Get Started

In this guide, you will learn how to build a working Communication App that seamlessly integrates with Salla. By leveraging App Functions, you can intercept Salla's native notification events and route SMS, Email, or WhatsApp messages through your own preferred third-party communication provider.

Prerequisites

Before diving into the integration, ensure you have completed the foundational setup for your app.

1. Partner Account

If you do not already have a partner account, sign up here.

2. Create App

Create a new app and select Communication App as the app type.

3. Demo Store

Install your app on a demo store to test with real data and configure your App Settings.

System Architecture

The following diagram illustrates how Salla intercepts notification events and routes them through your custom App Function to your preferred communication provider.

Implementation Guide

Follow these steps to configure your app, write the delivery logic, and publish your custom communication handler.

Configure Supported Features

Supported Features declare which communication channels your app handles. When a merchant installs your app, it becomes the active handler for every message type you declare—Salla routes all matching messages through your App Function instead of the default provider.

Action Required

Your app cannot go live until at least one feature is selected.

In the Partner Portal, open your app and scroll down to the Supported Feature section. Click the Supported Feature button to open the feature selector.

Choose a channel tab and tick the features your app will handle:

Tab	Feature	What your app handles
SMS	Local SMS	All SMS messages to KSA numbers
SMS	International SMS	All SMS messages to numbers outside KSA
Email	Email	All email messages
Whatsapp	Whatsapp	All WhatsApp messages

Click Save.

Handling Multiple Channels

You can select multiple features. For example, tick both Local SMS and International SMS if your provider handles both domestic and international delivery. Each feature you select means your app takes full ownership of that message type.

Add an App Function

In the Partner Portal app editor, scroll to App Functions and click Add New Function.

The function builder consists of four main sections:

Function Name: A descriptive identifier (e.g., sms-delivery-handler).

Action Selector: The specific event that triggers this function.

Code Editor: Where you write the custom handler logic.

Preview Panel: A testing environment using real demo store data.

Select the Event Action:
Click Select Action and choose the channel you want to handle.

Select this action	To handle
`communication.sms.send`	Outgoing SMS messages
`communication.email.send`	Outgoing email messages
`communication.whatsapp.send`	Outgoing WhatsApp messages

You can create one function per channel, or a single master function that branches based on payload.event.)

Implement Delivery Logic

Once you select an action, the editor pre-populates the function signature. Replace the body with your delivery logic.

Below is a minimal SMS handler that sends a message via a provider using credentials stored in your app settings.

More Examples

Full implementation examples for SMS, Email, and WhatsApp channels can be found on the Examples page.

Test and Validate via Preview

Before publishing, you must test and validate your function with real store data using the preview panel.

In the function editor, click Select Store in the preview panel and choose your demo store.

Enter a test value in the preview parameters (for communication events, this is usually a message or customer ID). Then, click Save and Preview.

The preview panel will display the execution status, the response data returned by your function, execution time, console.log() outputs, and detailed error traces if the function failed.

Check Your Settings

Verify that your settings values are populated. If context.settings is empty, it means you have not yet filled in the App Settings form on your demo store.

Test End-to-End via Dashboard

Once the function works in the preview environment, test the complete end-to-end flow from the merchant's perspective.

Navigate to Apps -> Settings -> Customize.

Choose your app as the default handler for the relevant channels (e.g., Local SMS, International SMS).

Trigger a message from the store (for example, by placing a test order or manually sending a notification to a customer).

Verify that the message was successfully delivered to your phone/inbox via your chosen provider.

Publish Your App

Once all tests pass successfully, publish your function to make it live for merchants.

Return to the Partner Portal and open your app dashboard.

Click Start publishing your app to make the function live and follow the standard publication process.

Important Notes

Seamless Updates: Merchants who already have your app installed will receive the updated function capabilities automatically once published.

Sandbox Safety: All edits made in the code editor are saved in a sandbox environment until you explicitly hit publish. Always test thoroughly in the preview panel before pushing changes to production!

Prerequisites#

System Architecture#

Implementation Guide#

Prerequisites

System Architecture

Implementation Guide