Call Home with Open URL
I was talking to iPhone Developer NerveGas earlier today and he was thinking about what it would take to put a one-touch call button in with your other iPhone Applications. I reminded him that OpenURL could open phone numbers as well as web pages, and that I already had a "Call Home" button on my iPhone. Of course, he virtually smacked his head and said: "Oh yes, iPhone Apper". Whether using iPhone Apper or OpenURL, just use the tel prefix and your phone number, e.g. tel:212-555-1212.
Update: By reader request, here's my dreadful icon.
Update 2: TUAW reader orijinal offers a really good point: the iPhone Apper page publishes "recently built apps", complete with Call Home instances that reveal your phone numbers in the URL. You may just want to use Open URL instead.
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I was talking to iPhone Developer NerveGas earlier today and he was thinking about what it would take to put a one-touch call button in...
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Hi!
I'm on a 1.1.3 iphone now, but it seems whether the permissions handling has changed (can't change them via MobileFinder or Squid), or something else changed..
I also tried to put it at the webclips folder, but then it doesn't even show up on the SB..
There is another workaround but with this one safari opens up and a questions comes up, if I want to call or cancel..
Somenone experiences?
Too bad the tel:*8 code doesn't activate the phone with this method.
How cool it would have been to just make the voicedial app in the Dock (with the 5 icons in dock hack) to make instant voice dialing available from every screen.
:-(
This would be even better if you could actually do it from the phone--not having to use SSH or anything (which will not work on my phone no matter what I do). Definitely a cool idea, though!
November 04 2007 at 4:48 PM Report abuse Permalink rate up rate down ReplyMitch, this doesn't support bookmarklets. I asked this question earlier in this forum and on every thread I can find on the subject, but so far, I haven't found anyone who has developed a way to launch a bookmarklet from the Springboard. I'd love to see this happen....please please please, Erica?! or someone??
November 03 2007 at 2:50 PM Report abuse Permalink rate up rate down ReplyAll i get is a black screen when i try to open the app. After i downloaded the app i transfered it to /applications on my phone. Please tell me if i did something wrong and, if so, how to fix it. thanks in advance
November 03 2007 at 2:12 PM Report abuse Permalink rate up rate down ReplyCan this be used for bookmarklets??
November 03 2007 at 11:48 AM Report abuse Permalink rate up rate down ReplyI figured it out!
You can add Google routing by eliminating the call to Google.com completely and using the "maps:" prefix.
For instance if you want to make a routing link with OpenUrl (haven't checked iPhone Apper) instead of changing url.txt to:
http://maps.google.com/maps?daddr=San+Francisco,+CA&saddr=cupertino
Use this instead:
maps:daddr=San+Francisco,+CA&saddr=cupertino
I use it to have a one touch link to my commute every morning.
Enjoy
Greg
@emcp - thanks for the explanation.
I used the following to install the app:
Use stuffit to expand the app (resulted in identical looking file with .1 added to the end of the name). e.g. CallHome became CallHome.1
Use Finder to show package contents of resulting .1 file. Right Click - Package Contents.
SFTP over to iPhone (I use Cyberduck)
Create folder for new app in /Applications. Folder name must end with .app
Copy the Package Contents into the newly created folder.
Restart phone.
Success!!!
Is there is a way to add icon, that would make a call to the most recent call person?
November 02 2007 at 8:31 PM Report abuse Permalink rate up rate down ReplyErica,
Great idea!
Besides creating "apps" to call home, how about saving Google map addresses too for quick access when you need them.
One thing I find missing in iPhone Google maps is the ability to save routes as opposed to just single places.
Neither your OpenUrl nor iPhone Apper seems to be able to handle the long http address necessary for a google route. i.e.:
http://maps.google.com/maps?daddr=San+Francisco,+CA&saddr=cupertino
If I just put in that address, I receive an error that the page can't be found. I've tried to add quatation marks, but that makes the openUrl app error.
If I use maps:// instead of http:// Google Maps seems to be able to find the 2nd address in the link but not the first (and therefore not the routing).
As a workaround I've made a dummy html page that simply re-directs to the Google routing http and it works, but very clumsily (it leaves the redirect page open for instance).
Whaddya think?
Thanks
Greg
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