Introduction to Unqork Applications

Estimated Reading Time:  6 minutes

Overview

Like traditional web applications, Unqork applications are also web-based, and can perform the same tasks and processes. Unqork applications can be module-type or workflow-type applications. Module-type applications let you take advantage of Unqork's Module Builder and its various components to build applications. Workflow-type applications are typically process-specific, letting you create applications that an end-user End-users, also known as Express Users, are the individuals accessing an application through Express View. In most cases, end-users are the customers using the product. can navigate. The versatility of Unqork applications lets you combine modules with workflows to perform any task you require.

Working With Multiple Applications

While we’ve defined the two types of applications in Unqork, many times "application" is an umbrella term to describe an application that consists of multiple applications. Let’s say you're creating a meal-delivery application where customers submit a meal order. Then, a driver picks up the meal from a hub and delivers it to the customer. This application might consist of multiple applications designed to execute the following functions:

1.

Customers use one application to create the order and submit it to the hub.

2.

Drivers use another application to create a profile and select a delivery shift.

3.

Another application assigns routes to drivers based on their availability.

Each application in this example might also have their own respective schemas (orders, drivers, shifts, and routes) defined by a data model. This data model's overall goal is to deliver meals to customers. So, each application contributes to your overall meal-delivery application.

Creating an Application

To create an Unqork application, you must have a workspace to store it. Once you have a workspace, you can create one or more module-type or workflow-type applications inside it.

At the top right of your opened workspace, click + Create App. A modal A modal is a window that appears on top of the content you are currently viewing. displays with three tabs that let you customize your application. For example, you can customize its styling and performance. The following sections define all the options you see in these tabs. After completing the configuration of your application, click Create.

App Details

The App Details tab is where you set up the basic application configuration. This tab lets you assign an application name, select an application type, define the application's entry point, and so on.

Setting	Description
App Name*	Enter a unique application name. It's best practice to choose a name that helps you and your team identify the function of the application. NOTE  Entering a name for your application populates the App Path field in a concise URL format. *The App Name field is required.
App Path*	The URL-friendly format of your application's name. This field can be modified or left with the default path. *The App Path field is required.
App Type*	Use this drop-down to set this application as a module-type or workflow-type application. Depending on your selection, a module or workflow is automatically created in the application. *You must select an App Type.
App Entrypoint*	Specify the module end-users are directed to when they access the application. Or, select New Entrypoint to set the module or workflow as the starting point. Once selected, you must define the entrypoint's module type. *You must assign an App Entrypoint.
Workspace*	Select a workspace to assign the application to. *You must assign the application to a Workspace.
Style	Select a style that end-users End-users, also known as Express Users, are the individuals accessing an application through Express View. In most cases, end-users are the customers using the product. see in Express View Express View is how your end-user views you application. Express View also lets you preview your applications to test your configuration and view the styling. This is also the view your end-users will see when interacting with your application. After configuring a module, click Preview in the Module Builder to interact with the module in Express View.. No selection defaults to the default style specified in Style Administration.
Header Module	Select a custom header module to display in Express View.
Footer Module	Select a custom footer module to display in Express View.
Login Module	Select a custom login module to display in Express View.
Logout Module	Select a custom logout module to display in Express View.
App Description	Use this field to add a description of this application.

Data Settings Tab

The Data Settings tab lets you control your application data by enabling data versioning and WORM (Write Once, Read Many) storage.

Option	Description
Data Versioning	Determines how long data persists in modules. When enabled, Unqork stores all submission revisions belonging to the application. NOTE  Disabling this setting hides the WORM Storage setting. By default, Data Versioning is set to (ON).
WORM Storage	WORM data storage prevents the overwriting or deletion of records. Enabling this setting sends data revisions to a WORM-compliant storage. A slider prompts you to set the number of days data should persist in storage. WARNING  Enabling WORM Storage removes previous submissions and attachments. By default, WORM Storage is set to (OFF).
Enable Application Versioning	Enables Creators to create copies of the application. When set to (ON), Creators can create a new version of the application at any time, retain historical versions for stability, and view and restore prior versions. By default, Application Versioning is set to (OFF). TIP  To learn more about App Versioning, view our Application Versioning article.

Viewing an Application

After creating your application, open it to begin building. Inside each application, a grid of all modules and workflows display. After opening an application, you can search for or filter by a module or workflow, sort the grid, and view any of the modules and workflows stored in the application.

To view an application in a workspace:

1.

Inside your workspace, locate the application you want to view.

2.

From the View App column, select View App. Your application opens in a new tab.

Application Settings

In the upper-right corner, clicking the ··· (ellipsis) button opens the Application Details modal.

App Info

Action	Description
App Name*	The name of the application. *This field must contain a value.
App Path*	The app's file path name. This value displays in the application's HTML link, for example: https://environmentName.unqork.io/app/{{applicationName}}/#/display/moduleId/ where {{applicationName}} is the App Path's value. The App Path value can only contain letters, numbers, and hyphens consistent with HTML file path naming conventions. *This field must contain a value.
Workspace	The workspace ID containing the application.
Style	The style applied to the application. TIP  Create new styles using CSS Cascading Style Sheets (CSS) is a style sheet language used for presenting how a HTML or XML document looks to end-users. stylesheets in Style Administration.
Header Module	The module that displays at the top section of the application. Header modules are only available to preview at the application level. TIP  To learn more about header modules, view our Header Module article.
Footer Module	The module that displays at the bottom section of the application. Footer modules are only available to preview at the application level. TIP  To learn more about footer modules, view our Footer Module article.
App Type	The type of application. Applications can be modules or workflows.
App Entrypoint	The ID of the module or workflow that end-users access first. The app entrypoint is assigned during the app creation process.

Data Settings

Action	Description
Data Versioning	Determines how long data persists in the modules. When set to (ON), Unqork stores all submission revisions belonging to the application. Turning this setting off hides and disables the WORM Storage setting. By default, Data Versioning is set to (ON).
Worm Storage	WORM data storage prevents the overwriting or deletion of records. When set to (ON), sends data revisions to WORM-compliant storage. A slider prompts you to set the number of days data should persist in storage. By default, Worm Storage is set to (OFF). WARNING   Enabling WORM Storage removes previous submissions and attachments. The same applies when turning this option off.
Enable Application Versioning	Enables Creators to create copies of the application. When set to (ON), Creators can create a new version of the application at any time, retain historical versions for stability, and view and restore prior versions. By default, Application Versioning is set to (OFF).

Styling Your Application

As with application configuration, styling your application occurs in the development process. The Unqork’s Styles team can style your environment using custom CSS (cascading style sheets). By default, your application has available styles that you can apply.

TIP  To learn more about creating and uploading your own styles, see our CSS Upload article.

To access environment styles:

1.

At the top right of the top right of the Unqork Designer Platform, click Settings ▾.

2.

Click Administration.

3.

Under Environment, select Style Administration.

4.

From the grid, find the style you want to use.

5.

From the Manage ▾ drop-down, select Set As Default.

TIP  Use the Manage drop-down to edit style descriptions and promote the style from one environment to another.

Promoting Your Application to Another Environment

When you’ve decided it's time to advance your application to the next stage of development, you need to promote the application from its current environment to the next environment, or target environment. Unqork designs environments to support each phase of the SDLC (software development life cycle). Promotion is the process of advancing your application between environments. To promote an application from its current environment to the next, ensure you've selected all the dependent elements that make up the application. These elements might include modules, styles, assets, data collections, and so on. After you’ve determined the necessary elements for the application, select the target environment where you want to promote the application.

NOTE  Keep in mind, modules can belong to more than one application.

Promoting Your Module to Another Environment

In addition to promoting entire applications from one environment to another, the Unqork Designer Platform enables you to promote individual modules from one environment to another. Promoting modules can be helpful if you want to promote a specific module that exists outside of the context of an application.

IMPORTANT  To promote a module that is dependent on an entry point module, the entry point module must be promoted with it or before or it. If the entry point module is not promoted as well, the promotion fails.

TIP  To learn more about promoting applications and modules, see our Release Management Dashboard Tool article.

 

Resources

• Navigating the Homepage

• User Profile

• Introduction to Workspaces

• Navigating All Workspaces

• Navigating an App

 

Estimated Reading Time:  4 minutes

Overview

Unqork provides you the ability to create web applications. In general, a web application is a type of software that uses web browsers to perform tasks. In Unqork, an application is a program that performs the same tasks using web browsers. An Unqork application can be either a module-type or workflow-type application.

Module-Type Applications

To create a module-type application, you must define an entrypoint module. The entrypoint module determines the point of entry into the application. Therefore, the application ID and the entrypoint module ID are consistent.

What Is an Entrypoint?

During the planning process of building an application, it’s important to consider how your end-user interacts with the application. Specifically, how and where your end-user accesses and interacts with your application.

Once you determine the entrypoint, it’s important to consider the application's data model. Does the application create submissions? Should end-users be allowed to update submissions? These are important questions that help you decide permissions for an end-user interacting with submission data.

When creating and updating Unqork submissions as a non-Administrator Express role, saved Property IDs must be present as a component in the module or application where the submission is written. When writing to Unqork submission data, Super-Users (Administrators with Full Submission Access) behave differently than non-Administrators. The Super-User role superseding all RBAC controls for writing Property IDs to Unqork submissions. Therefore, Super-Users can write Property IDs to a module even if the Property ID doesn't exist on the module.

By default, Data Versioning is enabled for every application. That way, Unqork can store any submission revisions that belong to the application. The option to enable WORM (Write Once Read Many) storage is only visible when Data Versioning is set to ON. If you decide that you don’t want end-users to edit, overwrite, or delete any submission data, then you must enable WORM storage. By default, WORM storage is disabled in your application.

TIP  To learn more about WORM storage, see our Workspaces: Inside a Workspace article.

NOTE  WORM storage is only compatible if the entrypoint is a schema module that stores submissions.

Workflow-Type Applications

A workflow-type application is a separate entity than a module-type application. But, workflow-type applications can contain modules linked together to execute a process.

Working With Multiple Applications

Sometimes it might be necessary to create multiple applications. While we’ve defined the two types of applications in Unqork, many times the term application is an umbrella term to describe an application consisting of multiple applications. For example, let’s say you're creating a meal-delivery application where customers submit a meal order. Then, a driver picks up the meal from a hub and delivers it to the customer. This application might consist of multiple applications designed to execute the following functions:

1.

Customers use one application to create the order and submit it to the hub.

2.

Drivers use another application to create a profile and select a delivery shift.

3.

The application assigns routes to drivers based on their availability.

Each application in the above example might also have their own respective schemas (orders, drivers, shifts, and routes) defined by a data model. This data model's overall goal being to deliver meals to customers. That way, each application contributes to your overall meal-delivery application.

Previewing Your Application

Once you create an application, you can preview it from your workspace and application page.

NOTE  For more information on navigating an application, visit our Navigating an Application article.

To preview your application from the workspace page:

1.

Open your workspace.

2.

In the  Applications tab, click  (ellipsis) on the application tile you want to preview. The application settings menu displays.

3.

Select Preview to preview your application in Express View Express View is how your end-user views you application. Express View also lets you preview your applications to test your configuration and view the styling. This is also the view your end-users will see when interacting with your application. After configuring a module, click Preview in the Module Builder to interact with the module in Express View..

To preview your application from the application page:

NOTE  These instructions assume you have already created an application in your workspace.

1.

Open the application you want to preview.

2.

Click Manage ▾.

3.

Select Preview to preview your application in Express View.

You can also view an application preview in Express View using the following application URL path: https://www.{your-environment}unqork.io/app/{appPath}#/display/{moduleId}/{submissionId}/{moduleId}.

For example, an application named application-settings was created in the training environment. The moduleId of the application is 6517325819f7fec671368ff4 and has no submissionId. So, the Express View preview of this application uses the following URL: https://trainingx.unqork.io/app/application-settings#/display/6517325819f7fec671368ff4.

Styling Your Application

As with application configuration, styling your application occurs in the development process. The Unqork’s Styles team can style your environment using custom CSS (cascading style sheets). By default, your application has available styles that you can apply.

TIP  To learn more about creating and uploading your own styles, see our CSS Upload article.

To access environment styles:

1.

At the top right of the top right of the Unqork Designer Platform, click Settings ▾.

2.

Click Administration.

3.

Under Environment, select Style Administration.

4.

From the grid, find the style you want to use.

5.

From the Manage ▾ drop-down, select Set As Default.

TIP  Use the Manage drop-down to edit style descriptions and promote the style from one environment to another.

Promoting Your Application to Another Environment

When you’ve decided it's time to advance your application to the next stage of development, you need to promote the application from its current environment to the next environment, or target environment. Unqork designs environments to support each phase of the SDLC (software development life cycle). Promotion is the process of advancing your application between environments. To promote an application from its current environment to the next, ensure you've selected all the dependent elements that make up the application. These elements might include modules, styles, assets, data collections, and so on. After you’ve determined the necessary elements for the application, select the target environment where you want to promote the application.

NOTE  Keep in mind, modules can belong to more than one application.

Promoting Your Module to Another Environment

In addition to promoting entire applications from one environment to another, the Unqork Designer Platform enables you to promote individual modules from one environment to another. Promoting modules can be helpful if you want to promote a specific module that exists outside of the context of an application.

IMPORTANT  To promote a module that is dependent on an entry point module, the entry point module must be promoted with it or before or it. If the entry point module is not promoted as well, the promotion fails.

TIP  To learn more about promoting applications and modules, see our Release Management Dashboard Tool article.

Resources

• Introduction to Workspaces

• Navigating All Workspaces

• Navigating an App

• Introduction to the Module Builder