Hidden menu - How to preview content and app configurations in Pugpig Bolt
Table of Contents
iOS and Android
Previously to view draft content we would upload an enterprise app build to a website called App Center and distribute it to whoever needed it. However due to changes in distribution rules around Apple Enterprise builds we are no longer able to do this. From Pugpig Bolt 3.9 onwards we will provide a way to switch your content feed, from live to preview, within the app.
Android builds are unaffected by this change but for parity we'll be adding the preview functionality to Bolt Android as well.
Pugpig bolt apps have a hidden menu within the settings page, accessible by tapping the version information ~10 times. This menu has several options, some for viewing draft content and app configurations, some for developer debugging. Note the following information is for apps on the latest Bolt version. If you're not seeing any of the below then reach out to talk about an app update.
- Admin code - This is a code that you can see in the Distribution System. If you don't have access, it can be provided to you by your Customer Success Manager or Pugpig Support. It will turn on Preview mode, showing you any articles, timelines or editions that are set to draft in the CMS, and it will enable the ability to turn on Configuration mode.
- Configuration mode - Bolt apps normally fetch the Configuration that is set to active. Configuration mode tells the app to fetch the latest generated one. This is particularly useful for checking any app styling, configuration or copy changes that may be in progress.
- Push token - If you're using one of our productised push providers you can tap this button to copy your push token, which you can use for testing purposes.
- Log level - This changes what information is sent in app logs and should be left as the default unless we say otherwise.
- Enable Ad Debugging - This brings up the Google Mobile Ads Ad inspector to help with identifying any ad-related issues in the app.
- Clear Downloader Cache - This clears the app of any downloaded data.
- Force Crash - This forces the app to crash for test purposes.
Note that after entering an Admin code, or activating Configuration mode, you will need to force close and reopen the app in order to fetch the new content/config.
Warning
If you enter an invalid admin code your app will fail to fetch any content. You can fix this by entering a valid code, or removing the code and force closing and reopening the app.
Going forwards to view preview content within your apps, you won't need an extra build, you'll just need an admin code. You should be provided one when you upgrade to Bolt 3.9 but if not, please reach out to us via support@pugpig.com
Web
On Bolt Web there's no secret menu or need for admin codes. You'll just need to add a query string to the end of the URL.
To preview your content add ?preview=true
To preview your configurations add ?configuration_mode=true
To preview both add ?configuration_mode=true&preview=true