Application Settings

Overview

To view and configure application-level settings, open the settings menu in the application header bar.

This menu allows you to:

• View and configure application properties, security, documentation, and actions.
• Analyze your application for missing precedents.
• View a summary of the overall security of objects in your application.
• Centrally manage test cases for expression rules in your application.

Application properties

To configure properties for the application, select Application Properties in the settings menu .

These properties include the following:

Property	Description	Can Be Edited
Name	The name of the application. Follow the recommended naming standard when creating this name. The maximum length of the name is 255 characters. When the application is published, this name is visible to users in Tempo in the Actions tab and from the user profile menu under Settings > News.	Yes
Prefix	The short, unique prefix recommended for use in all object names related to the application. Follow the recommended naming standard when creating this name. For more information, see Creating Applications.	Yes
Description	The maximum length of the description is 2,000 characters. Application descriptions are not visible to users in Tempo.	Yes
Publish application actions in Tempo	Specifies whether to show or hide application features, including application actions, in Tempo. If this property is selected, the application will appear as a filter under Applications on the Actions tab of Tempo. This property is not selected by default. Selecting this option has no effect on actions used in sites or embedded interfaces.	Yes
Users Group	The group that Appian pre-populates with Viewer permissions when you create new objects in this application. Learn more about default security groups. If you change this property after creating objects in an application, you cannot bulk update existing role maps with the new group. You must manually configure the role map for each existing object.	Yes
Administrators Group	The group that Appian pre-populates with Administrator permissions when you create new objects in this application. Learn more about default security groups. If you change this property after creating objects in an application, you cannot bulk update existing role maps with the new group. You must manually configure the role map for each existing object.	Yes
UUID	The unique universal identifier (UUID) of the application. This value is generated by the system.	No
ID	The ID of the application. This value is generated by the system.	No
Created	The date on which the application was created.	No
Last Modified	The date on which the application was last modified. Updating the objects associated with an application does not change this timestamp, though adding or removing objects does.	No

Application security

Application security determines which users can view and interact with the application and its contents.

If Appian generates groups during application creation, the default security groups pre-populate the application role map with Viewer and Administrator permissions.

If Appian does not generate groups during application creation, you are automatically assigned Administrator permissions for any application you create. System administrators can always access an application, regardless of application-level permissions.

See Editing Object Security to modify an application's security.

The following table outlines the actions that can be completed for each permission level in an application's security role map:

Actions	Administrator	Editor	Viewer	Deny
See application feeds or actions in Tempo	Yes	Yes	Yes	No
Export the application	Yes	Yes	Yes	No
View and filter missing precedents	Yes	Yes	Yes	No
View application properties and contents	Yes	Yes	Yes	No
Create packages	Yes	Yes	Yes	No
Edit package details	Yes	Yes	Yes*	No
View package contents	Yes	Yes	Yes	No
Update package contents	Yes	Yes	Yes*	No
Delete packages	Yes	Yes	Yes*	No
Export a package	Yes	Yes	Yes	No
Import a package	Yes	Yes	No	No
Update filters in missing precedents	Yes	Yes	No	No
Update application properties and contents	Yes	Yes	No	No
Update application properties and contents via import	Yes	Yes	No	No
View application security	Yes	Yes	No	No
Delete the application	Yes	Yes	No	No
Update application security	Yes	No	No	No
Update application security via import	Yes	No	No	No

*Only applicable to packages created by the user

Application documentation

As you're developing an application, you naturally create documentation that supports the application. For example, you might document the application's architecture and design, the project's requirements, and development best practices. This documentation lets your teams:

• Quickly ramp up on ongoing development.
• Troubleshoot an application that's new to them.
• Hand off the application to other teams for support and maintenance.

In Appian, the Application Documentation feature gives your teams a central place to access this documentation in the application itself. The Application Documentation dialog allows you to upload documents to your application or store links to external documents. You can add a maximum of 10 total documents or links.

Security to the Application Documentation dialog matches the application's security. Users with Viewer permissions to the application can view the documentation list and download documents. Users with Editor or Administrator permissions to the application can view and edit the documentation list, and download documents.

When you upload a document to Application Documentation, Appian stores it as a document object. You can modify this document, and refer to it in your applications in the same way as you can with all document objects. Similarly, the document's security will be inherited from its parent folder. You can manage your newly uploaded document directly from within the Application Documentation dialog or in the objects grid of the Build view.

You can include application documentation in any package you deploy to a new environment. If you do, document objects defined as application documentation will be included in the missing precedents analysis for the package. Learn how to include application documentation in your package.

View your application documentation

In the Explore view, you can view your application documentation in the Learn More pane.

In any view of your application, you can view your application documentation by opening the settings menu , then selecting Application Documentation.

Add a document to Application Documentation

In the Application Documentation dialog, you can add existing document objects as documentation, or you can create new document objects, then add them as documentation.

To add a document to Application Documentation:

1. Create a Knowledge Center folder and Document folder, if these folders do not already exist in your application.

   Tip:  If Appian generated groups and folders during application creation, you can skip this step and use the generated Document folder named prefix Application Documentation to store your application documentation.

2. Open the Application Documentation dialog in either of the following ways:
   • In the Explore view, click next to the title of the DOCUMENTATION section of the Learn More pane.
   • In the settings menu of any view of your application, select Application Documentation.
3. In the Application Documentation dialog, click ADD DOCUMENTATION.
4. Keep the default selection, Document.
5. Add an existing document:
   • Click Browse Documents to view the list of available documents.
   • Browse to and select a document object.
   • Click ADD to add the new document object as documentation.
   • Click OK. Appian adds the document to the top of the documentation list.
6. Add a new document:
   • Click Upload Document .
   • In the Create Document dialog, click UPLOAD and select a file, or drag and drop a file into the Drop file here box. You can upload files in the formats specified in the File Upload properties in the Admin Console. As with other document objects, the file cannot be larger than 1 GB in size or larger than your disk quota.

     Tip:  If you select the wrong file, you can remove that file by hovering over it, then clicking the X that appears.

   • For Name, enter a document name that follows the recommended naming standard. This name appears in the documentation list, the Explore view, and in the object grids of the Build and Objects views.
   • For Description, enter a brief description of the document. This description appears in the object grids of the Build and Objects views.
   • For Save In, select a document folder to store the document.
   • Click CREATE DOCUMENT.
   • Click ADD. Appian adds the document to the top of the documentation list.
7. Click CLOSE to exit the dialog.

Add a link to Application Documentation

In addition to documents, you can also add relevant links in the Application Documentation dialog. For example, if your application work is being tracked in JIRA, you could include a link to the JIRA board so application builders can see new and completed work.

To add a link to Application Documentation:

1. Open the Application Documentation dialog in either of the following ways:
   • In the Explore view, click next to the title of the DOCUMENTATION section of the Learn More pane.
   • In the settings menu of any view of your application, select Application Documentation.
2. In the Application Documentation dialog, click ADD DOCUMENTATION.
3. Select Link.
4. For Name, enter a short name for the document link you're adding.
5. For URL, enter the URL where users can access the document. This URL must be unique within application's documentation list.

   Tip:  When selecting a documentation link, keep in mind any permissions or access issues that might block future users when the application is deployed to new environments.

6. Click ADD. Appian adds the new link to the top of the documentation list.
7. Click CLOSE to exit the dialog.

Update a document in Application Documentation

To update a document in Application Documentation:

1. In the Application Documentation dialog, click New Version for the document you want to update.
2. In the Upload New Version dialog, upload a new version of the document, or drag and drop a file into the Drop file here box.
3. Change the Name or Description properties for the the document.
4. Click UPLOAD.

Update a link in Application Documentation

To update a link in Application Documentation:

1. In the Application Documentation dialog, click Edit Link for the link you want to update.
2. In the Edit Link dialog, change the Name or URL properties for the link.
3. Click SAVE.

Manage your documentation list

To manage your documentation list in the Application Documentation dialog:

• To reorder the list, click the up and down arrows.
• To remove a document or link from Application Documentation, click the X for the document or link.

Application actions

Application actions allow you to expose process models in end user interfaces. You can use application actions in Tempo, or as a page in a site.

Application actions only appear in Tempo if the Publish application actions in Tempo property is enabled.

To view application actions, users must have at least View access to the application.

Application actions are visible under the Actions tab of Tempo and allow users to start process models related to your application. For example, in a Vehicle Management application, you may have an application action called Loan Vehicle which kicks off a process model with a start form that allows users to start the loaning process. Application actions will always appear in alphabetical order in Tempo.

To create an application action:

1. Create a process model that contains either a start form, user input task, or some other attended node that allows a user to interact with the process.

   Note:  Make sure to set appropriate security on your process model so that users will be able to start it. Appian recommends adding an Administrator group and at least one Initiator, Viewer, Manager or Editor group to the process model's security dialog.

2. In the header bar of your application, open the settings menu .
3. Select Application Actions.
4. In the Actions dialog, click New Action.

5. Configure the following properties:

   Property	Description
   Display Label	The name of the action as it should appear in Tempo.
   Description	The description of the action as it should appear in Tempo.
   Process Model	Select the process model you created earlier.

   For example:

   

6. Click SAVE ACTIONS.
7. When you're ready to publish the action to Tempo, select Publish application actions in Tempo in the application properties.

Missing precedents

A precedent is any object that a design object or application configuration relies on to function properly. For deployment to another environment to be successful, all object or configuration precedents must either be exported with the application, or already be present on the target environment.

The Missing Precedents dialog allows you to scan the application for referenced objects that are used by the application, but not associated with the application. An initial scan is performed when the dialog is first opened. From the list of missing precedents, developers can add objects to the application, and run another scan. The Referenced By column in the grid displays the object or objects that require each of the missing precedents, so that developers can tell why the missing precedent appears on the list.

When in a package view, the option to check for missing precedents in the settings menu will automatically be limited to missing precedents of your package.

Not all missing precedents need to be added to the application or package. Objects in related applications are deployed with those applications, and do not need to be added even though they are precedents of objects in this application.

To narrow the list to only precedents that need to be added, use the filter options below the grid:

1. Below the grid, click Hide missing precedents in selected applications.

   Note:  If none of the missing precedents in the list are associated with any other application, this link is not present.

   A list of applications displays. This list includes all the applications to which one or more of the missing precedents belong.

2. To hide all missing precedents associated with an application, select the box for that application.
3. Click Save current filter selection to save the current filters to the application. Any developer viewing the application sees the same filters, and they are exported and imported with the application. Application filters saved here never cause export or import errors.

Only save a filter option when the corresponding application will be kept up to date in all environments. For example, any missing precedents from your Common Objects Application should not be added to this application, as the Common Objects Application is intended as a library that other applications can use. Saving that application as a missing precedents filter ensures that you do not accidentally add its objects to your applications.

Selecting all the applications in the list shows only missing precedents that are in no applications. These should always be added to your application, or moved to another application. Setting up these filters correctly allows a developer to confidently add all remaining missing precedents to the application.

Exceptions

The following items are not identified as missing precedents during a scan of your application. Make sure to add these manually.

• Rules or constants used in the recipient field of an task escalation expression function for process models created prior to version 6.6.1 of Appian.
• Some system objects (as explained in the system objects section of the Deployment Guidelines).
• If we do not preserve an object relationship during export (as explained in the Application Deployment Guidelines help topic), it cannot be detected by the precedent scan.

Security summary

The Security Summary allows you to view the security of all objects within an application in a single place. It also allows you to edit the security of objects in bulk. Learn more about the Security Summary.

Manage test cases

In the application, you can manage your test cases by clicking the Settings > Manage Test Cases. The Manage Test Cases dialog allows you to view the overall health of unit tests for all expression rules within your application. You can check for which rules do not have test coverage and run the test cases and review results for any number of expression rules in one place. Learn more about test case management.

Export application

To export your application, select EXPORT APP from the header bar in the Build view.

Learn more about manual export.

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