I developed a Wechat Mini Program but was unable to relase it.

The Problem

Can I write a software to automate this? This way people don’t have to fumble through all groups they are in and match based on their luck.

There are two parties, the one that offers rides, the other looks for a ride. I can create a marcket place for users to publish, subscribe to and arrange the trip. Both parties can add to this public list, the match is made own users own terms.

The Solution

Since all the activity happens in WeChat, I have decided to use the WeChat MiniProgram framework to build this solution.

There are several benefis to validate the idea quickly:

  1. Auths/Authz is handled by the framework, this is a hard problem I don’t have to solve.
  2. The software reach is as larch as the WeChat ecosystem, that can cover almost all the Chinese users in the U.S.
  3. There is an integrated IDE I can use to develop the program, iteration speed is very fast.
  4. There is build in cloud function and cloud database, scalablity is not an issue.

The cost are minimum:

  1. Learning the MiniProgram framework. It is similar to React Native, not too much new concept.
  2. $30 CNY verificaiton fee to validate the App.
  3. Later I learned that there is a huge cost I did not know when I finish all the software engineering work.

The Engineering Challenges

  1. OpenId permission problems
  2. The Floating edit button problem

The App Release Blocker

Since the app is offering a place for people to carpool, this is regulated, the platform rejects the program. All the work I have put in is all in vain.

Since this is a very large hurdle I am not able to overcome, I might need to circumvent this by rebuilding and distributing this software on to App Store and Androind Store directly.