Upon purchasing the Application Library, organisations can assign permissions at either the application library administrator or authorised user level, allowing tailored access for different roles. Your organisation’s 9ine Platform administrator(s) can allocate these permissions through the User Management feature located in the header.

To grant Application Library administrator access, your organisation's 9ine Platform Administrator should tick the option labelled Access to publish, Quickstart, bulk upload, edit and delete items in the Application Library. This level of access lets a user publish, bulk upload, edit and delete applications.

To grant authorised user access instead, tick the Application Library module checkbox on the left. Authorised users can view and interact with the catalogue, but cannot publish, edit or delete applications.

When navigating to the Application Library, users with Application Library administrator permissions will see the New Application button located in the upper right-hand corner of the page.

Begin by clicking New Application, to get started. You will then be presented with a popup that displays two mandatory fields: Title and Approval Status.

In the Application Library, each application can be assigned one of five predefined approval status options:

• Pilot
• Approved
• Coming Soon
• Restricted
• Rejected

If your organisation has access to 9ine’s Privacy or Vendor Platforms, the Vendor and POA fields will appear at the top of the Publish to Application Library popup. These fields enable you to integrate applications with associated vendors and processing operation assessments (POAs). When a POA is selected, the Title field in the Application Library automatically mirrors the POA’s title, but this title can be edited in the Application Library without impacting the original processing operation assessment. This flexibility ensures that information remains consistent yet adaptable for specific use in the Application Library.

When publishing a new application, you have the ability to document key aspects such as:

• Organisations can select a Licence type from the predefined list, or create a custom one using the +Other field.
• Organisations can enter a value in the Available/Unused Licence Count for each application. This field is dependent on the Licence Count, and its value must always be less than or equal to the total Licence Count.
• If an application has age restrictions, select from the predefined list of age ranges.
• Whether an application utilises artificial intelligence (AI) by marking the relevant field. If AI usage is unknown, this field can be left blank. 
• To categorise AI-related risk, organisations can select an AI risk profile from four predefined categories or create a customised option using the +Other field, supporting a tailored approach to AI management based on organisation-specific risk policies.
• You can add safeguarding guidance to each application, highlighting any relevant considerations to ensure safe and responsible use by students and staff.
• It is also possible to specify if an application is specific to a subject or department, language, and school (if your organisation is multi-site or a through school).

Involving your organisation’s IT team ensures a holistic approach to managing the Application Library. IT can utilise the publish process to verify each application's compatibility, security, and compliance with organisational IT policies. During this process, IT can assess critical technical details, including:

• Operating System: Determine whether the application is compatible with mobile, desktop, or browser-based platforms to ensure it functions seamlessly across all intended devices.
• Recommended Browser: Identify the preferred browser to optimise performance and security, as certain applications perform best on specific browsers.
• Login Method: Confirm the login method, whether single sign-on (SSO), email-based, or another method, to align with the organisation's authentication and access management practices.

In addition, the information added in the fields thumbnail, description, overview video/image, attachments, audience, tags, licence type, licence count and related fields appear on the application tile displayed in the library and in the Preview. These details provide users with a comprehensive overview of each application, helping them quickly assess its purpose, relevant resources, and intended audience directly from the library display.

In both the new and edit workflows, several administrative fields are included in the publish process and are not displayed to authorised users. These fields are present to support ongoing governance and regular reviews of the Application Library, and include:

• Managed by: Identifies the person or team responsible for overseeing the application.
• Year: Indicates the year the application was added or updated for tracking purposes.
• Next review date: Sets a reminder for when the application should next be reviewed, ensuring its continued relevance and compliance.
• Internal Notes: Provides space for administrators to add any internal notes regarding the application, visible only to those with administrative access.

The Review field enables users to assign or remove reviewers for an application. When an application is created with a reviewer assigned, selecting Save will automatically send it to the designated reviewer for evaluation. The assigned reviewer is notified by email and by an in-product notification.

While the application is in the Review state, the Preview and Request actions are disabled. Applications awaiting review are indicated by an info icon on the application tile, accompanied by a message stating that Review is required.

Reviewers can access and make changes to applications via the Application Library, where they may update the review status as needed. However, updating the status is not mandatory. The application owner retains the ability to proceed with publishing regardless of whether the reviewer has modified the review status.
Once published, the application is added to the library and becomes available to all users.

To streamline operational workflows, an optional Request button can be enabled within the Application Library. This feature allows users to directly request applications from within the library, simplifying the process for faculty or staff who need access to new or existing EdTech resources. With this feature, organisations can efficiently manage and track application requests, helping to prioritise resources and respond quickly to user needs.

To enable the request button, your 9ine Platform Administrator should open Organisation Profile from the header and add one or more support email addresses in the Application Library section. Adding at least one address activates the request workflow. The switch beside each address locks the field, so that only the administrator who locked it can change it. Only a 9ine Platform Administrator can add, edit or remove these addresses.

When publishing or editing an application, an Application Library administrator can turn on the request button for that application by ticking Provide request button and choosing a recipient in Select request email address. This option is only available for certain approval statuses, so you can, for example, allow requests only for approved applications.

If enabled, this feature allows users to conveniently request applications directly from within the Application Library, streamlining communication and ensuring that requests are efficiently directed to the appropriate contacts.

The Application Library includes a Rating and Review feature that enables your organisation’s users to provide feedback on applications based on their experience. This functionality supports informed decision-making across the organisation, allowing users to share insights that may help colleagues select the best-suited tools.

Users can submit ratings and reviews directly from the application tile or the application preview page, making it convenient to provide feedback at various interaction points.

Reviews and ratings are visible within your organisation, ensuring that only members within the same organisation can view and assess the feedback. This localised approach keeps insights relevant while fostering collaborative evaluation among staff.

Use the Sort by control to order reviews by newest or oldest, and the Rating filter to show only reviews with a particular star rating, such as 5-star or 1-star.

The Application Library’s Bulk Upload feature simplifies the process of adding multiple applications simultaneously, saving time and reducing manual effort for users. Our team also maintains a master template of commonly used applications in schools, which can be downloaded, edited, and re-uploaded as part of the bulk upload process.

To start, go to Application Library and select Bulk Upload. This opens an Upload popup, where you will see an option to Download Template. The template includes three tabs:

• Tab 1: Pre-populated with existing applications from the master template.
• Tab 2: Blank sheet for entering new application details.
• Tab 3: Glossary with field definitions and guidelines.

Enter your new application details in the blank sheet, and edit or remove the pre-populated entries as needed. The template contains three tabs: Review Our Template Data, Add Your Application Data, and Glossary. The Review Our Template Data tab contains the master/reference data that users should review, while the Add Your Application Data tab is where users enter the application details they want to upload. The Glossary tab provides explanations of the fields and terms used in the template. Be sure to fill in all required fields (marked with an asterisk), especially the mandatory fields Title and Approval Status.

Once completed, upload the populated template back into the Platform. Ensure the file is saved in .xlsx format, with column headers matching the original template.

After uploading the template, you’ll proceed to the Image Uploader step, where you can add images associated with each application. You may select a single image for both the thumbnail (icon/logo) and overview if desired. Uploaded images must match the image names in the template, or they will fail to upload. 

Similarly, you can add attachments for each application in the Attachment step.

Clicking Finish completes the bulk upload, and you will receive both an in-Platform notification and an email confirming the successful upload.

To download applications, click the Download button located in the top right-hand corner of the Application Library log. You can customise the report to include or exclude data using the search bar and filter options. When you click Download, the export is generated in the background. Once it is ready you receive an in-product notification and an email containing a link to download the file in XLS format.

The user can then use the downloaded file as a template to update application data by following this workflow:

• Open the XLS file and make the required updates to the application data.
• Save the file after completing your changes.
• Upload the updated file using the Upload functionality.
• The system will process the file, and the updated data will be reflected in the existing application.

Application Library administrators can manage existing applications directly from the library:

• Edit: open an application to update any of its details and republish it.
• Revision: Opens the application revisions popup, displaying the user name, date and time, and details of the most recent changes.
• Duplicate: create a copy of an application as a starting point for a similar entry. When the copy is created, you receive an email and an in-Platform notification confirming the application has been duplicated.
• Delete: remove an application from the library.

A shareable link publishes a curated, public version of your Application Library, allowing people such as staff, students and parents to view selected applications from your library without requiring a 9ine Platform account.

Only a 9ine Platform administrator or Application Library administrator can create and manage shareable links.

To get started, open the Application Library and select the Manage Public View icon. The Manage Public View page displays all existing shareable links, together with their status and summary information. Select New Public View to create a new shareable link.

Creating a shareable link consists of four steps:

• Basic information: Begin by entering a Title, which is mandatory. You can also add an optional description and Audience Tags to help identify who the shareable view is intended for.
• Manage Preview: This step allows you to choose which sections of each application are visible to visitors. Select one or more sections to include in the application preview. If no sections are selected, the following sections are included by default:
  • Overview
  • Description
  • Audience
  • Attachments
• Application Selection: The Application Selection step allows you to choose which applications will be included in the shareable view. Select one or more applications individually, or select Select All to include every application that matches the current filter. You can use the available filters before selecting Select All to quickly include only the applications you want. 
  • Applications added to your Application Library after creating your shareable view are not included automatically. 
  • Applications with a Review Pending status can be selected. However, they are not visible to visitors until they have been published. Once published, they automatically become available through the shareable view.
• Access and Sharing: The final step allows you to configure how visitors access the shareable view. Choose one of the following access types:
  • Unrestricted: Anyone with the link can access the shareable view.
  • Password Protected: Visitors must enter a password before they can access the shareable view. If you select Password Protected, either enter your own password or select Generate Password. Passwords must:
    • Contain at least eight characters
    • Include at least one number
    • Include at least one special character
  • Once configured, use Copy Password and Copy Link to share the access details, then select Publish to make the shareable view available.

Once created, shareable links can be managed directly from the Manage Public View log. Administrators can perform the following actions:

• Edit: Update any of the four setup steps. Editing a shareable link does not change its web address (URL).
• Duplicate: Create a copy of an existing shareable link as a new draft. The Access and Sharing settings are not copied, so the access type and password must be configured again before publishing.
• Archive: Remove a shareable link from public access. Archived shareable links cannot be viewed or edited until they are reopened.
• Reopen: Return an archived shareable link to draft so it can be updated and published again.
• Delete: Permanently remove a shareable link.

Visitors can browse and search the selected applications and open an application preview to view the information you have chosen to share. If the shareable view is password protected, visitors are prompted to enter the password before selecting View.

A published shareable link remains available while:

• Your organisation's 9ine Platform account is active
• The shareable link has an Active status

If any of these conditions are no longer met, visitors are informed that the shareable link is no longer available.

Shareable links do not expire, and there is no limit to the number of applications that can be included within a single shareable view.