# Ideas for simplifying custom node creation

**URL:** https://discourse.nodered.org/t/ideas-for-simplifying-custom-node-creation/83228
**Category:** Developing Nodes
**Created:** [27 November 2023 18:15 UTC](https://discourse.nodered.org/t/ideas-for-simplifying-custom-node-creation/83228 "2023-11-27T18:15:35Z")
**Posts on this page:** 1
**Showing post:** 19

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### Author: ![gregorius](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex026/user_avatar/discourse.nodered.org/gregorius/32/73816_2.png) [@gregorius](https://discourse.nodered.org/u/gregorius)
#### Post date: [16 January 2024 12:24 UTC](https://discourse.nodered.org/t/ideas-for-simplifying-custom-node-creation/83228/19 "2024-01-16T12:24:35Z")

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Screenshot from the [nodedev](https://flows.nodered.org/node/@gregoriusrippenstein/node-red-contrib-nodedev) package:

 ![Screen Shot 2024-01-16 at 13.17.11](https://us1.discourse-cdn.com/flex026/uploads/nodered/original/3X/b/5/b5cfcdcf632af18f5fcc83563d78606e68b0fc77.png)

That's the NodeFactory node that generates template files for a new node. That latest addition was the minify node that makes the node appear without a label in the workspace.

Using the NR UI and yes, have to agree all those buttons and dials makes it confusing to create a new node but then again, remember which html, js or json files I need for a new node is even more confusing... 😉

As I've been going along and discovered the button feature or the sidebar nodes or the config nodes, I've added those features to the templates so I don't have to remember this stuff.

I talked a little more about NodeDev over [here](https://discourse.nodered.org/t/options-for-simplifying-custom-node-runtime-code/84576/11) - it's certainly not simple but then again, copying a bunch of files around and finding all the spots where I need to change something for a new node isn't simpler.

Edit: another part of that package is the package importer sidebar node:

![Screen Shot 2024-01-16 at 13.27.00](https://us1.discourse-cdn.com/flex026/uploads/nodered/original/3X/2/9/295bc79542888f6d3d05ec75d0cf321790ceda02.png)

What that does is import the code of any package I like. It imports the code as nodes in my NR flow, with that, I can easily find out how others solve problems that I'm having.

It's a bit confusing since it opens the import dialog:

 ![Screen Shot 2024-01-16 at 13.29.20](https://us1.discourse-cdn.com/flex026/uploads/nodered/original/3X/0/1/01362b4498f3ae0d38c7f8fe4030a948c28d07bc.png)

but after doing the import, I have the entire code:

 ![Screen Shot 2024-01-16 at 13.29.38](https://us1.discourse-cdn.com/flex026/uploads/nodered/original/3X/e/b/eb880ee708bb537302d11bf3240c550139e8d36f.png)

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