Changes to custom apps in Help Scout

  • Resolved andreeapomirleanu

    (@andreeapomirleanu)


    1 year, 2 months ago

    Hello! We’ve been using your plugin for quite a while and we are very happy with it! Recently, we have received the following message from HelpScout:

    “Changes to custom apps in Help Scout

    We’re thrilled to announce the launch of our new app developer platform — designed to streamline the app development process. Along with this new platform, we’ll be retiring our legacy static and dynamic custom apps.

    You currently have at least one static or dynamic custom app installed on your Help Scout account. While there isn’t a set timeline for when we’ll retire legacy custom apps, we encourage you to switch to the new platform by the end of the year. Any new apps you’d like to create moving forward must also be built with the new platform. There is exciting new functionality to take advantage of such as:

    • Comprehensive Javascript SDK
    • User-friendly React UI kit
    • All the functionality of previous custom apps including robust API and webhooks

    This complete set of developer tools enables your team to build the custom tools needed to provide the best support to your customers. Details on the platform and a guide to?getting started?are available in our updated?Developer Docs.

    Don’t hesitate to reply with any questions. If you build an app on the new platform, we’d love to hear about your experience with it!”

    I was wondering how this change impacts the functionality of this plugin. Do you plan on migrating it to the new HelpScout methodology of developing custom/dynamic apps? If so, do you have a timeframe for this?

    Thank you so much!

Viewing 3 replies - 1 through 3 (of 3 total)
  • Plugin Author Thomas Maier

    (@webzunft)

    Hi andreeapomirleanu,

    thanks for reaching out! I have not received such a notification myself and am wondering, if this is relevant to EDD Help Scout. The “App” in this case is only a webhook, the rest happens on your server.

    Do you have other apps enabled in Help Scout that could have triggered this warning?

    Thanks,
    Thomas

    Thread Starter andreeapomirleanu

    (@andreeapomirleanu)

    Hi @webzunft

    thank you so much for your answer. Yes, there is another custom dynamic app active that I have made myself, but it’s set up the same as EDD HelpScout.

    EDD HelpScout is set up as a custom dynamic app, that’s how it’s connected to HelpScout itself, right? Please correct me if I’m wrong, but I’m looking at the installation instructions on the plugin page and there’s a step for setting it up on HelpScout as a custom dynamic app.

    As you can see in their documentation, they recommend migrating all custom apps: https://developer.helpscout.com/apps/guides/migrating-legacy-dynamic-apps/

    HelpScout seems to want to move to React, as seen here for example: https://developer.helpscout.com/apps/guides/getting-data-from-help-scout/ , which potentially means the current PHP structure won’t work anymore.

    I found this page https://developer.helpscout.com/custom-apps/ where they say that legacy apps will continue to function, however their email indicates that at some point they might not function anymore. And it also seems to require a special request to continue using the legacy framework.

    I’m sorry if this doesn’t affect your plugin, I just want to make sure that’s the case. Your plugin is amazing and we’re relying on it to help our customer support. I hope HelpScout will announce a more exact date on when they’ll retire custom apps and I would like to try to avoid any disruptions, so that’s why I came to you with the question.

    Again, thank you so much for your time and I’m looking forward to hearing your thoughts about this.

    Plugin Author Thomas Maier

    (@webzunft)

    Hi andreeapomirleanu,

    thanks for the follow-up.

    I now also received confirmation from Help Scout that the EDD integration is also considered a legacy app, but there is no explicit deadline.

    To be honest, it is too early for me to say whether I can and will update the app, since I personally don’t use it anymore and my employer might choose a different path. I am sure, this is not a matter of weeks, nor months, and will use the near future to decide on the next steps.

    If I’d decide to discontinue the plugin, I will let users know here in the forum and in the plugin description.

    Anyone is invited to contribute through https://github.com/webzunft/edd-helpscout as well.

    Thanks,
    Thomas

Viewing 3 replies - 1 through 3 (of 3 total)
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