Config-First App Creation

What Is Config-First?

When you create an application in UnifyApps, you choose a build mode that controls how the app is initially assembled and where you work on it. The two modes are:

• Config (no-code) — UnifyApps generates a fully structured app — with pages, components, and data wiring — that opens directly in the visual Application Builder. You refine everything through point-and-click configuration; no code editing is required.

• Code — an AI agent writes a code application from your prompt, and you keep refining it by chatting in the code builder. See Code-First App Creation for details.

A config-first app is identical in structure to any other UnifyApps application once it is created. It has pages, components, data sources, events, and all the same lifecycle features. The distinction is only in how it is initially scaffolded — through the AI generator or through a manual form — not in what you can do with it afterwards.

Note: When both modes are enabled, a Code | Config toggle sits above the prompt box on the creation screen. Code is selected by default. Click Config to use the no-code generator. See Code-First App Creation for the Code mode.

AI-Assisted App Creation

The fastest way to start a config-first app is to describe what you want in plain language. UnifyApps passes your prompt — along with any reference files you attach — to the AI Application Builder, which generates a working app you can open and refine immediately.

The AI Create Screen

When you click New Application and the AI builder is enabled, the creation screen opens. With Config selected, it presents the following interface:

Note: You can attach up to 20 files per generation request, with a limit of 1 GB per file and 1 GB in total. A file that is too large stays in the attachment strip as a tile marked Too large to send. Sending is blocked, and a message asks you to remove the file and send again.

Note: If the AI builder is not enabled for your workspace, you will see the manual create form directly when you click New Application. Contact your administrator to enable AI-assisted creation.

Steps: Create an App with AI

1. From the Applications Manager, click New Application (or its dropdown → Create Application).

2. Above the prompt box, click Config. Code is selected by default.

3. In the prompt box, type a description of the app you want to build. Include the app's purpose, the types of records it will manage, and any key pages or workflows.

4. Optional — Click the plus icon (or drag files onto the attachment area) to upload reference documents or screenshots that should inform the design.

5. Optional — Click the palette icon to open the theme picker and select a starting theme.

6. Click Send (or press Enter with the cursor in the prompt box) to start generation.

7. Wait for the AI Application Builder progress screen to complete. See Generation Progress.

8. When generation finishes, review the AI-written summary and click Open in Application Builder to begin refining your app.

Generation Progress

After submitting your prompt, UnifyApps opens the AI Application Builder progress screen. This screen has two panels:

Left panel — status

• Status indicator — transitions from Generating App... to App Ready when complete.

• App name — the name the AI inferred from your prompt (editable later in Settings).

• Attachments list — files you uploaded, shown for reference.

• Stepper — a labelled progress sequence such as Initializing — Getting everything ready to generate your app, followed by steps for page scaffolding, component wiring, and data model creation.

• Progress bar — a visual indicator of overall completion percentage.

Right panel — preview

• Shows a loader while the app is being assembled.

• Transitions to a live preview of the generated app once pages are ready, with a page switcher so you can flip between generated pages before leaving this screen.

Completion

When generation finishes:

• The status indicator changes to App Ready.

• The left panel displays an AI-written summary describing the pages, components, and data sources that were created.

• An Open in Application Builder button appears. Click it to navigate to the page builder and begin editing.

Error Handling

If generation fails or takes too long, a red error message appears on the creation screen: "Could not generate app. Please try again". Resubmit your prompt to try again.

Common causes and fixes

If errors persist, use the Create Manually fallback to create the app without AI assistance and build out your pages in the Application Builder.

Manual Config-First Creation

You can create a config-first app without using the AI generator. This is the right choice when you want full control over the initial structure, when the AI builder is not enabled, or when you prefer to start from a blank canvas or a specific template.

Steps: Create an App Manually (Config-First)

1. From the Applications Manager, click New Application (or its dropdown → Create Application).

2. On the AI create screen, click Or start blank → Create Manually at the bottom of the page. (If the AI builder is not enabled, the manual form is displayed directly.)

3. In the manual create form, select an application type (for example, Web App, Mobile App, Copilot Chat, or Display).

4. Enter a Name. The Sub-domain (or Path) fills in automatically from the name and is required.

5. Click Create application.

6. The Application Builder opens with the template picker. Choose Blank Page for a single empty page, or a template to use as a scaffold (when templates are available for the selected app type).

For every field on the manual form, see Create an Application.

Note: Blank Page is the primary starting point for manual config-first apps. Templates provide opinionated page structures you can adapt, while Blank Page gives you a completely clean slate.

Theme Selection

Before generating or creating your app, you can pick a starting theme that controls the colour palette, typography, and border styling applied to every component. The theme you select here is the same one you can change later in Builder Settings → Design System.

Using the Theme Picker

1. On the creation screen, click the palette icon to open the theme picker.

2. Use the search field to find a theme by name.

3. Use the filter tabs to narrow results:All — every available theme.Light — themes with a light background base.Dark — themes with a dark background base.Both — themes that include both a light and a dark variant.

4. Browse the list. Themes are grouped under Recent (themes you have used recently) and Presets (built-in UnifyApps themes).

5. Click a theme to apply it. The picker closes.

If you do not select a theme, the generator uses the workspace default theme. You can change the theme at any time after creation from Builder Settings → Design System → Theme.

The Auto control you may see next to the palette icon belongs to Code mode (Auto / Plan). It isn't part of Config mode. See Code-First App Creation.

AI-Start vs Manual-Start

Both paths produce a standard UnifyApps application that opens in the Application Builder. The difference is in how much scaffolding is done for you before you start editing.