So you want to build an app?

Today in the Zendesk forums we’re hosting the next installment of our Fine Tuning series, a discussion where we’ll focus on the Zendesk Apps Framework (ZAF) and the technical aspects of what you need to do to build an app for your Zendesk.

Why you should check it out
Do you need to integrate Zendesk with your own third-party tools? Are you looking to add features that don’t currently exist in Zendesk to help satisfy unique workflows? The ZAF can help! We’ll show you just how robust it is, and how this framework provides developers with capabilities to take your Zendesk instance to the next level.

How to join the conversation
Wondering what time this discussion begins? Good news: It’s already underway. We’ve broken our content into three digestible parts, which will be posted at 8 a.m., 11 a.m., and 2 p.m. Pacific time. All you have to do is read through the best practices and leave a comment to ask a question or share your own tips or experience.

Getting started: What is the Zendesk Apps Framework?
We began this morning by providing an introduction to the Zendesk Apps Framework (ZAF), part of the Zendesk platform with its own development environment inside Zendesk. Zendesk created ZAF to enable developers to extend Zendesk beyond its core “out-of-the-box” feature set. This is helpful if you want to add new functionality or allow interaction with data from third-party systems.

The ZAF also provides all sorts of tools to the designer/developer, such as Data APIs and Interface APIs that allow the app to do things like get data from Zendesk, manipulate data on behalf of the user, or to give complete control to the user interface within the app.

If you’re read this far and are feeling excited, keep reading. Head to the forums to read the rest of part 1 and to join in.