# How to Link Apps in a CRM: A Step-by-Step Guide Series

In GudHub, apps can work together, share data, and perform tasks across the system. For example, one app can store customer information while another keeps track of customer visits.

In this step-by-step series, we’ll use a practical example to show you how to connect two apps in a CRM. We’ll create a separate **“Visits”** app, link it to the **“Clients”** app, and then set it up so each client’s visit history appears in their individual client record.

You can follow the guides in order, as each one builds on the previous guide and takes the setup one step further.

## What This Series Covers

1. **Creating and setting up an app for tracking customer visits**.
2. [Connecting the apps](https://gudhub.com/tutorials/getting-started/linking-apps/connecting-apps/).
3. [Exchanging data between apps](https://gudhub.com/tutorials/getting-started/linking-apps/exchanging-data/).
4. [Displaying related information in a client record in the PRO version](https://gudhub.com/tutorials/getting-started/linking-apps/additional-pro-settings/).

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

This is the first guide in our series on connecting apps in a CRM. View all [all guides](https://gudhub.com/tutorials/getting-started/linking-apps/) in the series.

## Creating and Setting Up an App for Tracking Customer Visits

### Step 1. Create the “Visits” App

Our system already includes a **“Clients”** app that stores customer information.
![1](https://app.gudhub.com:443/userdata/41557/1205123.png)
For more information on creating apps, see our [separate guide](https://gudhub.com/tutorials/getting-started/creating-new-application/).

Next, we’ll create a separate **“Visits”** app. It will pull customer information from the **“Clients”** app and store the date of each visit.

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

To get started, create a new app and name it **“Visits”**.
![2](https://app.gudhub.com:443/userdata/41557/1205124.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/41557/1205125.png)
Once the app is created, it will automatically be populated with sample data. However, this default structure isn’t suitable for tracking visits, so we’ll first customize the app’s structure.

### Step 2. Set Up the App Structure

To edit the app’s structure, open the context menu by right-clicking any field in the table, then select **“Template Editor”**.
![6](https://app.gudhub.com:443/userdata/41557/1205126.jpeg)
Next, go to the **“Form”** tab.
![7](https://app.gudhub.com:443/userdata/41557/1205127.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/41557/1205128.png)
**“App Elements”** – contains the elements that are already used in the app.
![9](https://app.gudhub.com:443/userdata/41557/1205129.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 remove an element, hover over its icon and click **“Delete”**.
![10](https://app.gudhub.com:443/userdata/41557/1205130.jpeg)
![11](https://app.gudhub.com:443/userdata/41557/1205131.png)
Next, go to **“Elements Library”**. We need to add the elements required to track customer visits.

The first one is **“Reference”**. It will link 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/41557/1205132.png)
The second element is **“Date”**. It will be used to enter the date of the visit.

Likewise, find **“Date”** in **“Elements Library”** and drag it into the container.
![13](https://app.gudhub.com:443/userdata/41557/1205133.png)
The app structure is now ready. The **“Visits”** app has fields for selecting a customer and entering their visit date.

In the next step, we’ll connect these fields to the **“Clients”** app so that customers can be selected directly from the existing database.

**Next step:** [Connecting the apps](https://gudhub.com/tutorials/getting-started/linking-apps/connecting-apps/)