2 apps, Same Data source - Automation

[Ami]

Hello

I’m trying to build a sort of a service desk/Help desk system in which there are at least two apps.
One app is the user’s app in which they open a service ticket. The second app is the Main app for the main office. Both apps share the same data source. My question is, would a bot in the main app sense the changes made by the first app and run accordingly? Again, it’s the same data source but the change was made by a different appsheet app.

Thanks

[WillowMobileSys]

1111:

My question is, would a bot in the main app sense the changes made by the first app and run accordingly?

No it would not. Data changes are only detected (and trigger activity) within the scope of the app making the change.

[Ami]

Well, that’s pointless… Thanks

[WillowMobileSys]

Not really. It’s an app design consideration and understanding. What you really need is for the same process to be triggered by both apps.

Apps are primarily meant to be mutually exclusive when it comes to functionality. Otherwise, they become “tied” together and are not really two separate apps. I.e. you always have to have one with the other.

So there two options for you:

1. Combine the two apps into one so they can share functionality. Instead, have two sets of views - Help Desk views vs Main app views - controlled by user roles or similar permission based settings. This would be advisable if there are many processes that need to be shared.

2. Implement the same automation from the Main app into your Help Desk app to apply the same updates.

Personally, for your use case I would prefer Option 2. It keeps the Help Desk app simple and easy to give to users.

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Ideally, AppSheet would provide a Common area where we can place processes that don’t really belong to any certain app but can be used by ANY app. Think of it as developer defined functions that compliment the system functions like SELECT(), FILTER(), DATE(), RANDBETWEEN(), etc. This is very different than triggering a process in another app.

Unfortunately, we do not have that so we must duplicate the processes when needed.

[Ami]

Thanks, I ended up building two apps, for the user, just a simple app. I miss workflows, they were way easier for me at least, but times change

[Dan_Bahir]

There is a workaround that would allow you to do something like this. You could a webhook call from AppA to AppB, create a bot in AppA that will send a webhook to modify a row in a data source of AppB. That would allow you to also define a Bot in AppB that would do what you want.

[Koichi_Tsuji]

My understanding is we need enterprise standard as minimum for a plan to do that.

[Ami]

It seems ( At least the way I see it ) that every time appsheet is taking a step forward, it takes me back two steps. I’m building these two apps now only as a Proof Of Concept, knowing that eventually my client will have to purchase something off the shelf as appsheet won’t be able to provide what he needs.