Configuring Public Apps​

When you have familiarized yourself with the distribution methods of a SHOPLINE app and wish to build a public app for distribution in the App marketplace, this document will provide detailed instructions on how to create a new app in the Developer Center.

Prerequisites:​

• Distribution methods for SHOPLINE apps
• App creation process

STEP 1 Create the app​

1. Enter the "Apps" module in the Developer Center and click the "Create App" button.

2. Select "Public App" and fill in the basic information.

• App Name: Used for developer management only. The display name in the app marketplace is configured in the "App Details" section.
• App URL: The running address of the app. When merchants access the app on the platform, SHOPLINE will redirect to this address.
• App Callback URL: Used to receive callbacks from the platform, such as when requesting authorization. SHOPLINE will send parameters and callback to this address.
  • If you need to receive callbacks in different app environments for testing purposes, you can configure multiple callback URLs.
  • When configuring multiple callback URLs, you need to specify the receiving callback URL in the request parameters.

STEP 2 Complete the basic configuration​

1. Click on the created app to enter the app configuration panel. Select "App Settings".

2. App Display Mode:

• Embedded: Open within the SHOPLINE store management backend using an iframe, allowing merchants to stay within the SHOPLINE backend without leaving it, providing a better user experience. To choose the embedded mode, you need to integrate with the App Bridge capability provided by the platform.
• Redirect: Open the app in a new browser tab.

3. Embed in SHOPLINE POS: If your app supports being loaded and used within the SHOPLINE POS system, please enable this option.

4. App Contact: SHOPLINE will use this contact information to reach out to you for important communications. Please ensure that the contact information is accurate and up-to-date.

5. GDPR Mandatory Webhook: This is a mandatory webhook subscription required to comply with data protection policies in various countries. Developers are required to provide a valid callback URL and listen for messages.

STEP 3 Complete the app details configuration​

1. Enter the app detail configuration, where you can

• Manage your app's information display on the app store detail page: You can configure app information in multiple languages to ensure more effective introduction of your app to merchants.
• Set visibility in the app store: Manage whether the app is discoverable by merchants in the app store, for example when your app has problems and you want to temporarily avoid introducing new merchants, you can use this feature.
• Change Your Default Language: When the language used by the merchants is not within the scope of the language you have configured, we will display using the default language.

2. App detail information configuration

• App name: This name will be displayed in the app store. Choose a name that matches the tone of the app and is easier for merchants to remember.
• App description: Briefly describe the value that this app can bring to merchants and attract more attention from merchants.
• App logo: This is the first impression of the app for merchants. Upload a high-quality 120*120 logo.
• Product feature description: You can extract three feature descriptions to highlight the advantages of the app.

• The app contact will be displayed on the details page of the app store and can help you collect merchant suggestions, promptly handle merchant problems, and improve your user experience.

STEP 4 Submit for review​

In theory, once you have completed filling in the basic information mentioned above, you can submit it for online review. However, before going live, it is advisable to conduct necessary testing on your app to ensure that the services provided to merchants are effective and reasonable. If you do not have a formal store, you can utilize the developer store provided by the platform for testing purposes.

STEP 5 Subscribe to Webhook events (optional)​

Event subscription is not mandatory, but properly utilizing subscription events can keep your app data synchronized with SHOPLINE. After a specific event occurs in the store, the platform will trigger a Webhook notification and send a message to the app installed by the store and subscribed to the event. You can manage your subscriptions in the developer center:

• Event: Select the name of the event you want to subscribe to
• Notification URL: When the store triggers this event, the platform will send a message to this address
• Event version: The platform will update an API version every quarter, see: API Version Management Instructions.When the subscribed event version is offline, the platform will return according to the content of the current oldest version.

Next steps​

• Testing apps with the developer store
• Set up website navigation to make your app easier to use
• App extensions