Spanner Basics: Forge, Apps, and Your App Library
The three main places you’ll use
Spanner is built around three simple ideas:
- Forge is where you describe what you need and ask for changes.
- Apps are the tools Spanner creates for you (like a list, tracker, or helper).
- Your App Library is where your Apps live so you can open them anytime.
Forge: the chat where you create and change Apps
Forge is a chat inside Spanner. You tell it what you want, and it creates an App (or updates one you already have).
What you’ll see in Forge
- A conversation thread (your messages and Spanner’s responses).
- Your request in plain language (for example: “Make me a simple weekly meal planner”).
- Updates when Spanner builds or changes your App (for example: new sections, fields, buttons, or a simpler layout).
What Forge is for (and what it isn’t)
- Use Forge when you want something new: a brand-new App for a repeated task.
- Use Forge when something should be different: rename something, reorder it, make it shorter, add a helpful option, etc.
- Forge is not where you “do the task” day-to-day. Once your App exists, you usually run the App for the actual work (like adding items, logging, checking off, viewing results).
Your App Library: where your Apps live
Your App Library is your collection of Apps. It’s the place you go to find an App you’ve already made and open it again.
What you’ll typically do in the App Library
- Browse your Apps (especially when you’ve made more than a few).
- Search or scroll to find the right App for the moment.
- Open an App to use it (run it).
What an “App” means in Spanner
An App in Spanner is a personal tool that’s been shaped around your need. It might look like a form, a checklist, a simple tracker, or a set of quick actions.
Apps are made for repeated use
The goal is that once your App fits your situation, you can use it again and again without re-explaining anything.
- A grocery list that’s organized the way you shop.
- A symptom tracker with the exact notes you care about.
- A packing checklist for a specific trip type (weekend, business, camping).
- A home maintenance log (filter changes, repairs, reminders).
- A simple budget check-in you fill out weekly.
What it means to “run” an App
Running an App simply means opening it and using it. It’s the day-to-day mode where you complete the task the App was made for.
When you run an App, you might:
- Add a new entry (for example: log something, add an item, record a result).
- Check things off or update a status.
- View what you’ve already entered (today, this week, all time—depending on the App).
- Use buttons or quick actions the App provides (for example: “Add,” “Mark done,” “Start timer,” “Save note”).
How Forge, the App Library, and running an App work together
Quick “where do I go?” guide
- I want to create something new. → Go to Forge.
- I want to use something I already made. → Go to your App Library, then run the App.
- This App is close, but not quite right. → Open Forge from that App and ask for a change.
- I can’t remember where my App is. → Check your App Library first.