Android Tutorial How to create a shortcut DIRECTLY from within your application

I know there are some threads on this topic, and I had the feeling that there might be some misunderstandings. So to save you the time to read through all those threads and get the solution at once: Here is the way to automatically create a shortcut from within your application without further usr interaction. The user need not do anything in the launcher, the shortcut will just appear like magic

Step 1: Add a permission with the manifest editor. Put this into the section AddManifesText:

<uses-permission android:name="com.android.launcher.permission.INSTALL_SHORTCUT"/>

Step 2: Create the Shortcut

Sub CreateEmptyShortCut
        Dim PrefMgr as PreferenceManager
   If PrefMgr.GetBoolean("shortcutinstalled") Then
      Return
   End If
   
   Dim shortcutIntent As Intent
   shortcutIntent.Initialize("", "")
   shortcutIntent.SetComponent("com.application.domain/.main") ' Put the app package name here
   
   Dim in As Intent
   in.Initialize("", "")
   in.PutExtra("android.intent.extra.shortcut.INTENT", shortcutIntent)
   in.PutExtra("android.intent.extra.shortcut.NAME", "Your App Name") ' Put you're application name here
        in.PutExtra("android.intent.extra.shortcut.ICON", LoadBitmap(File.DirAssets, "YourIcon.png")) ' If you have the icon file in the assets, you just need any bitmap here. Best is 72x72 pixels because launchers do not scale. You might want to experiment a little bit with size
   
   ' Here starts the real action that all the other posts had missing:
        ' How to get this OUT of your app to the launcher
        ' You need to send a broadcast, that's all :-)
   in.Action = "com.android.launcher.action.INSTALL_SHORTCUT"
   
   Dim p As Phone
   p.SendBroadcastIntent(in)
   DoEventsNow
   PrefMgr.SetBoolean("shortcutinstalled", True)
End Sub

3. If you want, you can add extras, just a sample from my app CardBoard (http://www.b4x.com/forum/basic4andr...-cardboard-put-your-notes-cork.html#post90589), you need to clean that up for your needs

Sub CreateShortCut_Click
   If CurrentState = States.EMPTY OR DataManager.CurrentDBName = Null OR DataManager.CurrentDBName = "" Then
      Return
   End If
   
   Dim shortcutIntent As Intent
   shortcutIntent.Initialize("", "")
   shortcutIntent.SetComponent("de.woinowski.cardboard/.main")
   shortcutIntent.PutExtra("CurrentDBName", DataManager.CurrentDBName)
   shortcutIntent.PutExtra("CurrentDBPath", DataManager.CurrentDBPath)
   shortcutIntent.PutExtra("NamedShortCut", True)
   
   Dim in As Intent
   in.Initialize("", "")
   in.PutExtra("android.intent.extra.shortcut.INTENT", shortcutIntent)
   in.PutExtra("android.intent.extra.shortcut.NAME", DataManager.RemoveSuffix(DataManager.CurrentDBName))
   If GetApi > 10 Then
      in.PutExtra("android.intent.extra.shortcut.ICON", LoadBitmap(File.DirAssets, "CardBoardMini.png"))
   Else
      in.PutExtra("android.intent.extra.shortcut.ICON", LoadBitmap(File.DirAssets, "CardBoardMicro.png"))
   End If      
   in.Action = "com.android.launcher.action.INSTALL_SHORTCUT"
   
   Dim p As Phone
   p.SendBroadcastIntent(in)
   DoEventsNow
End Sub

4. And then catch this on resume, again from my app. That code only checks if you come from a shortcut, needs to be put into Activity_Resume. Start with any action you like after that.

   Dim fromShortCut As Boolean : fromShortCut = False
   Dim in As Intent
   in = Activity.GetStartingIntent
   fromShortCut = in.HasExtra("NamedShortCut") AND in.HasExtra("CurrentDBPath") AND in.HasExtra("CurrentDBName") AND _
            in.GetExtra("CurrentDBPath") <> "" AND in.GetExtra("CurrentDBName") <> "" ' AND _
            ' (in.GetExtra("CurrentDBPath") <> DataManager.CurrentDBPath OR in.GetExtra("CurrentDBName") <> DataManager.CurrentDBName)

' Now you can act upon that information
    If fromShortCut then
         ...
    End If

For reference, here are some of the other threads about the topic:

• http://www.b4x.com/forum/basic4andr...tcuts-your-android-application.html#post63900
• http://www.b4x.com/forum/basic4andr...ogrammatically-create-shortcut.html#post71926
• http://www.b4x.com/forum/basic4andr...ogrammatically-create-shortcut.html#post71926
• http://www.b4x.com/forum/basic4andr.../11406-can-we-make-shortcuts-3.html#post63981

 

[lemonisdead]

In my Samsung Galary NOTE3, The icon is not resiced why?
ShortCut with icon of 72 x 72 pixels ，but shortCut is displayed only 1/4.

This comes from the launcher used and I never found a way to be sure of the behavior.
You could try to use a 48x48 or a 9patch image. But there are some ideas only and not 100% it will be good

 

[zoujoo]

This comes from the launcher used and I never found a way to be sure of the behavior.
You could try to use a 48x48 or a 9patch image. But there are some ideas only and not 100% it will be good

Thanks，
9patch image is ok.

 

[luisftv]

How would you go on making a shortcut on the Android TV (like the Sony 4K Android TV) with this code? Can it be used? If not, can you point me in the right direction?

Thanks.

 

[imgsimonebiliato]

Hello,
I'm trying your code.
What's Sub "DoEventsNow"?
Is it possibile to create a shortcut, for another application?