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How Knack Works
Design Your Database
Manage Your Records
Build Your Live Application
View and Share Your App
Do More With Knack
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Workflow
Connect Related Data
Users & Access
Calculations & Logic
Emails & Notifications
Search & Queries
Reporting & Dashboards
E-Commerce & Payments
Builder Guide
Builder Basics
Tables & Connections
Plan Your Connections: Complex Example
Working With Tables
About Connections
Plan Your Connections: Simple Example
Connection Types
Plan Your Tables
Use Connections in Your App
Connecting Records Together
Special Tables
Connections: Troubleshooting & FAQs
Fields
Numeric Equation Functions
Field Types
Validation Rules
Date Equation Settings
Numeric Equation Settings
Formulas
Equations
Conditional Rules
Text Formulas
About Fields
Text Formula Functions
Records
CSV Format Guide for Importing
Delete Records
Import Records
Export Records
Importing Connections
Working with Records
Batch Updates
Pages
Page Menu
User Pages
Deleting a Page That's Being Linked to
Working with Pages
Navigating the Page Preview
Printing Pages & PDFs
Page Rules
Views
Grid Column Settings
Maps
Source: Which Records Will the View Display
Calendars
Grid Settings
Details
Menus
Using Action Links
Reports
Lists
Rich Text
Combining Fields from Connected Records in Views
Using Record Rules
Forms
Using Display Rules
About Views
Using Submit Rules
Searches
Grids
Users & Logins
Users and the Page Menu
Manage Roles & Permissions
Single Sign-On with Google, Facebook, Twitter, and Custom
Manage User Records
Logins and Registrations
About Users
Live App Security Settings: HIPAA Plans
Live App Security Settings
Tasks & Emails
E-Commerce
App Customization
FAQ
Support
Accounts
How do I cancel my Knack account?
I'm over the storage limit for my account. How do I add more storage or get under the limit?
Need account access or to transfer account access because account owner or colleague left the company
I'm over the record limit for my account. How do I add more records or get under the limit?
Is there an option to pay via invoice, check, wire transfer, or something other than a credit card?
How do I freeze or pause my Knack account?
Where can I find a copy of my receipt or invoice?
How do I add more API calls to my account?
Managing Apps
How do I change the favicon for my app?
How do I backup or export my apps and data?
How can I track what users are doing in my app?
How do I remove the "Powered by Knack" logo at the bottom of my app?
How do I give Builder access to a colleague or developer for one of my apps?
How do I white label my app?
How do I copy an app from my account to another account?
App Building
How do I show multiple dates on a calendar?
How do I add a logo to my app?
How do I find the most recent date from a connected table?
How do I create a field that always shows today's date?
Can I share or connect data between apps?
How do I create an "If, Then" or conditional equation?
How do I merge my apps, or copy pages, tables, or other app elements between my apps?
The menu isn't showing for my app on mobile devices. How do I fix that?
Is there a way to have new users be automatically logged-in after they register?
How do I bulk upload or import multiple files?
How do I move or copy fields or data from one table to another?
How can I show a customer's payment history if I'm collecting payments through my Knack app and through cash or check?
Is there a way to add a display rule to multiple columns at one time instead of having to update each column individually?
Do I need a separate user role table for my Vendors, Customers, Employees, Contacts, etc.?
How can I set up my app so users see only their own data?
Can I combine two date fields into a single date field? For example, combining a start and end date into a single field?
Does Knack offer a service for building apps or have developers I can hire?
How do I bulk upload or import multiple images?
How can I change the color of something in my app?
Is it possible to display more than 100 records at a time on a grid, list, or search view?
Can I?
Can I migrate or transfer data from Zoho, Quickbase, or TrackVia?
Can I add chat or messaging to my app?
Can I sell my Knack apps?
Can I use Knack on mobile devices?
Do you have a sandbox or developer environment?
Can I send SMS or text messages using Knack?
Can I integrate Knack with other data, products, and services?
Can I create invoices and accept payments?
Can I have an app in a language besides English?
Can I email PDFs or other attachments to users with Knack?
Can I add Google Analytics to my Knack app?
Can I migrate my Access, Filemaker, SQL, or other databases?
Can I prototype for others?
Can I customize the look and feel of my Knack pages?
Can I use a barcode or credit card scanner with Knack?
Other
How secure is Knack?
Does the signature captured through a signature field constitute a legally binding signature?
Does Knack offer a partner program?
How does Knack work on mobile devices? Is it mobile-friendly? Can users download my apps?
Is Knack GDPR compliant?
Storing sensitive data (credit cards, social security numbers, etc.)
Will Knack sign an NDA (Non-Disclosure Agreement)?
Which browsers do you support?
How do I batch download all of the images and files In my app?
Imports
I'm seeing an odd character when importing data. How can I get rid of it?
How do I update existing data using an import?
My import is failing or getting stuck. What do I do?
Can I undo or reverse an import?
I'm having trouble importing into a specific type of field. What can I do?
Some of my fields aren't importing correctly. How can I fix that?
I'm having trouble importing into a connection field. What can I do?
Can I import something other than data? Like tables, pages, views, etc?
My import is taking a long time. Can you take a look?
I'm getting an error when importing. What do I do?
Do the validation rules on fields trigger when importing data?
Can I schedule or automate imports?
Can my users import data from the live app, instead of going through the builder/back-end?
I am importing data for the first time. How do I do that?
Can I import data into more than one table at the same time?
How To Guides
Add Functionality to Your Live App
How To Create Discount Codes
Create an Add To Favorites Feature
How to Access Private Records Without a Login
Accept Payments in a Live App
Manage Your Records
Use an Edit Form to Create Records If They Don't Exist
Track Which User Last Updated a Record
Copy a Record Using Record Rules
Track When Records are Created and Updated
Create a Version History for Records
Use Zapier to Insert Connected Records
Work with Connected Records
How to Show Multiple Fields in Your Connection Drop-Down
Showing Parent-Child Records in the Live App
Forms
How to Create Dynamic Dropdowns in Forms
Add Read-Only Fields to a Form
How to Change the Layout of Forms
Create a Multi-Part Form
How to Allow Users to Add New Options in Forms
How to Add Instructions to a Form
How to Customize the Text on a Submit Button
How to Automatically Capture a User’s Location on a Form
How to Use URL Variables to Pre-Populate a Form
Customize Views
How to Add a Map to a Details View
How to Add Connection Links to Views
How to Add Inline Editing to a Grid
Create a Print-Friendly Invoice Page
How to Click on an Image to Go to Another Page
How to Add Groupings to a Grid
Users & Logins
Force Users to Reset Their Passwords
Save a User's Payment Method
Create a Single Login Page for Multiple User Roles
Add Read-Only Access For Users
Show Records Connected To The Logged-in User's Company Or Other Group
Show Records Connected to the Logged-in User
Create an Admin User Role to View All Records
Workflow & Automations
Add a Pipeline to Your App
Create a Registration Form with Limited Availability
Add Stages to Your App
Store Multiple Images or Files for Individual Records
Use Multiple Image Sources for a Single Image Field
Create a Button or Link that Updates a Field to a Custom Value
Notify a User That an Item is Ready for Review
Add Assignments to Your App
Using Mailchimp
Approve New Records Before Displaying Them
Workflow Tools
Add Notification & Reminder Emails to Your App
Add Status Indicators to Your App
Logic, Equations & Formulas
Start an Auto Increment Field from Any Number
Display a Message When a Deadline is Approaching
Generate Simple Numeric Barcodes Automatically
How to Set a Random ID
Calculate Age in Years from a Birthday
How To Number Line Items
Show Upcoming Birthdays
How to Extract the Start and End Dates from a Date/Time Field
How to Display Multiple Date Formats Using a Single Date Field
Reports, Queries, and Summaries
App Walkthroughs
Build an Inventory Manager App
Build a Quiz App
Build a Warehouse Manager App
Build a Member Directory
Build an Orders App
Build a Map Directory or Store Locator App
Images & Files
Manage Your Account
Manage Your Account
About Knack Accounts
Account Plans and Billing
Managing Your Apps
Managing Your Account Settings
Sharing Apps With Shared Builders
App Settings: Map Provider
Script Attack Protection: Whitelisted Custom Code Elements and Attributes
Script Attack Protection: Protected Areas
Security & Infrastructure
Security Best Practices
Knack Status
Data Locations
Builder Security Settings for All Knack Plans
Builder Two-Factor Authentication
Performance
Table of Contents
- All Categories
- Builder Guide
- App Customization
- Embed Your App
Embed Your App
Updated
by Danielle Kellogg
What is an Embedded App?
Knack apps can be embedded into external sites. So if you already have a website you can embed your app directly into an external website.
Embedding your app is done by generating a new embed code from your Builder. Then adding that embed code to your external website.
Manage Embed Codes
Embed codes are managed from the "Embed" section of your app Settings in the Builder.
Add Embed Codes
To add a new embed code, navigate to the "Settings" section of the Builder, then select the "Embed" option. Next click the "Add New Embed Code" button.
Next you will be prompted to give the embed code a name and select which page you want to embed:
- Embed Code Name: The embed code name is for reference in your app and is helpful if you are using multiple embed codes. This name is not publicly visible.
- Page to Embed: The page selected will be the initial page shown when viewing the embedded app on the external website.
After adding your embed code name and page click "save" to generate your embed code. Then you can copy your embed code to add to your external site.
Edit Embed Codes
Existing embed codes are listed on the Embed page in the app Settings. If you need to get an existing embed code, click the "< > get embed code" button. This will display the embed code so you can copy it.
You can also edit the embed code name and embedded page by clicking on the more icon (the "..." icon") and then on "Settings".
Delete Embed Codes
Existing embed codes can be deleted from the Embed page in the app Settings. To delete the embed code click on the more icon (the "..." icon") and then on "Delete".
Adding Embed Codes to External Websites
To embed your app into an external website, copy the embed code and paste into the HTML of your website or blog. This can be added directly to HTML or website CMS.
Add this script within the <body></body> tags of the website if you are adding it to the raw HTML. Add the script at the location where you would like the app to appear within the body.
If you are using a CMS (like Weebly or Squarespace) you will likely add embed code to a code module within the CMS.
Once your code is added to your site, any changes you make to your app will be automatically updated to your website. You don't have to re-add your embed code.
HTML Requirements
If your embedded app isn't displaying correctly, doesn't work well on a mobile device, or has issues with a specific browser, the following suggestions may help:
HTML Doc Type
Add the following doc type before the opening html tag:
<!DOCTYPE html public "-//w3c//dtd html 4.01//en" "https://www.w3.org/tr/html4/strict.dtd">
Mobile Meta Tag
Add the following meta tag in your document's HEAD section. This will ensure the app scales well for mobile devices:
<meta name="viewport" content="width=device-width, initial-scale=1.0, target-densitydpi=160, maximum-scale=1">
Encoding/Charset
Make sure your web server is setting a Content-Type of utf-8. If you do not have control over this, you can add the following meta tag in your document's HEAD section:
<meta charset="utf-8">
Remove Base Hrefs
This will prevent some links from opening properly, therefore it is not supported when embedding a Knack app.
CMS Considerations
If you use a CMS like Weebly or WordPress, please consult their documentation for more information on embedding Javascript code snippets.
The following are notes for embedding Knack apps into different CMS systems.
- Weebly: works great, no known issues
- Wordpress: works well, some potential with conflict with certain plugins. Note: only works with self-hosted WordPress sites, not sites run from wordpress.com.
- Joomla: works well, some conflict potential with certain plugins.
- Drupal: works well, some conflict potential with certain plugins.
- Squarespace: There have been issues with a handful of themes, be sure to test during your trial if you have a website established with a specific theme.
- Wix: works, but they use an iFrame to embed Javascript. This means that no styles from the Wix site transfers to the app and also means that the page's URL is not passed to the browser address bar.
- GoDaddy: does not appear to handle the Knack embed codes in a way that can successfully load the Knack app.
- Google Sites: does not handle Knack's relative URLs and the # included as a part of the URL. This causes links clicked within a Knack app not to load.
What if I don't have a website to embed into?
Hosting
You can use a service like Neocities to host a simple webpage which you can embed your app into.
Notes & Troubleshooting
Embedding on a Local Host
If you are unable to get your app to work, it is important to note that embedded apps will only work on a live website. If you are running your site on a local host, your app will not work until your website is live.
Multiple Embed Codes
Currently, Knack only supports one embed code per HTML page. You can use a single embed code, then use the page menu to navigate to different pages from the single code.
Fonts Don’t Match
Your app should automatically take on the styling of your website. If you would like to override this you can use some custom CSS and the "!important" attribute to set your app to your choice of web safe fonts.
.kn-content { font-family: -apple-system,BlinkMacSystemFont,Segoe UI,Roboto,Helvetica Neue,Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif !important; }
You can available find web safe fonts here.
App Doesn't Fit Entirely in Page
If your app appears to not fit in the embedded area and parts of your app are cut off, this can often be the wrapping setting in the website you are embedding into. If you are able to add custom code to your website or have access to a web developer, this can be fixed if by adding some custom CSS using the "overflow" property.
When adding this code to your website, you will need to replace the "div" selector, with the appropriate selector to target where your app is embedded on your site.
div { overflow: scroll; }
You can read more about the overflow property here.
URLs in Browser Address Bar Don't Update
We've found in testing that Weebly will update the embedded URL in the browser address bar as you navigate through the Knack app. Wix and Squarespace do not do this; the URL in the browser address bar will display the URL where the embed code is inserted.
Loading on Squarespace
We have seen users have trouble loading embeds in a Squarespace site with Ajax loading enabled. You may need to work with Squarespace support to correct this.
Squarespace Links
There are some templates within Squarespace that have issues with what is known as the hash change event. If you're seeing your app load, but can't click some of the links then you've selected one of those lucky templates. We've included a code snippet that you can paste into the Builder's Javascript section which will address this issue.
// ---- This fixes the issue with some Squarespace templates ignoring clicks on some links ----
$(document).on('knack-page-render.any', function(event, page) {
if ($('html').hasClass('squarespace-damask')) {
$('.kn-content a').not('[href^="http"],[href^="https"],[href^="mailto:"]').each(function() { $(this).attr('href', function(index, value) { if (value && value.length > 0 && value.substr(0,1) !== "/") {
return (window.location.protocol + '//' + window.location.host + window.location.pathname + value); }}); }); } });
You can learn more about adding custom code, in our developer documentation.
Another difficulty that Squarespace has with hash links comes specifically with use on Internet Explorer. On IE, some templates will not register the hash links correctly and the link will redirect to the website's homepage. In this event, the following code snippet will address this problem.
$(document).on('knack-scene-render.any', function(){
$('base').remove();
});