have this idea. WeChat’s decentralization is actually a mechanism to ensure that good products receive greater traffic. This mechanism is very conducive to the start of the ecosystem.

A small program that does not need to be downloaded to refresh the rankings. WeChat will collect users’ actual usage, repeated usage rate, and new communication trends to recommend the best to you.

No more talking about distribution. Mini programs are indeed built according to OS standards, and the development language and IDE are all self-contained. When Facebook launched React Native, it did not build an IDE, and everything was open source. However, WeChat's ambition is different. It really wants to build and control the ecosystem from beginning to end, and it is a closed ecosystem, just like the iOS ecosystem. Even developers of small programs have to pay hundreds of yuan in annual fees every year like iOS developers.

Some people may think that the native OS of mobile phones is the boss, and this kind of secondary ecosystem cannot be developed. In fact, on PCs, the Internet on Windows is a second-level ecosystem, which is larger than the native Windows ecosystem. Flash was considered a third-level ecosystem at the beginning. If it were not suppressed by HTML5, it would be very large. But there is indeed a problem. Apple is extremely closed. It is very difficult for the second-level ecology on Apple to become large, but Android is different. Especially China’s Android is not controlled by Google like abroad. If someone messes with it abroad, Google Play can remove it from the shelves, but in China, no one can do anything with WeChat.

Having said that, I would like to sincerely thank the Chinese government. Your wise decision has created an opportunity for the Chinese Internet to lead the world. Abroad, Apple and Google are vested interests and no one has been able to shake them yet. However, such an opportunity has emerged in China. In the second half of the mobile Internet, China will finally begin to lead the world!

If the Chinese government can kill Apple in the name of antitrust laws when Apple removes WeChat, it will be a big help (should WeChat pay me a consulting fee?).

7. Is the demand for small programs not strong? There are many futures that you would never have imagined if you had not experienced them

Ford said that if you ask users what kind of transportation they want, the users will say they want a faster horse, and no one will think that cars are the future.

When the iPhone was released, Nokia and BlackBerry laughed and said: full touch screen is unreliable, and buttons are the best user experience. Then before he died, he said: We didn't do anything wrong, we don't know why this happened.

So the core concept of the mini program: "at your fingertips", is it user demand and is it the future direction?
Of cause! This is the same as the capacitive touch screen. It touches the bottom of human nature and can make your cerebral cortex feel happy.

All things that make people happy are the direction of development. And once an influential giant does it, it becomes an irreversible way forward.

WeChat is a product that understands human nature very well and is good at making people happy. Once you enjoy it, you can’t go back.
Imagine the divine feeling of having everything at your fingertips. Your mobile phone is full of reliable, high-quality services that don’t require adapting to the UI, and don’t require logging in or registering. They are at your fingertips and can be used up and away. It’s so cool. Then you become its advocate to prove you're cooler. If someone is using a native application, you will tell him: Hi, don’t you know about mini programs? Why are you still using such a big and cumbersome program? If a developer's application only has a native version, you will scold: What kind of old-fashioned manufacturer is this? It actually allows me to download and install it, no need!

8. Will mini programs and native applications coexist for a long time? Native will surely decline

Mini program ecology is the next generation substitute for native ecology and is an evolutionary product of the times. Of course, Windows native applications will not disappear, but most services are on the Internet. This is what mini programs are interested in. Mail clients and the like should not be used in mini programs, but the various services you currently use in your PC browser will all be included in the ecological scope of mini programs.

After the emergence of mini programs, the native ecology and its confrontation will make history go backwards and make no sense. Just like when WeChat impacted the SMS business of operators, the confrontation between telecom operators was meaningless.

The one that fights against mini programs will not be the native ecology, but other mini program-like ecology within reach.

After the big catfish like WeChat comes in, many giants such as Apple and Google will react. It’s not that they have no skills, it’s just that they are very comfortable just lying down and making money, and they are unwilling to sacrifice their lives, but how long it will take for them to implement the action remains unclear. It’s hard to say, after all, it doesn’t seem cost-effective to revolutionize the world market just for the sake of the Chinese market.

Some people think that the process of killing native applications will be very long. In fact, the progress of this process is controlled by WeChat.
The more radical WeChat does, the more serious the backlash will be from those who have vested interests in the past; however, boiling frogs in warm water kills the original ecology, and there is a problem of low success in cultivating user habits.

Mini programs are a brand new thing after all. Cultivating the habits of C-side users requires a tipping point, and WeChat naturally has no shortage of detonating capabilities.

When I wanted to make a game, I would masturbate when I opened the screen, and then everyone was masturbating.

When we first wanted to make payments, we launched group red envelopes, and then everyone was grabbing the red envelopes, which instantly overturned Alipay’s status.

The mini program will be open to mobile phone users in November. Now there must be more than one draft of the explosive design. For example, a very fun mini program will be launched when the screen is opened, causing a craze for everyone to use mini programs, and then all Developers who are waiting and watching will all jump into the sea. Then WeChat continued to launch things like comparing the cleanliness of mobile phones among friends, and continued to connect high-quality mini programs with user needs. After half a year, no one downloaded native applications, and after half a year, the originally installed native applications Most of them have been removed.

What about those who have been subverted? Just like Jack Ma claimed it was a sneak attack on Pearl Harbor after the WeChat red envelope came out, but he didn’t have the atomic bomb to fight back. In fact, the mini program is not a sneak attack on Pearl Harbor, it is a dimensionality reduction strike, just like the words left by the Trisolarans: Destroying you has nothing to do with you.

8 common misunderstandings have been explained, and let’s briefly talk about the opportunities and threats in mini programs.

The opportunity for small program entrepreneurship lies in:

1. The talent market, because small program engineers will have a dividend that will grow rapidly from 0, including online and offline training, Recruitment, book publishing and other related fields will enjoy a bonus.

2. If you are a barefoot entrepreneur, then go all out and make small programs seriously, abandon the original, redesign the product based on the characteristics of WeChat users, make it light and service-oriented, you must Just use it and go, don't think about keeping it the next day, the most important thing is to enjoy it at that time.

3. Make full use of social features to provide social services, such as multi-person interaction and upstream and downstream linkage. Mini programs can be sent to groups and circles of friends. Thinking about social products such as group red envelopes, there is a lot of room for imagination.

4. Give full play to offline advantages and provide offline merchant services. The offline code scanning entrance is basically the world of WeChat.

5. Because some giants such as Alibaba and Baidu will not enter mini programs, leaving a space for entrepreneurs.

6. In fact, the opportunity I mentioned publicly may not be an opportunity...

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