The App Tips Blog: Keep It Fresh with Auto Refresh

Every so often we find something in Presto 3.0 that is so cool and useful we want to share these tips with you.  In previous App tips, Blythe highlighted the Advanced Mode of App Editor and the Data Decorator in Wires.  This week I wanted to keep it fresh with the App 'Auto Refresh' feature.

Just as the name implies, Auto Refresh grabs a new copy of the data source(s) behind your App.  And as you probably know, Presto lets you grab just about any kind of data including common types like REST, RSS, SOAP, HTML, and SQL. So you can think of your Auto Refresh App as your personal pollster, checking in on your data at regular intervals and giving you the latest and greatest info.

To demonstrate the usefulness of Auto Refresh, I am going to create an App based on what is arguably the most common enterprise data: the spreadsheet.  By the end of this post, you will have an App that automatically refreshes itself from a spreadsheet sitting anywhere on the Internet.  Practically speaking, every time that spreadsheet gets updated, your App will have that new info.  It doesn't get any fresher!

I know it sounds fancy but the process is actually quite simple and it only takes a few steps. To create an App from a spreadsheet, I first registered a Mashable CSV (from the 'Register' menu choose 'CSV File').  To really feel the power of Auto Refresh, I am going to use a remote CSV source, rather than a local source.  This can be any CSV file accessible through HTTP:

After registering the CSV, you'll need to turn it into an App.  If you haven't made an App from a Mashable before, check out the first 2 videos on 'Watch and Learn Presto 3.0'.  It only takes a minute or two.

Now that we have an App made from a remote spreadsheet, how do we automatically check it for new data?  Open your App in Presto Hub, then locate the 'Edit Settings' button at the bottom of the page.  Among many other enticing choices you'll see a “Refresh Interval” box.  Stay focused!  We'll come back to some of these other options some other day.

Enter any time interval (in seconds).  Click Save and you’re done!  Anyone who uses your App will see it refresh itself 'automagically'.  Auto Refresh allows you to have real-time streaming data without manually refreshing your Apps, therefore saving you precious time.  

Always remember these tips aren’t a substitute for the documentation or the full-featured How-Tos.  Keep it fresh!