Two tracks to go from zero to live in under fifteen minutes.

Goal: make a successful GET /api/v1/screens request and send a notification to all screens the key can reach.

1. Create an API key

1. Open Settings → API Keys in Studio.
2. Click "Create API key", give it a clear name and a scope.
3. Copy the swk_… token immediately. It is shown once.

2. Set the env var

Keeping the token out of your shell history (and out of git) starts here.

# Paste the key shown once after creation
export SCREENWAY_API_KEY=swk_xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

3. Make your first call

Pick the language you already use. All three examples hit the same endpoint and print a short summary of your account.

curl https://studio.screenway.com/api/v1/screens \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer $SCREENWAY_API_KEY"

4. Send a notification

Notifications are the safest write to start with: no permanent state, immediate visible feedback on any screen that is online.

curl -X POST https://studio.screenway.com/api/v1/notifications \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer $SCREENWAY_API_KEY" \
  -d '{
    "title": "Hello from the API",
    "message": "First request worked.",
    "category": "INFO",
    "priority": "NORMAL",
    "duration_seconds": 15
  }'

• Notifications without an explicit targets array use the API key scope
• A 403 means your targets are outside the key scope. Narrow the request or widen the key
• A 404 with "No screens found" means the key has no online screens to reach
• You can include action_url and action_label for a tap-through CTA on touch kiosks

Goal: take the official skeleton, give it your branding, test locally, package it, upload it as a new app in Studio.

1. Download the skeleton

The skeleton already ships the universal app scaler, a postMessage-wired config.html, German and English locales, and a safe-default boot pattern. Use it; it removes hours of plumbing work.

# In a fresh folder
unzip ~/Downloads/app-skeleton.zip -d my-first-app
cd my-first-app

2. Rename and configure

Edit app.json: pick a stable slug, set version to 1.0.0, and decide on the config fields users will edit in Studio.

{
  "name": "Lobby Welcome",
  "slug": "lobby-welcome",
  "version": "1.0.0",
  "category": "utility",
  "is_free": true,
  "config_schema": {
    "fields": [
      { "key": "title", "type": "text", "default": "Welcome", "required": true }
    ]
  }
}

Move every visible string into locales/de.json. German is the universal fallback; every other locale falls back to it for missing keys.

{
  "description": "Friendly welcome screen for lobbies.",
  "featured": {
    "title": "A warm hello on every display",
    "description": "Editable title, transparent overlay, ready in minutes."
  },
  "config_schema": {
    "fields": {
      "title": { "label": "Headline" }
    }
  },
  "runtime": {
    "fallback": { "title": "Welcome", "subtitle": "Configure in app settings." }
  }
}

3. Test locally

Start any static file server in the app folder. With no Studio iframe around it, the skeleton uses its inline defaults, and your URL parameters override them.

python3 -m http.server 8000
# Open http://localhost:8000/ for the runtime
# Open http://localhost:8000/config.html for the settings form
# URL params override defaults: ?title=Hi&fontSize=180

• index.html renders the runtime UI
• config.html renders the settings form (Studio normally wraps it in an iframe)
• URL params change config without rebuilding
• window.APP_CONFIG is undefined in standalone mode (the intended path)

4. Package and submit

Bump version in app.json, place your banner.png (1200×400) and featured.png (1920×1080) at the bundle root, then pack a flat ZIP from inside the app folder.

# From inside the app folder. build.sh ships with the skeleton
cd my-first-app
./build.sh --bump-patch
# → my-first-app-v1.0.1.zip in the current directory

Submit the ZIP to apps@screenway.com with your app slug, target locales, and a one-line summary. The ScreenWay team validates the bundle, uploads it to the catalogue, and replies with the live link.