Custom applications (Sideloading) - Multi-developer workflow without legacy design

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Hello everyone,I have a question regarding the recommended workflow for a team of developers using the latest Industrial Edge App Publisher (v1.25.7) connected to IEM Virtual 3.0 (IEM v2.3.2).Background:In IE App Publisher 1.25.7, the Return to Previous Design button is no longer available (as documented in the - release notes) w/ IEM V2. Consequently, it is no longer possible to browse and load our existing applications directly from IEM under App Projects / Authorized Application.The documentation states (notable changes):"To manage an existing application in an IE Management App Project, create a new application in the Publisher with the same app name, app ID, and repository name as the original application in IE Management. Ensure that these three fields exactly match the existing application's details in IE Management."My Question:In a scenario where multiple developers collaborate on an application and more than one developer needs to upload/publish versions to IEM:Does every developer have to manually recreate the app entry in the Device Applications (standalone) section on their local machine using the exact matching App Name, App ID, and Repository Name?Does this imply that each developer’s local App Publisher will only display the versions they personally built on their local machine, rather than reflecting the complete version history uploaded to IEM?Is this the intended workflow for teams, or is there a recommended best practice (e.g., sharing a workspace/configuration file, or relying entirely on CI/CD with the IE App Publisher CLI) to keep developer environments aligned?Just to clarify, I know that allowing custom applications is required - as mentioned here in the Notice box.Thank you in advance for your insights!Best regards,Petr
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Hi Petr,


With the new Industrial Edge App Publisher experience, the workflow has changed. The key point is that each developer can work locally while publishing new versions to the same existing application in Industrial Edge Management (IEM).

According to the Industrial Edge App Publisher documentation, you can manage an existing IEM application by creating an application entry in the Publisher with the same application name, App ID, and repository name as the existing application.


For a multi-developer team, I would recommend the following approach:

  1. Create a matching application entry on each developer's machine. Use exactly the same application name, App ID, and repository name as the existing IEM application.
  2. Develop and build locally. Each developer can work on their own local project and create application versions.
  3. Publish versions to the existing IEM application. When uploading, ensure the three identifying values match the existing application so that the new version is associated with it rather than creating a separate application.
  4. Coordinate version numbers and releases. Agree on a versioning convention and designate who is responsible for publishing releases to avoid confusion when multiple developers upload versions.


Regarding your questions:

  • Does every developer need to recreate the application entry? Based on the documented workflow, each developer managing the existing application through a separate local Publisher setup should create a matching entry with the same three identifiers.
  • Does each developer see the complete version history? Do not assume that the local Publisher's version list is the authoritative history of everything uploaded by the team. Use IEM to verify the versions that have actually been uploaded.
  • Should you share a configuration file or use CI/CD? For a team with frequent releases, a controlled CI/CD workflow using the Industrial Edge tooling is worth considering. It can standardize build and upload steps and reduce manual configuration errors. However, it does not eliminate the requirement to use the correct application identifiers.


One important detail: the new experience removes the old App Projects and Authorized Application sections. Therefore, I would follow the new standalone-application workflow rather than relying on instructions written for the legacy design.


Reference: Industrial Edge App Publisher — New Application Creation Journey


Hope this helps.

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