App Publish

In Clappia, publishing an app doesn’t mean making it available on the internet or releasing it to the public. It simply refers to whether the app appears in the Workplace view for users who have access to it.

The App Publish option under the Distribute tab controls this visibility. It helps admins decide whether a particular app should be shown in the users’ workplace dashboard or kept hidden while still keeping the app functional in the background.

Where to Find This Option

To access this setting:

1. Go to the Design App section of your app.
   
   
2. Click on the Distribute tab.

3. Click on App Publish. On the right-hand panel, you’ll see a toggle to enable or disable visibility of the app for users.

Key Behavior of App Publish

This feature controls whether an app appears in the workplace view for users. But it does not affect the app’s actual functionality.

1. Always enabled by default

By default, the App Publish setting is turned on for every app. That means:

• Once you’ve added users to an app (via User Access), they will see it listed in their workplace dashboard automatically.
  
  
• Admins do not need to manually enable this setting every time. It’s already active unless turned off intentionally.
  
  

2. Turning it Off hides the app, not disables it

If you turn off the App Publish toggle:

• The app becomes hidden from the user’s workplace view.
  
  
• However, the app remains fully active in the backend:
  
  
  
  • Workflows will continue to run.
    
    
  • Integrations will still function.
    
    
  • Other apps connected via Get Data or workflows will still pull or push data as configured.
    
    

This setting only affects visibility, not functionality.

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3. Example: Hiding a supporting app in a multi-app setup

Let’s say you’ve built a Task Management system with two apps:

• Employee Master (MIS) – stores employee details and IDs.
  
  
• Task Management – used by employees to log and manage tasks.
  
  

In this setup:

• The Task Management app uses a Get Data from Other Apps block to pull employee information from the MIS app.
  
  
• Both apps need to be shared with users for the data flow to work.
  
  
• By default, users will see both apps in their workplace after logging in.
  
  

Now, if you want to keep the MIS app hidden from users (because it’s just backend data they don’t need to open or access), you can:

1. Go to the MIS app > Distribute > App Publish.
   
   
2. Turn off the App Publish toggle.
   
   

The result:

• The MIS app disappears from the user’s workplace.
  
  
• But the Task Management app continues to fetch data from it seamlessly.
  
  
• All workflows, logic, and data pulls still work exactly as configured.
  
  

This is useful when you want to hide backend apps, data repositories, or intermediate logic apps from regular users while still using them within other app setups.

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4. Hidden Apps Are Still Visible to Admins

Apps with App Publish turned off are only hidden from users who are not app admins.

If you're an App Admin, you will continue to see all apps, published or not, in your workplace. This ensures that admins can still make changes, test functionality, or re-enable visibility whenever needed.

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When to Use the App Publish Option

Use the App Publish toggle when:

• You want to temporarily hide an app from users without deleting or disabling it.
  
  
• You're using multiple interconnected apps, but want to keep some apps in the background.
  
  
• You’re preparing an app that’s still under construction and not ready for visibility.
  
  
• You want to prevent confusion by showing only relevant apps to end users.
  
  

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What It Does Not Affect

It’s important to note that disabling App Publish does NOT:

• Stop workflows from triggering.
  
  
• Interrupt data syncing between apps.
  
  
• Prevent submissions through workflows, API, or linked apps.
  
  
• Disable the app itself.
  
  

Only visual presence in the user’s workplace dashboard is affected.

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If you’re not seeing an app in your dashboard as a user, and you’ve already been given access, it’s possible the App Publish setting has been turned off. Reach out to the app admin to confirm visibility.

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