Preview & Configure Your App

Learn how to configure and share interactive apps for your audience.

Updated over a week ago

How do I preview my app?

The Preview App Mode allows you to view and interact with the output of your Summit model. It displays the output table and your charts alongside a configurable list of interactive parameters. When you change the value of a parameter, you'll see the charts and output table update in real-time! The preview app mode is ideal for seeing how your calculator, forecast, or simulation will perform in live settings and how it will appear when embedded in a website or app.

Example of an app preview in Summit

How do I access the preview app mode? What if I don't see charts or fields to adjust?

You can enter the Preview App Mode anytime from the Editor (i.e. canvas) or App Configuration screen by clicking the button labeled ▶ Preview at the top of the screen. Doing so will display the output table, any charts you've created, and a panel of editable Parameters on the left-hand side of the screen.

The parameters shown in the app preview are the same input fields you've selected to display as Forms in the editor. This is done by entering text between angle brackets < > after a value in your SEL expressions (e.g. <beginning_balance> or <growth_rate>), which creates a tag for that value.

If you don't see charts or parameters in the preview, it simply means you have not yet added charts to your model or used tags in your events.

How do I configure an app?

You can choose how parameters are displayed in the app by selecting the App toggle that appears in the top-left corner of the screen. In this view, you'll also be able to edit or add any charts you'd like to display in the app, so it also functions like an app view preview.

This view allows you to choose how inputs to your model can be edited in the app. Similar to the editor view, parameters can be displayed as a number (with a optional, customizable default prefix/suffix for the input value), percentage, or currency, but they can also be edited to have a description, alternate label, and minimum/maximum value limits.

Additionally, you can configure a parameter as a free input field (i.e. manually enter a value (within defined min/max limits)) or as a series of preset values. Simply enter the values and a label for each option to create the static list of selectable preset values available to users in the app.

App configuration example in Summit

Can a single parameter update multiple values in an app?

Yes! If you use the same tag (e.g. growth_rate) across multiple values on your events, it will automatically appear as a single parameter and update multiple values when changed in the app.

How do I use the same label for a parameter, but have it update different values in the app?

This is done using Aliases, which are explained in a separate article here. In summary, you can use unique parameters to specify which values should be updated on a particular event, but use aliases to customize their label.

For example, if you have separate events for multiple service tiers that drive MRR, but want to label them the same (e.g. MRR) in the Form View, you can use unique parameters for each tier, then apply an alias (using a colon followed by text) with your preferred label:

  • <entry_mrr:MRR>

  • <pro_mrr:MRR>

  • <enterprise_mrr:MRR>

When configuring your app, you can then use the Parameter label field on each event to customize how each parameter will be labeled in the app. For example:

  • Use the label MRR: Entry Tier to the value tagged as <entry_mrr:MRR>

  • Use the label MRR: Pro Tier to the value tagged as <pro_mrr:MRR>

  • Use the label MRR: Enterprise Tier to the value tagged as <enterprise_mrr:MRR>

How do I let visitors to my app download results?

With your project open, select the App view from the top of the screen to enter app configuration mode. Scroll to the bottom of the output table and set the toggle labeled Allow CSV Exports to the active position. That's it! After publishing your app, visitors will then see the option to download their results into a .CSV file (the values displayed in the output table) following a simulation run.

CSV export toggle: Allow visitors to your Summit app to download results

How do I exit the preview?

To exit the preview, simply click the button labeled ◾️ Exit Preview in the top-left corner of the screen.

App Tips & Best Practices

How do I adjust the start date of an event in an app?

While an event's start/end date cannot be a parameter, you can use the Wait function to insert a delay of days, months, years, etc. between any two events and create a parameter for the delay value.

For example, if want the option to adjust when cash is expected to arrive from an investment in your app, you can add a Wait event between the fundraising event and your bank account like so: =Wait(1<cash_in_delay), 'months')

This will create a parameter called Cash In Delay that will delay the arrival of the funds by 1 month (by default). In the app, you can then adjust the number of months of the delay and explore how that change impacts the results of your simulation. You can also change the parameter value to 0 to remove the delay in a particular scenario.

How do I adjust the order of parameters in my app?

By default, parameters are sorted in alphabetical order. You can specify the order they appear by simply adding numbers (e.g. 1., 2., 3., etc.) or letters (e.g. A., B., C., etc.) as a prefix on your parameter labels.

How do I create groups of parameters in my app?

You can create parameter groups by typing a group name followed by > in your parameter labels.

For example, using the labels 1. Revenue > Current MRR and 1. Revenue > Growth Rate will create a parameter group called 1. Revenue and the editable parameters Current MRR and Growth Rate in your app.

Creating parameter groups for your presentation in Summit

How do I remove the table from my app?

Before publishing your app, from the Board view in the Editor, click Run to expand the output table, then highlight all rows, and click the eye 👁 icon to hide all rows. Instead of rendering an empty table, this will now completely remove the table from your app.

Summit app without output table or big number chart labels

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