Publish an App

Publishing an app in OpenFlower transitions it from a Editing State to a live (published) state. This allows users to access and interact with the app based on the sharing and publishing settings defined by the App Creator.

Publishing States

1. Editing State:

   • Apps in this state can only be accessed via the /preview endpoint by allowed users and user-groups.

   • Changes made to the app are reflected in real-time during editing but are not visible to end-users until published.

2. Published State:

   • The most recent version of the app at the time of publishing becomes the official published version.

   • The published version remains unchanged until a new publish action is performed, even if further edits are made to the app in the meantime.

   • Published apps are accessible via the /view endpoint.

Publishing Scope

An app can be published with different scopes, determining who can access the app:

1. Selected User Groups or Users:

   • The app can be published (shared) to specific user groups or individual users within a workspace.
   • Only those with explicit access will be able to view the app. This option allows the app to be viewed by allowed users via the /view endpoint.

2. Public to All:

   • The app can be published as "public to all", making it accessible to anyone, including non-logged-in users and users from different workspaces.

   • This option allows the app to be viewed by anyone via the /view endpoint.

Access Control

• If an app is not shared publicly and a user without the appropriate permissions try to access it, an error message will be displayed.

• For anonymous users (not logged in), attempting to access a non-public app will redirect them to the /user/auth endpoint for sign-in or sign-up.

Marketplace Publishing

Apps can also be published to OpenFlower marketplaces:

1. Public to Marketplace:

   • After sharing the app as "public to all", it can be further published to the marketplace.

   • This makes the app available in the marketplace listings, either globally at https://prod-us1.openflower.org/ or within individual OpenFlower installations.

Workflow for Publishing an App

1. Development and Preview:

   • Develop the app in the editing state.

   • Use the /preview endpoint to test and view changes during development.

2. Publish the App:

   • Select the appropriate user groups, users, or choose to make the app "public to all". in the "Share" dialogue.

   • When ready, publish the app to create the official live version.

   • The published app is now accessible via the /view endpoint.

3. Marketplace Publication (Optional):

   • If desired, mark the app as "public to All" in the sharing dialogue. Now you can see the second option switch "Public to marketplace"

   • Then, publish the app to the marketplace as you publish other apps too.

   • The app will be listed in the global or local OpenFlower marketplace.

Global Marketplace means, if you published the app for the Marketplace on https://prod-us1.openflower.org/

Adding Title, Description, Category and Icon

In the left App-Settings Menu, you can add Title, Description, Category, and an Icon to your App, so the display is informative.

Adding Application Meta Information help to make the app display informative.