Hi there complete newbie to Thunkable but the software looks amazing and I’d really like to use it in my business. I am looking to create an app to help my company make faster decisions and any advice would be greatly appreciated.
the basics of it is that want to be able to scan the bar code of a product and from there it will tell my employ all the ingredients in that product and if any of the ingredients are the same ingredients found on a master list.
the result would be a pop up or new page showing the employee that the barcode you scanned contains nothing on the master list or it contains 30 grams copper witch is one of the items on the master list that we are currently trying to avoid on our new project.
hope that makes sense
It’s absolutely possible. Is it easy? I’d say no, not if you’re new to Thunkable. I was going to suggest you set aside about 15 hours to make this. When I asked ChatGPT about it, it had a similar response:
Estimated Time to Build: 12–18 hours total
Split across beginner-friendly phases over a few days or weeks.
PHASE 1: Learn Thunkable Basics – 3–4 hours
| Step |
Task |
Time |
| 1 |
Sign up for Thunkable, create first project |
15–30 mins |
| 2 |
Follow tutorials: layout, buttons, inputs, lists |
1–2 hours |
| 3 |
Learn how to preview your app on your phone |
15 mins |
| 4 |
Explore sample projects (especially barcode scanner) |
1 hour |
Outcome: You’ll be able to navigate Thunkable, use components, and preview/test apps.
PHASE 2: Build a Barcode Scanning Prototype – 2–3 hours
| Step |
Task |
Time |
| 1 |
Add Barcode Scanner component |
15–30 mins |
| 2 |
Store test product barcodes and ingredients in a simple table (Airtable or Google Sheets) |
1–1.5 hours |
| 3 |
Display product name and ingredients after scanning |
1 hour |
Outcome: You scan a code, and the app shows you the ingredients for that product.
PHASE 3: Set Up the Master List Comparison – 3–4 hours
| Step |
Task |
Time |
| 1 |
Create your master list (e.g., items to avoid like copper) in the same sheet/database |
30 mins |
| 2 |
Add logic to check if any ingredients in scanned product match the master list |
2–3 hours |
| 3 |
Show the result: safe  or alert  with reason |
30–60 mins |
Outcome: You scan a barcode and get a decision screen — whether the product is clean or contains something from the master list.
PHASE 4: Polish, Test, and Share – 3–5 hours
| Step |
Task |
Time |
| 1 |
Clean up layout and test edge cases |
1 hour |
| 2 |
Test with multiple users (optional) |
1–2 hours |
| 3 |
Set up sharing via Thunkable or publish to devices |
1–2 hours |
Outcome: A simple but functional app that your team can use on phones.