ARPIA Docs

Build an application

Updated October 26, 2026

Overview#

Build an Application lets you create your own Personal Application with AI — right from your user screen, using only the data nodes and actions you already have access to. No developer profile needed. When it's ready, share it with your team.

🟢 No code required. You describe what you want in plain language, and ARPIA Codex builds the app for you.


Before You Start#

Note

Admin setup required. To use this AI feature, it must first be enabled in Global AI Configuration — only your Administrator can do this.

  • Your app is scoped to your permissions — you can only build with the knowledge nodes and actions you have access to.
  • When you share, people only see the data their own access allows. Sharing the app never widens anyone's data access.

Build Your App#

Create your application#

  1. From your home screen, in My Tools, press Build an Application.
  1. A new screen loads with a form. Enter a name in the field under Application name.
  1. Press Create & Open.

Build it with Codex#

Your app opens with a short welcome screen and the Arpia Codex panel on the right. Build it in 4 steps:

1. Pick your data. Open Ontology Nodes in the top bar to set exactly what your app can use:

  • Input — the knowledge nodes your app can read. Leave the variants list empty for full access (raw node + any variant), or list specific variants to limit reading to just those.
  • Output — the actions your app can run. These are always explicit: pick at least one per knowledge node.
  • Tools (private apps only) — AI Tools Collections and Workshop APIs for advanced AI capabilities. See Single-Page Apps (SPA) for the full setup.

2. Describe what you want. In the Arpia Codex panel on the right, tell Codex — in plain language — what the app should do.

3. Watch it build. Your app renders live in the Preview as Codex works. Keep refining by chatting.

4. Publish & Share. When it's ready, press Publish, then Share it with your team.

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Not sure where to start? Try telling Codex:#

  • "Show my open sales orders as a sortable, searchable table."
  • "Build a dashboard: total revenue this month as a big number, plus a bar chart by region."
  • "Add a form to log a new customer visit and save it with my Create Visit action."
  • "Build a case management app using my Cases node. Show open cases by owner, priority, and status."
  • "Add a case status update form using my approved Update Case Status action."
  • "Create an invoice follow-up dashboard using the Invoice node and only the actions available to my profile."

Working With Codex#

The assistant in the panel is Arpia Codex — SPA Studio. It runs in Build mode — changes apply immediately and update the live preview as Codex works.

Input bar controls#

The Codex input bar gives you several tools to guide the build:

Control What it does
··· Additional options menu
Build Active mode — Codex applies changes and updates the preview live
Model selector Choose which AI model powers the session (e.g. openai/gpt-5.5)
📎 Attach file Upload a file for Codex to read and use as context
📷 Image Attach a screenshot or image — Codex can see and interpret it
⊠ Clear / reset the current context

Focus Scope#

The 📎 attach button opens a Focus Scope selector before attaching:

  • All Files (default) — Codex has access to everything in the current app context.
  • Current File — Codex focuses only on the file currently open.

Attaching images#

You can share a screenshot directly with Codex — useful for showing a design reference, an existing layout you want to replicate, or a bug you want fixed. Codex will describe what it sees and use it to inform the build.

Note

Full Codex reference: see Arpia Codex in SPA Studio.


Managing Your App#

From the top bar:

  • Preview — use your app live as you build.
  • Refresh — reload the preview.
  • Open Tab — open the app in its own browser tab.
  • Share — give your team access (each person sees only their own data).
  • Publish — make the current version live.
  • Delete — remove the app.

Access & Sharing#

Your Personal Application respects ARPIA's permissions end to end:

  • You build only from your nodes and actions.
  • Each viewer you share with sees the app through their own access — never yours.
Note

Building in a Workarea as a developer instead? See Single-Page Apps (SPA) for the full in-platform and ZIP-upload workflow.

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