Building own URL Link to a Record in Email/SMS

jandrostory81
Participant III

Hi! With some help, I have figured out how to insert a <<web_url_link>> into my sms and email body templates. The problem I am having now, is that the link it provides goes to a default view that I have no control over. It shows all columns not hidden and does not display the “Main Image”. How can I build my own URL Link that will take the user to the proper record in the correct view?

FYI, my app is a to do list for my team, and I have a workflow setup to text when they are mentioned in a comment, but I want them to click the link to see the record they were mentioned in. Thank you.

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47 REPLIES 47

@MultiTech_Visions Hi Matt! This request is similar to what I need to do with my Club Meetings App. It sounds like he might need to be using <<_ROW_WEB_LINK>> instead of <<_web_url_link>>.
I have been trying <<_ROW_WEB_LINK>> in my WF Message Content Body, but after reading the Help Doc more carefully, it sounds like <<_ROW_WEB_LINK>> will not work in the Body, but will work if you use it in a Body Template. Do you have any clarification on this set up? It looks like building this Body Template is a bit tricky, seems that you must make what you want to put in that Template into .txt first to remove any HTML, and then paste that into your Doc Template, I’m still working through this, but wanted clarification before I go down another rabbit hole.
Similar to the Original Post above, I want my Members to receive a Link that takes them to a meeting/Row to confirm their attendance for a scheduled meeting. I would actually like to take them to an individual View of that Row, where only their Role is shown for their Confirmation, like the photo of a Detail View below.
I have the SMS & Email workflows set up and working, and had <<_ROW_WEB_LINK>> in my Body.
The link that appears in the SMS received will take me to the App, but it will only be a blank screen with just the normal Views down in the Navigation Bar. Is this because I am trying to use <<_ROW_WEB_LINK>> in the Body, instead of using a Body Template?
I almost have this figured out! Thanks again for your help!

Hey Stephen and @jandrostory81.

I spent some time yesterday trying to figure out a way to link directly into a row and haven’t managed to get it to work. When the link works, it just opens to an empty screen - not showing the row I’ve indicated.


For instance, I’ve created a deep link that should launch you into a record
https://www.appsheet.com/start/62d2b34c-dfa1-4b33-a87d-9050ea22ce5c#appName=WalkthroughsbyMultiTechP...
Yet I’m betting if you tap that it takes you to an empty screen.
2X_d_d7cd4bb6da85632ee03bb8f42f2e9908bf359ce5.jpeg

Yea, same for me, that sucks! I’ve been able to get link back into a View in the app, but not exactly to the detailed individual Meeting/Member/Role View that I need. We WILL figure this out! Thanks SO MUCH for looking into this, will be very useful when sorted! I will keep you in the loop as soon as I figure anything out, plz do same.
A big issue I’m having is that when I do get Linked back into the App, even with a Sliced View, Users are able to then click on Navigation Bar Views and get back into the entire App. This wouldn’t really be a problem if everyone was supposed to have App installed, but the way I’m just trying to gather Contact & Confirm data, it is.

On a side note, Nice profile icon!

Thanks Bro! Updating from personal info to my mycromanage business. Still not set up Partner stuff, will get to it, later. Haha
Kind of hard to see all the details of that logo as my Profile pic, but it’s a cool Planetary Gear (I’m a space NUT, GO SPACEX!!) I made in SketchUp. I actually built my entire business card in SU & sent file to printer. I sent to Vista Print to save $, but the resolution I got back was crap, hard to read text. Redoing extruded text a bit thicker and sending to my normal expensive printer. I love playing with detailed Scale images, same Gear is the big part of my card and, and if you could zoom way way in, you’d see super-tiny gears as the axles, zoom even further, and more are hidden little Easter Eggs, just for shits n giggles, HA!

MultiTech
Participant V

@Aleksi could you provide some tips on how to do something like this???

I was thinking you should be able to use LINKTOFORM() just as easily as any deep link formula - but I must be missing something, it never quite works all the way.

@MultiTech_Visions It could be something like this in your workflow’s body…

<a href=
<< CONCATENATE(
https://www.appsheet.com/start/7hrx55es-fa69-4af1-af32-be1d3f4015d9?refresh=1&wipe=1”,
LINKTOFORM(“Users_Form”,“Email”,"aleksi@appsheet.com"))>>
'>Create a new report with prefilled values< /a>

Remove the ’ before >Create… away so it will work correctly.

Nice!!! This totally worked!!!
'https://www.appsheet.com/start/62d2b34c-dfa1-4b33-a87d-9050ea22ce5c?refresh=1&wipe=1#control=Steps_D...

Here’s the formula:

concatenate("https://www.appsheet.com/start/", 
  "62d2b34c-dfa1-4b33-a87d-9050ea22ce5c", 
 "?refresh=1&wipe=1", 
linktorow([StepID], "Steps_Detail")
)

Surprisingly simple to create, here’s a breakdown line by line:

  1. The opening portion of the formula
  2. The ID of the app
  3. The magic from Aleksi
  4. Your deep link formula.

Sweet!! Setting this up now! Thanks again Wizards!! @Aleksi @MultiTech_Visions
I hate to muddy up this fabulous Solution thread (more than I have already) but, if Users all had the App, would it be easier, better, more streamlined to do what we are trying to do here using Workflow SMS (& email) by instead using Push Notifications from Admin to Users from within the App? I’ll be studying Notifications next. TYTYTY!!!

If you used the in-app notification system then you wouldn’t have to setup any email templates or SMS stuff; but only people that have installed the app will receive the notifications.

Matt, below is my Message Content Body for my workflow SMS. The Link does not appear in the SMS as a Link. What did I do wrong?
Not sure if this is a problem, but since some Clubs will have multiple meetings on the same date, I am using a Computed Key of the [Meeting Date] & [MeetingID] columns. I don’t get any error about that, just giving you full information.
I also tried wrapping the formula with " " quotes and that made no difference
"Confirm Roles" is a View of Meetings Table. Since I am trying to do all of this with one Table using Quick Edits, I need to send them to Confirm Roles View, instead of just the Meetings Table.

New SCTM Meeting
Date <>
Email <>
Phone <>
Use this Link to Confirm Role
concatenate(“https://www.appsheet.com/start/”,
"A204b732-ad96-4f2b-8a83-547ff40f9c95
",
“?refresh=1&wipe=1”,
linktorow([_ComputedKey], “Confirm Roles”)
)

Sorry to keep missing stuff on this, I have a knowledge gap on formula set up. I don’t understand what Aleksi means about "Remove ’ before >Create so it will work correctly. I pasted my entire formula, including the <a href=<< beginning and the >>
'>Create a new report with prefilled values< /a> making sure to remove the ’ and it still doen’t appear as a link.
Would you please show me the entire thing that you put in your Body to get the formula to work? I don’t quite understand exactly what I am missing to make all of this into a link. TYTY!

Hy
Thanks for the formula, exactly what I was looking for - a link in the description of a Google Calendar Event that takes the user to the proper view in the app.

Would you happen to know an extra something to add to the formula, so that link is hyperlinked to a piece of text, as in - [Click here]('AppSheet 40) - and that will take you to the propper view in the app?

Hey @sorin_mihai

Wrap your concatenate in a HYPERLINK() formula:

HYPERLINK(
  concatenate(
    {formula bits here}
  ),
  "Visible Text"
)

it’s not working … I guess it has something to do with the fact that the Hyperlink() expects both parts of the formula in quotes, but the Concatenate part is not in quotes.
I tried adding them but if I just add quotes, they end on the first quotes in the concatenate formula and that’s no good / tried adding the other kind of quotes but no good and then I tried adding " ’ “& concatenate (…)&” ’ " but still not working.
Any other ideas?


@MultiTech wrote:
concatenate("https://www.appsheet.com/start/", 
  "62d2b34c-dfa1-4b33-a87d-9050ea22ce5c", 
 "?refresh=1&wipe=1", 
linktorow([StepID], "Steps_Detail")
)

 


Your advice has been effective for me for years, and I'm grateful for that. Recently, I decided to incorporate the new 'longtext' HTML into an 'a href' tag. Everything seems fine, but the problem is that it opens in a new tab. Ideally, I'd like it to open within the same application. Here's an example of what I tried:

CONCATENATE(
"<a href=""", concatenate("https://www.appsheet.com/start/", 
  "aeca9c29-f691-4faa-954d-d850a3ec82f3", 
 "?refresh=1&wipe=1", 
linktorow([Key], "TestView")
),""" target=""_self"">Visit Example</a>")

 Unfortunately, it still opens in a new window, not within the app itself. @MultiTech 

@Amy Please provide guidance on this; it would be a valuable feature to enable seamless navigation to various forms and views directly from LongText, as well as the integration of multiple actions per column.

Screen Recording 2024-01-15 at 10.29.04 PM.gif

Maybe the problem is with the nested double quotes in your formula?

  • When you get multiples like this, it can get messy and things can get lost in the middle.

 

CONCATENATE(
  '<a href="', 
  concatenate("https://www.appsheet.com/start/", 
    "aeca9c29-f691-4faa-954d-d850a3ec82f3", 
    "?refresh=1&wipe=1", 
    linktorow([Key], "TestView") 
  ),
  '" target="_self">Visit Example</a>' 
)

 

 Maybe that will help?

  • If not, then I don't think you'll be able to control things; that would be the code to use, and if it doesn't work... not sure if there's a work around.


@MultiTech wrote:

Maybe that will help?


Thanks @MultiTech I tried this and does not work.


@Rifad wrote:

it would be a valuable feature to enable seamless navigation to various forms and views directly from LongText, as well as the integration of multiple actions per column.


This would be really cool. But I didn't find a way to do this beside using a LINKTO...() expression. When we use the URL to the app, it always opens a new tab.

@Aleksi I"m curious what these do?

Refresh is clear, but what does wipe do?

I looked back at Alexis Solution formula and saw that I needed a little more in my Body for that formula, but this still doesn’t arrive as a proper formula… Thanks!
<a href=
<< concatenate(“https://www.appsheet.com/start/”,
"A204b732-ad96-4f2b-8a83-547ff40f9c95
",
“?refresh=1&wipe=1”,
linktorow([_ComputedKey], “Meetings”)
)>>

Create a new report with prefilled values< /a>

When reviewing this, @Aleksi shouldn’t the URL result of the CONCATENATE() be contained in double quotes?

<a href="www.something.com">Link</a>

with the double quotes right?

OK, now even more confused, haha, f-me

Good Progress! I entered formula you just sent into my SMS Body and it delivered a Link, but just took me to my Meetings Table, but not into the Row of that meeting.

This one?

<a href=
<<concatenate(“https://www.appsheet.com/start/A204b732-ad96-4f2b-8a83-547ff40f9c95?refresh=1&wipe=1”,linktorow([_ComputedKey], “Meetings”))>>
>Create a new report with prefilled values</a>

Progress & learning, TY!
The link that appears in my SMS is taking me to a View. If I use Meetings, it takes me to Meetings View, If I use Confrim Roles, it takes me to Confirm Roles View, not into the Row I need.
Problem might be my [_Computed Key] column. That is a Virtual Column that did not include in my Views. I just added it to both Views and Link still takes me just to the View.
Feeling very close!! Sorry to be peppering you guys with this! TYTY!

@MultiTech_Visions @Aleksi @jandrostory81 BINGO BINGO BINGO!!! The Universe spoke to me, I went to the Desktop view of my app at exactly where I wanted the Link to take me and closely examined the URL. I saw something it had that was missing in the (excellent) formula that you guys gave me…it was the little _Detail after my View in the formula. I added it and now it takes me EXACTLY where I wanted to be!!! Works in both SMS & email! Hallelujah MFers! SO HAPPY!!!
Now I should be able to send Users where I REALLY need them to go, to an individual View containing ONLY their Role confirmation for THAT meeting! SOLVED BIGLY!!!
Here is the full formula that worked…I stripped that href stuff b/c it was causing the line.… >Create a new report with prefilled values< /a> …to appear as text after the Link that appeared in my SMS.

Use this Link to Confirm Role
<<concatenate(“https://www.appsheet.com/start/A204b732-ad96-4f2b-8a83-547ff40f9c95?refresh=1&wipe=1”,linktorow([_ComputedKey], “Confirm Roles_Detail”))>>

@MultiTech_Visions @Aleksi @jandrostory81
More Progress! I shortened that URL with Bitly to save me some space in my SMS (used to arrive as three damn pages, now only 2!) and Link still works!!! New SHORT formula…
Use this Link to Confirm Role
<<concatenate(“http://bit.ly/ConfirmRole”,linktorow([_ComputedKey], “Confirm Roles_Detail”))>>

@Stephen_Mattison may i know how do you shorten the URL with bit.ly

it is correct that you shorten the first part of the URL
http://bit.ly/ConfirmRole with https://www.appsheet.com/start/A204b732-ad96-4f2b-8a83-547ff40f9c95?refresh=1&wipe=1

and you Concatenate() the URL
meaning that the URL in SMS will be http://bit.ly/ConfirmRolelinktorow ?

isn’t that will become invalid bit.ly url?

bity.com is the site were you can shorten URL links.
Very sorry Eugene, but it’s been a while since I did this and I don’t remember the details.

This made me almost pee my pants.

I get that a lot!! YW

@Aleksi could you elaborate on what "refresh=1&wipe=1" DOES? I was close to giving up on building a deeplink to a record in the app, because it ALWAYS did two syncs and then landed on the first entry of all records instead of the linked one - this solved it!

You’re welcome

@Aleksi I can’t wait until Elon gets his Neuralink operational! It would save you a BUNCH of time to just transfer knowledge right into my brain! TYTYTY!!
FASCINATING Neuralink Presentation Video: https://youtu.be/lA77zsJ31nA

@Stephen_Mattison And this was the idea in the beginning

OK, Yes, of course, @Aleksi thank you for this kind correction! I’m uplifted that I was able to examine that URL and see that I neglected to include _Detail after my View name, but YES, of course you and @MultiTech_Visions DID include that _Detail in your wizardly instruction/knowledge transfer waaaay up on this Thread.
Me so sorry to Matt that I caused a few extra pages on this thread by neglecting to include the _Detail in the formula that I sent you for correction. Please forgive!
More learning that I need to slow down, look & think very closely before I stab myself in the eye & run crying because something isn’t working!

No worries.

And just FYI: the part where you forgot to include the _Details is the space where you include the name of the view.
2X_b_b9a8f1c133f5a63b52adfbf9609d6cd278ab3872.png

2X_9_939147c29a3bd6196615298ac4f0914671bc9b43.png
Copy/Paste

PS: you can find a place to copy the name of the view towards the bottom:
2X_e_e33cc4438dbb61ec0950713a0e47691a8462df1f.gif

Matt, I Love your very helpful little demo-videos, and fact that you take time out of your busy day to even make them! That little circle that appears when you click something is especially helpful, and it’s great that you do these somewhat slowly. So many times when these ‘walk-through’ help videos are done, the expert making them forgets that the brains they are trying to help haven’t done this 1,000 times, and they need a little extra processing time to even follow where the courser is going and what it’s doing! Kudos, all day for you my friend!

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