The software development food chain. The further down the chain you go, the easier it is to write programs. However, each tool tends to be adept at creating only certain types of programs. There isn't one. In carpentry, you don't hammer nails with a saw.
Hammers tend to make poor saws, too.
The same principle applies to programming. If an application generator can turn out a program that fits your needs in 30 minutes, you'd be foolish not to use it. On the other hand, it would be equally foolish to spend three months coaxing that same tool into doing something it was not meant to do, especially if you could accomplish the same task in two weeks using a different tool. Programmers often have the same problem. You owe it to yourself to be abreast of different tools.