# Working with Apps in CRM

In GudHub, apps can work together, share data, and support connected workflows.

For example, one app can store customer information while another keeps track of their visits. You can also create a separate employee directory and connect it to an app used to manage work schedules or track completed tasks.

In this guide, we’ll use the following example: your system already has a customer database, and you need to create a separate app to keep track of customer visits.

## Connecting Apps

### Step 1. Creating the Visits App

Our system already includes a **“Clients”** app that stores customer information.
![1](https://app.gudhub.com:443/userdata/41557/1200638.png)
***For instructions on creating apps, see our separate guide:***

[How to Create a New Application in a CRM System](https://gudhub.com/tutorials/getting-started/creating-new-application/)

Now, let’s create an additional app called **“Visits”**. It will pull customer information from the **“Clients”** app and store the date of each visit.

This will create a connection between the two apps: in **“Visits”**, you’ll be able to select a customer from the existing database and record the date of their visit.

To get started, create a new app and name it **“Visits”**.
![2](https://app.gudhub.com:443/userdata/41557/1200647.png)
The **“Tables”** template is a good fit for this app, so select it when creating the app.
![3](https://app.gudhub.com:443/userdata/41557/1200656.png)
![4](https://app.gudhub.com:443/userdata/41557/1200671.png)
Once the app is created, it will automatically be populated with sample data. However, this default structure isn’t suitable for tracking customer visits, so we’ll first customize the app’s structure.
![5](https://app.gudhub.com:443/userdata/41557/1200679.png)

### Step 2. Configuring the App Structure

To customize the app’s layout and fields, open the context menu by right-clicking any field in the table, then select **“Template Editor”**.
![6](https://app.gudhub.com:443/userdata/41557/1200688.jpeg)
Next, go to the **“Form”** tab.
![7](https://app.gudhub.com:443/userdata/41557/1200696.jpeg)
Take a look at the editor’s sidebar. It contains two sections:

**“Elements Library”** – contains all the elements you can add to the app.
![8](https://app.gudhub.com:443/userdata/41557/1200702.png)
**“App Elements”** – contains the elements that are already used in the app.
![9](https://app.gudhub.com:443/userdata/41557/1200716.png)
First, let’s remove the fields we don’t need.

In the **“App Elements”** section, delete **“Phone”**, **“Email”**, **“Last Name”**, and **“First Name”**.

To do this, hover over the element’s icon and click **“Delete”**.
![10](https://app.gudhub.com:443/userdata/41557/1200723.jpeg)
![11](https://app.gudhub.com:443/userdata/41557/1200734.png)
Now go to the **“Elements Library”** section. We need to add the elements required to track customer visits.

The first one is **“Reference”**. It will connect the **“Visits”** app to the **“Clients”** app and allow you to select a customer from the existing database.

Find **“Reference”** in the list of elements and drag it into the container.
![12](https://app.gudhub.com:443/userdata/41557/1200743.png)
The second element is **“Date”**. It will be used to specify the date of the visit.

Likewise, find **“Date”** in the **“Elements Library”** and drag it into the container.
![13](https://app.gudhub.com:443/userdata/41557/1200749.png)

### Step 3. Connecting the App to “Clients”

Once the elements have been added, you need to configure how they work.

Let’s start with **“Reference”**. Right-click the field and select **“Field Settings”**.
![14](https://app.gudhub.com:443/userdata/41557/1200763.png)
First, enter a name for the field in **“Field Name”**.
![15](https://app.gudhub.com:443/userdata/41557/1200776.png)
Then click **“Add Option”**.
![16](https://app.gudhub.com:443/userdata/41557/1200783.png)
In the **“Application”** field, select the app that this field should connect to. In our case, select **“Clients”**.

In the next field, specify which data from the **“Clients”** app you want to use. For this example, select **“Last Name”**.
![17](https://app.gudhub.com:443/userdata/41557/1200794.png)
The third field gives you two options: **“Main”** and **“Form”**.

**“Main”** means that the added element will be displayed on the app’s main page.

**“Form”** means that the added element will be displayed in the individual profile of the customer selected from the list.

In our case, select **“Form”**.
![18](https://app.gudhub.com:443/userdata/41557/1200805.png)
Click **“Apply”** to save the changes.
![20](https://app.gudhub.com:443/userdata/41557/1200811.jpeg)
Now let’s configure the **“Date”** element.

Right-click the **“Date”** field and select **“Field Settings”**.
![21](https://app.gudhub.com:443/userdata/41557/1200822.png)
Enter a name in **“Field Name”**. If needed, you can also adjust the time zone and change the time format.
![22](https://app.gudhub.com:443/userdata/41557/1200833.png)
Click **“Apply”** to save the changes.
![23](https://app.gudhub.com:443/userdata/41557/1200844.jpeg)
The field configuration is now complete.

Click **“Save”** to save the changes.
![24](https://app.gudhub.com:443/userdata/41557/1200855.jpeg)

### Step 4. Adding Records to the App

Once you’ve saved the settings, a table will appear on the app’s main page where you can keep track of customer visits.
![25](https://app.gudhub.com:443/userdata/41557/1200862.png)
To create a new record, click **“Add Items”**.
![26](https://app.gudhub.com:443/userdata/41557/1200875.jpeg)
The form will contain two fields:

**“Client”** – select a customer by their last name.
![27](https://app.gudhub.com:443/userdata/41557/1200882.png)
**“Date”** – enter the date of the visit.
![28](https://app.gudhub.com:443/userdata/41557/1200888.png)
Once you’ve entered the required information, click **“Apply”**. The new record will automatically appear on the app’s main page.
![29](https://app.gudhub.com:443/userdata/41557/1200897.png)
You can now use the **“Visits”** app as a standalone tool for keeping track of customer visits.

At this point, visits are stored in a separate app. However, you can take the connection between the apps a step further and display the visit history directly in each customer’s profile in the **“Clients”** app.

This requires additional settings available in the **PRO version**.

If you’re looking for a ready-to-use CRM solution with similar functionality, GudHub also offers pre-built templates that can display a customer’s visit history directly in their profile.

***Browse the available templates and choose the solution that best fits your business needs:***

[Free CRM Templates for Businesses](https://gudhub.com/templates/)

## Additional PRO Settings

At this point, we’ve already created a fully functional app for tracking customer visits. You can add visits, select a customer from the database, and record the date of each visit **–** no additional **PRO settings** are required for this.

The **PRO settings** take this connection a step further by allowing the visit history to be displayed automatically in the individual customer profile in the **“Clients”** app.

In other words, the **“Visits”** app remains fully functional even without these additional settings. The **PRO version** simply gives you a more convenient way to view related information in one place, without having to switch between apps.

Now, let’s set up the visit history to appear directly in the customer’s profile. To do this, we’ll add a separate section to the **“Clients”** app where data from the **“Visits”** app will be displayed.

### Step 1

Go to the **“Clients”** app and open any record. Right-click a field in the table to open the context menu, then select **“Template Builder”**.
![30](https://app.gudhub.com:443/userdata/41557/1200905.png)
To keep the visit information separate from the customer’s other details, create a new container. Click the corresponding icon and select **“Add Container”**.
![31](https://app.gudhub.com:443/userdata/41557/1200919.jpeg)
![32](https://app.gudhub.com:443/userdata/41557/1200925.png)
Once created, the container will appear in the form. Drag it below the existing sections containing customer information so that the visit history appears underneath them.
![33](https://app.gudhub.com:443/userdata/41557/1200934.png)

### Step 2

Now, let’s add a table to the new container that will pull data from the **“Visits”** app.

In the **“Elements Library”** section, find the **“Table”** element and drag it into the container you created.
![34](https://app.gudhub.com:443/userdata/41557/1200945.png)
The table needs to be configured to specify which data should be displayed. To do this, right-click the table and select **“Field Configurator”**.
![35](https://app.gudhub.com:443/userdata/41557/1200959.png)
Enter a name for the table in the **“Field Name”** field.
![36](https://app.gudhub.com:443/userdata/41557/1200966.jpeg)
Next, in the **“Application”** field, select the app that the table will pull data from. In our case, select **“Visits”**.
![37](https://app.gudhub.com:443/userdata/41557/1200976.png)
Then, choose which fields should be displayed in the customer’s profile. For this example, we only need **“Client”** and **“Date”**. You can also change the order of the fields if needed.
![38](https://app.gudhub.com:443/userdata/41557/1200983.jpeg)
Click **“Apply”** to save the changes.
![39](https://app.gudhub.com:443/userdata/41557/1200997.jpeg)
Click **“Save”** to finish configuring the table.
![40](https://app.gudhub.com:443/userdata/41557/1201004.jpeg)
The data from the **“Visits”** app will now be displayed in the individual customer profile in the **“Clients”** app.
![41](https://app.gudhub.com:443/userdata/41557/1201010.png)

### Step 3

At this point, there’s an important detail to keep in mind: if you open any customer’s profile, the table may also display visits belonging to other customers.
![42](https://app.gudhub.com:443/userdata/41557/1201026.png)
To prevent this, we need to add a filter to the table so that it only displays records belonging to the current customer.

To do this, open **“Template Builder”** again.
![43](https://app.gudhub.com:443/userdata/41557/1201040.png)
Go to the **“Form”** tab.
![44](https://app.gudhub.com:443/userdata/41557/1201049.jpeg)
Then open **“Field Configurator”**.
![45](https://app.gudhub.com:443/userdata/41557/1201061.png)

### Step 4

In the table settings, click **“Add Filter”**.
![46](https://app.gudhub.com:443/userdata/41557/1201074.jpeg)
Select **“Client”**.
![47](https://app.gudhub.com:443/userdata/41557/1201086.png)
Next, configure the filter conditions by selecting the following options in order:

* **“Equals (or)”**

![48](https://app.gudhub.com:443/userdata/41557/1201097.png)

* **“Variable”**

![49](https://app.gudhub.com:443/userdata/41557/1201106.png)
In the **“Select Value”** field, select **“Current Item”**.
![50](https://app.gudhub.com:443/userdata/41557/1201117.png)
This tells the system to compare the customer in each visit record with the customer whose profile is currently open. As a result, each customer’s profile will display only the records associated with that customer.

Click **“Apply”** to save the changes.
![51](https://app.gudhub.com:443/userdata/41557/1201126.jpeg)
Then click **“Save”**.
![52](https://app.gudhub.com:443/userdata/41557/1201132.jpeg)
Now, each customer’s profile will display only their own visit history.
![53](https://app.gudhub.com:443/userdata/41557/1201148.png)
![54](https://app.gudhub.com:443/userdata/41557/1201157.png)
![55](https://app.gudhub.com:443/userdata/41557/1201166.png)
With this final step, we’ve set up a complete connection between the **“Clients”** and **“Visits”** apps: visit data is stored in a separate app, automatically linked to the corresponding customer, and displayed in their individual profile.