Auto-load the first menu item in a published Application

What is Publish(ed) Application?

Publish Application allows authors to select and combine various components of an Application on one single landing page. Published Applications merge different "entry points", i.e., several Module URLs, into one stand-alone page, an easy-to-navigate end-user interface.

Prior to the introduction of auto-load first menu item in a published Application, blank pages were displayed to users when opening a published Application. To open a Module or a Data View users would need to select one of the menu items in the sidebar.

With this new extension, published Applications automatically load and open the first menu item in the sidebar, displaying a Module wizard or a Data View rather than a blank page.

Why would you need to auto-load the first menu item in a published Application?

End-users are no longer required to select a Module or Data View to launch the Application. Authors can welcome end-users by creating an additional Module to serve as a cover page or automatically redirect users to pick up where they left off during an earlier session.

What can you build using auto-load first menu item in a published Application?

Simple cover page

Set up a simple Module with a Result Node to render a welcome page with further instructions for your users.

Guided Module selection

Combine Input and Redirect Nodes to guide your end-users to the correct menu item.

Redirect using Case Database record

When you are dealing with more complex requests that involve multiple stages separated into multiple Modules, you can store the progress in a Case Database and redirect using Case Database records to ensure your end-users progress to the correct stage or Module when they return to your Application.

You can build a cover Module that loads a record from a Case Database, e.g., by using the user's email address as the ID. Based on the record from the Case Database, you can redirect your user to a different stage or Module.

Within each Module, you save the progress to indicate when the user finished the respective stage and advances to the next one.

How do you auto-load the first menu item in a published Application?

The first menu item that is visible to the end-user in a published Application is loaded and opened automatically.

Change the configuration of the sidebar to define which Module is shown as the first menu item. To do so, select Publish Application in the sidebar of your Application and find the section Application setup.

Here you can drag the Module to the first place that you would like to load and open automatically. Do not forget to enable it and save your changes.

Please ensure that the first menu item you would like to be displayed is accessible to all end-users. If the Module's access is limited to a certain subset of users, it will only open automatically for them. In this instance, everyone else will be displayed the next menu item that is accessible to them.

Known limitations

Impact on Module statistics

This feature will have an impact on Module statistics. You will likely experience a high number of sessions for the first Module with significantly fewer finished sessions, as the first menu item is loaded automatically and counts towards overall sessions.

💡 If you rely on the Module statistics, we advise you to add a cover Module, as described above, to your published Application and set the Module as your first item in the menu.