If you're completely new to the 2Performant application building, then you should first read about the App Architecture. Once you've done that, it's time to download and install one of the skeleton applications (PHP or Ruby).

Installing the application

Follow the steps described in the download page in order to install the application on your development server (in this example we will assume it's located at http://app.localhost/) and make sure you can access the mandatory integration URLs in your browser. They don't have to do anything yet, just make sure your setup is OK and that you don't get any server error messages (like HTTP 403, 404 or 500 errors).

Feel free to add some URL rewriting rules in order to protect the file structure from being shown, but do thoroughly test your setup upon completion.

Creating a new application in the Apps Marketplace

This action requires a developer account. If you already have one then log in, otherwise you should register for an account.

Once logged in, you can click the button on the right to add a new application.

General information

• Name - Give your app a unique, but meaningful name. This is the name that will appear in application listings and it's the first thing that stands out, so make sure it's concise, yet tells most of the story behind your application. Names like "Virtual store" or "Banner machine" are pretty good examples, while "Timmy's tiny app" is not.
• New icon - The application's visual icon (or logo), which will also appear in listings. Though it's mandatory, you can change it later so you can put in just about any transparent .PNG or .GIF for now.
• Short description - Try to describe what your application does very briefly. Don't go into details, you'll take care in the next field.
• General description - This is the text displayed on the application's presentation page. Here's where you should go into functional details. Keep in mind that users are almost always less computer savvy than you, so try not to go into very much technical detail.
• Application type - what kind of application will you be developing? Read the descriptions carefully and choose. Also see Application types
• Category - what kind of data does you app work with? Choose the one that fits best, or choose Combined if more than one matches.

Settings

• Allowed sizes - Choose the range(s) for your embedded app's size. Take into account the fact that you have to foresee test cases for every possible size in the range.
• Price of use - Widgets and modules require a percent from commissions to be entered. Utilities require a monthly usage fee. See App Pricing models
• Access level - See API Access Levels

Integration URLs

Discussed in more detail here. If you are working on a local machine feel free to use non-internet accessible URLs. The apps are called in iframes so as long as your local browser can get to it that's fine.

Photos

Optionally you can attach some images to your app on the Apps Marketplace. They can be screenshots, diagrams, graphs, app output or whatever you consider to be useful for promoting your application among its target audience.

Setting the OAuth details in the application

Once all settings have been finished and the app appears in your dashboard, it's time to configure the application installed on your server earlier. Check out the README file for instructions on how to do this and use the values offered by the Marketplace interface.

Testing the application

OK, so far so good, now everything should be set up for the demo application to work properly, should it be installed on a given network. Now it's time to see how everything blends in together.

First of all, you need a Sandbox account. Either you already have one and log into it, or you use one of the public demo accounts, or you register for one now. Whichever you prefer, it's important to be logged into a Sandbox account corresponding to the target audience for your application (i.e. either affiliate or merchant).

Next up, in the Apps Marketplace interface, in the application page shown to you as the owner, click "add to sandbox". The form that appears should display all the application information you entered earlier. The application is searched for and identified using the OAuth details you previously edited in the configuration file.

If all is OK, you will be asked to confirm the addition of the app to your account, optionally giving it an identifier. Keep in mind that the same application can be installed multiple times to a user's account, so keeping track of these instances using identifiers is generally a good idea. The identifier could point to certain settings inside the app (e.g. "300x250 instance"), since the application name and icon should be pretty clear as to what application you're viewing.

Upon clicking the "Add Application" button, the application's init URL is called, according to the settings in the Apps Marketplace.

When you've completed this step and finally installed the application instance, you should be able to see a link to it in the Tools or Utilities interfaces in your Sandbox account, along with the identifier you specified, if any. When clicking on the instance, the support URL is launched in an iframe.

Now all that's left to do is edit and extend the base application to your needs and preview the results in the Sandbox interface. Play with the API, explore its capabilities and boundaries, make it work for you and your target and create the most efficient application that everyone will want to use. Should you encounter any issues with the API, feel free to tell us about them and we'll be glad to help out.

Further resources

Take a look over the Application best practices to get an idea about what to do next.

Of course, after you've tweaked and polished your app to perfection, publishing it is the next logical step.