Ecosyste.ms: Awesome

An open API service indexing awesome lists of open source software.

Awesome Lists | Featured Topics | Projects

https://github.com/EddyVerbruggen/nativescript-app-shortcuts

:point_down: Home Icon Actions for your NativeScript app, now also for Android!
https://github.com/EddyVerbruggen/nativescript-app-shortcuts

3d-touch 3dtouch app-shortcuts nativescript nativescript-plugin

Last synced: 3 months ago
JSON representation

:point_down: Home Icon Actions for your NativeScript app, now also for Android!

Awesome Lists containing this project

README 

        
# NativeScript Icon Shortcuts plugin



[![Build Status][build-status]][build-url]

[![NPM version][npm-image]][npm-url]

[![Downloads][downloads-image]][npm-url]

[![Twitter Follow][twitter-image]][twitter-url]



[build-status]:https://travis-ci.org/EddyVerbruggen/nativescript-app-shortcuts.svg?branch=master

[build-url]:https://travis-ci.org/EddyVerbruggen/nativescript-app-shortcuts

[npm-image]:http://img.shields.io/npm/v/nativescript-app-shortcuts.svg

[npm-url]:https://npmjs.org/package/nativescript-app-shortcuts

[downloads-image]:http://img.shields.io/npm/dm/nativescript-app-shortcuts.svg

[twitter-image]:https://img.shields.io/twitter/follow/eddyverbruggen.svg?style=social&label=Follow%20me

[twitter-url]:https://twitter.com/eddyverbruggen



  



### Supported platforms

* iPhone 6s / 6s Plus or newer, running iOS 9 or newer.

* Android 7.1 (API level 25) or newer.



## Installation

From the command prompt go to your app's root folder and execute:



NativesScript 7.x

```

tns plugin add nativescript-app-shortcuts

```



NativesScript 6.x

```

tns plugin add [email protected]

```



## Demo app (XML & TypeScript)

Want to dive in quickly? Check out [the demo app](demo)! Otherwise, continue reading.



## Demo app (Angular)

This plugin is part of the [plugin showcase app](https://github.com/EddyVerbruggen/nativescript-pluginshowcase/tree/master/app/appicon) I built using Angular.



## API



### `available`

Check whether or not the device is capable.

Android devices will also report `false`, so you can use this cross platform.



##### JavaScript

```js

// require the plugin

var AppShortcuts = require("nativescript-app-shortcuts").AppShortcuts;



// instantiate the plugin

var appShortcuts = new AppShortcuts();



appShortcuts.available().then(

  function(available) {

    if (available) {

      console.log("This device supports app shortcuts");

    } else {

      console.log("No app shortcuts capability, ask the user to upgrade :)");

    }

  }

);

```



##### TypeScript

```typescript

// require the plugin

import { AppShortcuts } from "nativescript-app-shortcuts";



// instantiate the plugin

let appShortcuts = new AppShortcuts();



appShortcuts.available().then(available => {

  if (available) {

    console.log("This device supports app shortcuts");

  } else {

    console.log("No app shortcuts capability, ask the user to upgrade :)");

  }

});

```



### `configureQuickActions`

When your app is running you can add those fancy Quick Actions to the Home Screen icon. You can configure up to four icons and they are 'cached' by iOS until you pass in a new set of icons. So you don't need to do this every time your app loads, but it can't really hurt of course.



The `type` param (see the code sample below) is the most convenient way to relate the icon to the event you'll receive when the action was used to launch your app. So make sure it's unique amongst your icons.



There are two types of icons currently supported: `iconType` and `iconTemplate`.



#### iconType (iOS)

A value from a [fixed list of icons which have been provided by Apple](https://developer.apple.com/ios/human-interface-guidelines/icons-and-images/system-icons/#home-screen-quick-action-icons) and look great (click the value in the 'API' column to look up the Objective-C name, and look at the sample below how to use them).



#### iconTemplate

Can be used to provide your own icon. It must be a valid name of an icon template in your Assets catalog. NativeScript allows you to add the icon to the `app/App_Resources/` folder. If you add a file called `beer.png` then reference it as `beer`. More on these images below when we discuss static actions.



Ignored on iOS, if `iconType` is set as well.



##### TypeScript

```typescript

import { AppShortcuts } from "nativescript-app-shortcuts";

import { isIOS } from "tns-core-modules/platform";



let appShortcuts = new AppShortcuts();



appShortcuts.configureQuickActions([

  {

    type: "capturePhoto",

    title: "Snag a pic",

    subtitle: "You have 23 snags left", // iOS only

    iconType: isIOS ? UIApplicationShortcutIconType.CapturePhoto : null,

    iconTemplate: "eye" // ignored by iOS, if iconType is set as well

  },

  {

    type: "beer",

    title: "Beer-tastic!",

    subtitle: "Check in & share", // iOS only

    iconTemplate: "beer"

  }

]).then(() => {

  alert("Added 2 actions, close the app and apply pressure to the app icon to check it out!");

}, (errorMessage) => {

  alert(errorMessage);

});

```



## Capturing the Action

When a home icon is pressed, your app launches. You probably want to perform different actions based on the home icon action

that was picked (like routing to a different page), so you need a way to capture the event.



### NativeScript with XML

In a non-Angular NativeScript app we need to extend `app.js` or `app.ts` and import the plugin,

then call the `setQuickActionCallback` function. So in case of `app.ts` change it from something like this:



```typescript

import * as application from "tns-core-modules/application";

application.start({ moduleName: "main-page" });

```



To this:



```typescript

import * as application from "tns-core-modules/application";



// import the plugin

import { AppShortcuts } from "nativescript-app-shortcuts";



// instantiate it and call setQuickActionCallback

new AppShortcuts().setQuickActionCallback(shortcutItem => {

  console.log(`The app was launched by shortcut type '${shortcutItem.type}'`);



  // this is where you handle any specific case for the shortcut

  if (shortcutItem.type === "beer") {

    // this is an example of 'deeplinking' through a shortcut

    let frames = require("ui/frame");

    // on Android we need a little delay

    setTimeout(() => {

      frames.topmost().navigate("beer-page");

    });

  } else {

    // .. any other shortcut handling

  }

});



application.start({ moduleName: "main-page" });

```



### NativeScript with Angular

If you're using Angular, the best place to add the handler is in `app.module.ts`,

and use `NgZone` to help Angular knowing about the route change you're performing:



```typescript

import { NgZone } from "@angular/core";

import { isIOS } from "tns-core-modules/platform";

import { RouterExtensions } from "nativescript-angular";

import { AppShortcuts } from "nativescript-app-shortcuts";



export class AppModule {

  constructor(private routerExtensions: RouterExtensions,

              private zone: NgZone) {



    new AppShortcuts().setQuickActionCallback(shortcutItem => {

  console.log(`The app was launched by shortcut type '${shortcutItem.type}'`);



      // this is where you handle any specific case for the shortcut, based on its type

      if (shortcutItem.type === "page1") {

        this.deeplink("/page1");

      } else if (shortcutItem.type === "page2") {

        this.deeplink("/page2");

      }

    });

  }



  private deeplink(to: string): void {

    this.zone.run(() => {

      this.routerExtensions.navigate([to], {

        animated: false

      });

    });

  }

}

```



## Configuring Static Actions

With `configureQuickActions` you can configure dynamic actions,

but what if you want actions to be available immediately after the app as installed from the store?



### iOS

You need to manually edit the `.plist`.

Fortunately NativeScript allows you to change this file through `app/App_Resources/iOS/Info.plist`. Anything added there is added to the final `.plist` during a build.



Note that dynamic actions will never replace static actions, so if you have two static actions you can add up to two dynamic ones. Any more will be ignored.



Here's an example which you can paste anywhere in the `.plist` file:



```xml

UIApplicationShortcutItems



  

    UIApplicationShortcutItemIconFile

    Eye

    UIApplicationShortcutItemTitle

    Eye from plist

    UIApplicationShortcutItemSubtitle

    Awesome subtitle

    UIApplicationShortcutItemType

    eyefromplist

  

  

    UIApplicationShortcutItemIconType

    UIApplicationShortcutIconTypeCompose

    UIApplicationShortcutItemTitle

    Compose

    UIApplicationShortcutItemType

    compose

  



```



#### UIApplicationShortcutItemIconFile



The second action above uses the built-in `UIApplicationShortcutIconTypeCompose` icon, but the first one uses a custom icon: `Eye`. This expects the file `app/App_Resources/iOS/Eye.png`. According to Apple's docs this needs to be a single color, transparent, square, `35x35` icon - but that size will look pixelated on retina devices so go ahead and use a `70x70` or `105x105` icon if you please.



#### UIApplicationShortcutItemTitle / UIApplicationShortcutItemSubtitle



You can guess what those do, right? Only the title is mandatory.



#### UIApplicationShortcutItemType



This is the same as the `type` param of `configureQuickActions`, so it's what you'll receive in the callback you may have configured in `app.js` / `app.ts`  as `payload.type`. Just do something cool with that info (like routing to a specific page and loading some content).



### Android

Open `app/App_Resources/Android/AndroidManifest.xml` and add:



```xml

 

  



```



Add the file you referenced in `AndroidManifest.xml`: `/app/App_Resources/Android/xml/shortcuts.xml` and add:



```xml



  

    

    

  



```



A few notes:

- This adds 1 static `shortcut` to your app (you can add more if you like).

- Make sure the `action` has the `shortcut.type.` prefix. The value behind the prefix is the equivalent of the iOS `UIApplicationShortcutItemType`.

- The `targetPackage` needs to be your app id.

- The `targetClass` needs to be the `activity` class as mentioned in `AndroidManifest.xml`, which is `com.tns.NativeScriptApplication` by default.