Appenate with Knack integration!

Hello folks!

If you have built a Knack app but now your business has new mobile needs. We have good news! First of all, you don’t have to build from scratch, nor get rid of your Knack app, or run up the high expenses associated with hiring mobile developers.

Knack’s API allows you to integrate with other low code platforms that will help you to stand mobile devices. Within this post, we’ll show you how with these 3 easy steps:

Step 1: Start a new account: https://www.appenate.com/

Step 2: On the navigation bar to the left, go to Apps → Screens.

Step 3: Click on the “Add New+” button to create a new “Screen” (which is just a form).

Step 4: Create a Screen using the tools provided by Appenate.

First, go to the “design” tab where you can build the template for the form.

There are all the types of fields you would expect (texts, numbers, dropdowns…) and even “DATA” fields. The DATA fields allow you to pull data stored on your configurable datasources on Appenate (on navbar, Connected Data → Data Sources) for use in the form.

Step 5: Once your form is ready, go to “connectors” tab for the Screen.

Then click on “Add Connector” and select the “REST” option to configure a webhook to your Node server.

Step 6: Finally go to the “settings” tab for the Screen. Under “Advanced Options”, fill the “External ID” field.

This text will be used to identify the Screen when receiving webhooks from Appenate.

In the JSON body we will find private information like “ProviderId” and “IntegrationKey”. We can also find the “Entry” field which contains the values obtained from the form. Relevant among them is the “FormCode” which displays the text name configured for “External ID” on step (5).

Note:
You can also configure other “Connectors” for creating PDFs, sending emails or other integrations.

Step 7: When your Node server is receiving the Screen submissions via webhook and you’re able to identify them based on the “External ID”, what follows is standard Node development.

Good luck!

Hmm, i am interested in trying this solution. Thanks a lot Soluntech!

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Good luck @Simonm ! :rocket:

Not sure if it’s just me but I don’t really see what this post has to do with sending SMS from Knack?

I have looked at Appenate’s site and it seems to be a no code UI builder? Are the steps here about linking Knack to it?

Hello @JulianKirkness ,
Yes! By integrating Appenate to Knack, following these steps, you’re going to be able to access more features Knack doesn’t have yet, such as sending SMS, creating PDFs, sending emails.

We hope you’ll find this helpful! :rocket:

So this would take preplace the integromat/twilio combo to send SMS messages? Is the cost of an SMS $0.075 like twilio? Is it free?

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Hello @Henry ,

This would be another possibility for the Integromat/Twilio combo! You’re only going to spend on Twilio and on the server that provides the service.
You can find more information about this topic here - 3 steps to send SMS from Knack!

We hope you’ll find this helpful! :rocket:

Like we say here in New Zealand " Yeh, Nah"

I tried using appenate some time ago and I didn’t find it that useful hence I settled on Knack. My business is growing and have 500 users, I realise thats a small number but knack does everything I need. Did you know you can upgrade your knack account to have a custom URL and more data space. This way my users are actually using one platform and it is one less I need to worry about learning or maintaning while the business grows.

If you are on a tiny budget you can mask or cloak your domain name but you may have issues with SSL.

In the meantime , keep Knacking and learn integromat.

Ben