webOS Quick Actions lets you make custom Just Type Quick Actions 10
Just Type on webOS has always been a powerful tool. Between universal search of your apps, content, and the web, custom web searches, and quick action shortcuts, Just Type has always had the potential to be incredibly powerful. But it didn't always get there, thanks to the perennially-low marketshare penetration of webOS.
But just because webOS has low user numbers doesn't mean there aren't developers out there looking to make there mark. Take Eugenio Paolantonio, an Italian webOS developer who decided he wanted truly custom web search capabilities. So he made his own app: webOS Quick Actions. The app lets you generate a custom Just Type search or launch, so long as you know your way around scripting. It's pretty barebones, but the app itself is just a point in which to enter your scripting and a launching intermediary.
So what does this scripting allow you to do? Let's say you want to be able to search a site that doesn't have an OpenSearch plug-in. What do you do? You set up a custom Google search script that includes the site's url, and then all you have to do is plug into just type "sitename searchquery" and hit the Execute Quick Action button under Quick Actions - the app takes your cue (in this case sitename) and performs the appropriate search. webOS Quick Actions also supports opening apps on the device, and if the app supports the ability to open to a specific URL (for example, the web browser and App Catalog do), you can add in arguments to make that happen. Paolantonio's posted a good walkthrough on webOS Italiia, if you're willing to muddle through the auto-translation (or can read Italian)
What webOS Quick Actions can do isn't necessarily limitless, but the options are many and only limited by your scripting know-how. Admittedly, our scripting know-how is on the rusty side of "never knew much to start", so while it'll take some studying before we can really make use of webOS Quick Actions, we saw the power user potential in it right away.
10 Comments
actually I have never used quick actions. Tried it once to send a text and it took longer than opening the app first. We will see.
A post related to my app on webOS Nation?! AWESOME.
Thank you, Derek.
Eugenio
Thanks for developing for webos
"if the app supports the ability to open to a specific URL (for example, the web browser and App Catalog do), you can add in arguments"
This is not true for the current version, since the "Launch" feature doesn't seem to support adding in arguments this way (yet).
Try it yourself. Enter a script like "com.palm.app.browser @1@" and then select "Launch" as the type. Name it "launchbrowser". Type "launchbrowser google.com" or whatever (inside Just Type). It doesn't work. It's the same for App Catalog and any other app with "the ability to open a specific URL" (I don't know any).
Instead, you may enter "@1@" inside this app and then select "Web" (not "Launch") as the type. Name it "browse". Then, inside Just Type, you can simply type "browse theURLtobeopened". It seems unuseful to me, since you may just tap "Go to website" instead.
Of course I tested it all myself. ;)
For the first case, it doesn't work as the application does not yet support calling applications and passing them the arguments (people asked me for this feature many times, so I think you will get on the next release, hopefully :D).
For the second case, you can use the action as you described, but it's useless of course, as the "Go to website" item appears (as you said).
You can use the web action to script something like the Italian White Pages, which doesn't have a webOS app nor an opensearch plugin.
from "paginebianche rossi mario"
you'll get
"http://smartphone.paginebianche.it/listing?&what=rossi+mario&where=Italia&page=1"
a thing you can't to using "Go to website".
I'm sorry that I can explain the whole thing better, as English isn't my mother language (and also I'm sixteen years old, I need to study more! :D).
If you have some doubts, just ask :)
I will translate the walkthrough on webOS Italia in English soon.
Eugenio
Hello everyone, of course it is only the "browse" shortcut which is useless. Your app as a whole is not useless to me, I've been using it on my smartphone for a day. I believe the reviewer may just have thought that feature (argument passing) was available. Thanks.
Ok, got it wrong ;) Sorry.
Well, I hope to have clarified a bit to others who didn't understand :)
Eugenio
I just figured out that Google Translate inserts extra white spaces even inside the scripts. That breaks all the scripts in the auto-translated walkthrough, and it's not Italians' fault. :-) Now there's a walkthrough for a calculator app, too. Looking forward to seeing (or writing myself, if I figure out how) a Google Calculator script, just because it's fun.
Yeah, for this reason an hand-translated guide is needed :)
Also, 1.1.1 has been submitted to HP, which adds support for calling applications with an argument.
A Paid version has been submitted, too, which is THE SAME of the free one and it's here only if someone want to support me :)
Eugenio
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