How to Create a Custom App - Part 2

How we have some Form Fields and Form Sections set up in our new app. You could just stop there for a basic app where you just want to collect information. If you'd like to learn how to do more please continue reading. 

We'll cover the following topics:

1. App Actions
2. Access Control List
3. Automations

Open the menu and go to Settings > Apps, and select your app. You can also use the search function to get there faster, just start typing 'Apps'. Select the app you've been building and then select 'App Actions'. 

App Actions

App Actions allow you to add custom actions to various places within your app. Think of them as custom choices within various options menus within your apps. 

Create App Action

There are a few elements to take into consideration when creating a new App Action, you can see the details for each of them in the table below:

Once you have saved your App Action, if you go to the detail page of any record of that App, the App Action will be available according to the configured placement options.

Edit App Action

Select the "..." icon next to the app action name and click the 'Edit' button. Make your changes and save once you are done. 

Deactivate / Activate App Action

Select the "..." icon next to the name of the app action and click on 'Deactivate'. To start using it again, click the 'Show deactivated' checkbox to show all App Actions and click 'Reactivate' in the same menu you used previously. 

Reorder App Actions

You can change the order in which the buttons appear on the detail page, just click the 'Reorder' button and drag & drop your App Actions in the desired order. Then just save your changes.

Automations

In order for the App Actions to do something, it is necessary to create an Automation for them. There are different types of Automations available, from the creation of new records or tasks to more elaborated ones, like those based on Custom Code. To learn more about Automations and how to create them, please visit the following tutorial:
Automations

Custom Code App Actions

FreeAgent CRM allows you to easily set up powerful App Actions via custom code.  When creating a new App Action select 'Custom Code' or 'Bulk' within the Type field to enable the custom code window below:


This code will now be editable and with a few simple modifications, you can create a robust App Action.  Through this feature, you will empower your team to achieve seemingly complex flows with the simple click of a button.

Custom Code Examples

Let's use custom code to set up an App Action.  For this example, we will be setting up an 'Add Contact' button within the Accounts app which will appear on the detail page of any given account.

From here your team will be able to quickly create a new contact directly from the Accounts app.

To get started, navigate to the App Actions page of your Accounts app.  Click on 'Add New App Action.'  Set the Required Fields as shown below:

Note that the 'Placement' field must have one selection, in this case, the 'Detail Page,' but multiple placements for the App Action button can be selected.

Now it's time to input the custom code to enable the App Action.  In the 'Custom Code' field that is now editable, enter the following code and click 'Save.'  You've just created an 'Add Contact' App Action.

(function(record, context){
const accountId = record.id;
const accountFields = record.field_values;
const accountIndustry = accountFields.industry_catalog_id;
const accountName = accountFields.name;
context.clientAPI.showModal('entityFormModal', {
entity: 'contact',
initialValues: {
first_name: `${accountName.value} Contact`,
industry_id: { id: accountIndustry.value, name: accountIndustry.display_value },
logo_id: { id: accountId, name: accountName.value },
}
});
}(record, context));

This code can be formatted and applied to different use cases, refer to this table:

Modifying the following code segment will allow you to choose the App functionality of your button:

entity: 'contact', 

For instance, let's create a 'New Quote' button within the Opportunity App.  The process will be similar, create an App Action within the Opportunity App.  Name the App Action 'New Quote' and choose your desired placement(s). 

You will use the base custom from the previous example, with a few changes.  Refer to the above table to set your desired field configurations and make this code change:

 entity: 'quote',

Click 'Save' and now you will have a custom App Action button to create a New Quote from a given Opportunity.

Refer to our most popular use case to see a sample of custom code and how to modify the parameters: Publish Via PDF Template

Form Rules for App Actions

You can create a set of conditions for App Actions. If those conditions are not met, then it doesn't matter how many times you click the App Action button, nothing is going to happen. To learn more about them,  please visit the following tutorial:
Form Rules 

Access Control Lists

With FreeAgent CRM Access Control List (ACLs) you have the option to limit the access your team members have in your Apps, based on their Roles, in two different levels:

• Field - Limits write or read access to a specific field.
• Record - Limits create, delete, update, or read access to the records.

You can use conditions to further specify when a role should have limited access to those operations.

User Permissions: Only Administrators can use this feature.

Navigate to Access Control Lists

Go to Settings > Apps then select your desired app and click on the 'Access Control List' tab. You can also use the search function to get there faster, just start typing 'Access Control List'.

Create a New Access Control List (ACL)

To get started, click the 'Add Access Control List' button. Here is a detail of the information needed to create an ACL.

Next, if needed, you can create Conditions. These are especially useful when you expect the ACL to work only when certain circumstances occur. 

Conditions

Note: conditions can only be created for ACLs for Records. 

It is also possible to create conditions for the Access Control List. These rules are inclusive, meaning that all the rules you specify need to occur for the ACL to work. Just click 'Add Conditions' to create your own set of rules.

The operators will vary according to the type of field selected. Here is the list of those available:

Special Considerations

There are some things to keep in mind when creating ACLs.

• Only the selected roles will be able to perform the selected operation. If the role is not part of the list, they won't be able to perform it..
• Conditions shouldn't be added when the ACL Type is Record and the operation is 'Create'. Since the record doesn't exist yet, there is no information available to match the fields used in the conditions.
• Once you create an ACL of type Record for any operation, it is required that you create ACLs for the other operations. If you only add one for 'Create', the other operations are not going to be available for any team member. 

For more information on Access Control Lists see the following articles:

• Access Control Lists
• Roles and Access Control Lists

Automations

Automations help you and your organization do more, automatically. You can use them to:

• Assign Work
• Do Work Automatically
• Integrate FreeAgent to other systems or processes.

User Permissions: Only Administrators can create automations. 

Automations are a powerful tool within FreeAgent. To learn more see the following article:

• Automations

Navigate to Automations

Go to Settings > Advanced > Automations. 

Create a New Automation

To get started, click the 'Add Automation' button.

Give your automation a name and select the App for which you are creating it. 

Choose a Trigger

Now you will specify when this automation should be triggered.  The following table describes each trigger option available in this step.

Note: For all triggers that include an 'Update', you will need to select one more multiple fields that will be used to trigger the automation if they are updated and match the conditions (if available). 

To learn more about App Actions, please visit the following tutorial:
App Actions

To see an example of a Schedule Automation, please visit the following tutorial:
Schedule Automations

Conditions

It is also possible to add one or more conditions to the automation. These rules are inclusive, meaning that all the rules you specify need to occur for the automation to be triggered. Just click 'Add Conditions' to create your own set of rules.

The operators will vary according to the type of field selected. Here is the list of those available:

Actions

The next section is where you specify the Actions for your automation. This will allow you to define what will happen when the conditions you set up before occur. 

There are numerous different Action types available. To learn more about them, click on the following tutorial:

• Action Types

Your automation can have either a single action or multiple ones, and they could be a combination of the two types available.

How to Create a Custom App - Part 3