First In-App Placement
In-App is a communication channel for displaying banners and other content inside a mobile application. Unlike push notifications, In-App content is only shown when the user is in the application. Content is launched through placements.
This guide will help you prepare the platform and organize your first In-App content display.
In-App content is only launched through placements. It is not used in broadcasts, regular, triggered mailings, or A/B/n tests.
Step 1: Prepare S3 Storage
If you use the cloud solution, skip this step and contact technical support.
If you have installed Altcraft Platform on your own equipment (On-premises), perform the following steps yourself or pass the instructions to your platform administrators.
The platform requires an S3 storage (MinIO) to store In-App content. Preparation consists of three stages:
- Installing S3 storage. Instructions for installing MinIO and connecting it to the platform are described in the installation guide.
- Creating an In-App storage in the admin panel. Template storage settings for In-App are described in this article.
- Binding the storage to an account. Select the created storage in the account settings — the selected S3 storage will contain messages for In-App mailings.
Step 2: Integrate mSDK into the Application
SDK integration is performed on the application side. Instructions for integrating Altcraft mSDK, setting up authorization, and subscribing to the In-App channel are described in SDK Setup and Integration.
Detailed instructions for each platform are provided in the developer guide: Android, iOS, Flutter, React Native.
Step 3: Create a Resource with an In-App Channel
Select the Resources section in the main menu, create a new resource or select an existing one. Add the In-App channel to the resource.
In the In-App channel settings, specify:
- Application versions — versions in which In-App will work.
- Application screens — pre-prepared places in the application for displaying In-App messages.
For more information on creating a resource and configuring the channel, see the subscription resources article.
Step 4: Subscribe Clients to the In-App Channel
Altcraft Platform mailings are received by your subscribers — profiles stored in profile databases. A subscription to the In-App channel links a profile to a resource.
A subscription to the In-App channel is created in one of the following ways:
- Via mSDK in the application. After user authentication, the SDK calls
inAppSubscribe()— the subscription is added automatically. - Manually or during profile import. In this case, the profile data must include a Device ID value — the user's device identifier.
If you already have a client profile database, upload the data to the platform and specify a subscription to the resource with the In-App channel during import:
- import profiles from a file;
- scheduled import from an external SQL database;
- platform API integration.
When importing profiles, the search for existing records is performed in matching mode. For In-App channel subscriptions, search by device identifier (device_id) is available.
Step 5: Prepare Content — Create a Template
Content for In-App is created in Message Templates. When creating a new template, select the In-App channel — the block editor will open.
When creating a template, you need to select an In-App type — the format in which content is displayed in the application:
An In-App template can consist of one or more pages, between which the user switches in the application:
For more information on block editor elements, style and parameter settings, see the In-App Template article.
Step 6: Create a Placement
To launch In-App content, the Mailings tool is used — a placement. Content is shown to application users who have an active subscription to the resource when they are in the application.
To create a placement, go to the Mailings — Placements section. |  |
Click the Create button. Select the In-App channel. |  |
Fill in the basic information: placement name and description, subscription resource, recipient audience, as well as application versions and screens on which the content will be displayed. |  |
Select the template created in the previous step and click Next. |  |
Configure the display conditions: trigger event (application start, transition to a screen from the resource, or user action), display immediately or after a specified time after the trigger, schedule availability, frequency and display limits, as well as placement priority. |  |
Then click Create — you will be taken to the placement management screen. |  |
To activate the placement, click the start button |  |
and specify the start date and end date.
button.
A detailed description of each placement setting and option is available in the Placements article.
Step 7: Analyze Results
Mailing Log
The mailing log is a tool that provides a brief summary of the placement execution. It records key events, parameters, and statistics, allowing you to identify potential issues.
To open the journal, click the Journal button in the quick actions menu:
The mailing log contains the following information:
| Type | Description |
|---|---|
| Mailing start | Time when the placement execution began |
| No limit set | Shows whether a limit on the number of displays is set |
| Number of profiles obtained from the source | Total number of profiles in the source |
| Number of subscribers found | Number of users with an active subscription to the resource |
| Number of subscribers without inapp channel subscriptions | Profiles without an In-App channel subscription |
| Number of subscribers with incorrect subscription fields for the inapp channel | Profiles with erroneous subscription data |
| Number of duplicates for the inapp channel | Duplicate subscriptions |
| Number of messages sent for the inapp channel | Actual number of successful displays |
| Mailing completed | Time when the placement ended |
| Total time spent | Total duration (ms) |
Reports and Analytics
To evaluate the results of your placements, use the channel report. The report provides analytics for one or more placements and communication channels.
Actions in a placement or template can become steps in an interactive conversion funnel.