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App guidelines

A few standards keep the catalog high-quality and every app safe to run.

Must​

  • Renders cleanly. gdn validate passes for every page.
  • No secrets. Never commit API keys. Declare an api_key input and read it from ctx.inputs, see HTTP requests.
  • Declared assets. Every PNG you draw is listed under assets: and kept small.
  • Sensible refresh. Use the slowest refresh that still looks live, 3600 for hourly data, 60-300 for fast-moving data.
  • Clear metadata. A real name, a one-line description, and an author.

Should​

  • Readable at 32px. Favor big fonts and high-contrast colors; test tiny text on the real panel size in preview.
  • Helpful inputs. Give each input a clear label, a good default, and a help hint. Pick the right input type.
  • Degrade gracefully. If an input is blank, fall back to a sane default rather than drawing nothing.

Naming​

  • App id: lowercase, hyphens, no spaces (local-aqi, not Local AQI).
  • Keep it descriptive, it's the folder name and the endpoint.