Tech Forum Archive

Deep linking in Gospel Library for iOS

68 postsstarted by sbradshaw 33,415 viewsoriginal topic

sbradshaw
Community Moderators
#1
Gospel Library 3.4.8 for iOS is in beta, and one feature I'm really excited about is the ability to "deep link" into the app. This will allow a web site or a third-party app to link directly to a scripture verse, manual, etc. by using the gospellibrary:// URL scheme. For example:

[url]gospellibrary://content/scriptures/bofm/1-ne/1.1?lang=eng[/url]
[url]gospellibrary://content/manual/teachings-of-presidents-of-the-church-ezra-taft-benson?lang=eng[/url]
[url]gospellibrary://content/manual/hymns/the-morning-breaks?lang=eng[/url]

A few things that aren't working now but I hope will be fixed by the time 3.4.8 is released:
  • The ability to link to content in other languages (using "?lang=spa")
  • The ability to link to content in the user's current content language (leave off the "?lang=")
  • The ability to notify a user when content that's linked to hasn't been downloaded yet instead of saying it doesn't exist
The LDS Music app for iOS has a similar system with ldsmusic:// that is undergoing changes to follow the same URL pattern as Gospel Library. The current system for LDS Music is documented here:
https://tech.lds.org/wiki/Syntax_for_li ... smusic://)
Samuel Bradshaw • If you desire to serve God, you are called to the work.
muckel522
New Member
#2
So will this potentially allow for linking between, say, Gospel Library and Deseret Bookshelf? It'd be great to do that, since my books are in DB, but I use the scriptures in GL.
sbradshaw
Community Moderators
#3
You could potentially link from a Deseret Bookshelf note to anywhere in Gospel Library, but not vice versa. As far as I know Deseret Bookshelf doesn't provide a way to link into it from other apps or sites.
Samuel Bradshaw • If you desire to serve God, you are called to the work.
davidbcarter
New Member
#4
I'm super excited about this feature. is there any documentation that provides a reference for learning the content hierarchy so that we can know how to create links to various pieces of content?
David Carter
rickferguson
New Member
#5
This sounds like a great feature. I agree that some documentation on how to create the links is needed. Better yet, when text is highlighted, give the option to "copy link" to the clipboard. This could be a separate choice along with Mark, Note, Tag, Link, Copy, Share, Define, & Search; or (since this list is getting a bit crowded) it could be a "sub-item" of the Link, Copy, or Share choices.
davidbcarter
New Member
#6
In the meantime, I've found that, if you turn on "Show Source" in the advanced settings, you can select some text and press "Share" and one of the options will be "Debug." This will bring up the source code for the page you're looking at. Using this source code, find the URI for the paragraph you're wanting to link to. Your link will then be "gospellibrary://content/" followed by the URI you found in the source code.

You can also get a link by choosing "Messages" from the "Share" options, copying the link at the bottom of the message text, and changing the "http://www.lds.org/" to "gospellibrary://content/". The only limitation with this method is that the link is only to the chapter. It doesn't go all the way to the verse. You would then have to append a "." followed by the verse number or ".p" followed by the paragraph number (if you're linking to a manual or something that's not chapter and verse).

One bug that I've found (at least on my devices) is that the links only work if you already have the Gospel Library app open. If it's not open, tapping the link will open the app, but it won't take you to the desired location.
David Carter
sbradshaw
Community Moderators
#7
davidbcarter wrote:You can also get a link by choosing "Messages" from the "Share" options, copying the link at the bottom of the message text, and changing the "http://www.lds.org/" to "gospellibrary://content/". The only limitation with this method is that the link is only to the chapter. It doesn't go all the way to the verse. You would then have to append a "." followed by the verse number or ".p" followed by the paragraph number (if you're linking to a manual or something that's not chapter and verse).
Good catch with the .p1 feature!
EDIT: I'm not getting this to work. Could you post an example link?
Samuel Bradshaw • If you desire to serve God, you are called to the work.
davidbcarter
New Member
#8
sbradshaw wrote:Good catch with the .p1 feature!
EDIT: I'm not getting this to work. Could you post an example link?
Here's a link to one of my favorite paragraphs from FSOY:

Code: 

gospellibrary://content/manual/for-the-strength-of-youth/language.p5
Remember, the links only work when Gospel Library app is already open. If it's not, the link will trigger the app to open, but it won't deep link to the desired location. Hopefully that will be fixed soon in an update. Deep links to the LDS Music app do not have this problem.
David Carter
davidbcarter
New Member
#9
sbradshaw wrote:Good catch with the .p1 feature!
EDIT: I'm not getting this to work. Could you post an example link?
Something else that could be an issue is that not all "paragraphs" are tagged with a ".p#" syntax. Some headings, tables, etc. are tagged differently. The only way to know for sure is to use the "source code" view I described previously to look up the exact URI of the item you're wanting to link to.

Also, it's worth noting that you can highlight multiple verses or paragraphs in a single link by doing the following:

Code: 

gospellibrary://content/manual/for-the-strength-of-youth/language.p5-p7
gospellibrary://content/scriptures/bofm/moro/10.3-5
David Carter
sbradshaw
Community Moderators
#10
OK, cool! I knew about the verse ranges (3-5) for scriptures, but I wouldn't have figured out the paragraph ranges (p5-p7) in other collections. It works on LDS.org, too:
https://www.lds.org/manual/for-the-stre ... uage.p5-p7

On LDS.org the behavior is a little different in the scriptures vs. other manuals. If I go to this link: https://www.lds.org/manual/for-the-stre ... uage.p5-p7
it automatically jumps to the highlighted section. If I go to this link it stays at the top of the page: https://www.lds.org/scriptures/bofm/moro/10.3-5
I have to add an anchor to the end like so to get it to jump: https://www.lds.org/scriptures/bofm/moro/10.3-5#3
(Or you can jump to the previous verse's spot so the selected verses aren't covered by the header bar: https://www.lds.org/scriptures/bofm/moro/10.3-5#2)
Samuel Bradshaw • If you desire to serve God, you are called to the work.
dthomaswright
New Member
#11
Love this idea. I can see so many uses for this as a teacher!! Hoping this becomes an easier process like mentioned above as adding a button/option to give you the link instead of creating it.
davidbcarter
New Member
#12
dthomaswright wrote:Love this idea. I can see so many uses for this as a teacher!! Hoping this becomes an easier process like mentioned above as adding a button/option to give you the link instead of creating it.
My wife is a youth Sunday School teacher, and she also is seeing lots of potential IF the process of acquiring/creating the link gets easier.
David Carter
davidbcarter
New Member
#13
Got an email reply this morning from the Gospel Library Team about my feedback regarding GL having to be open for the deep links to work. They said it's a known bug and will be corrected in the next update.
David Carter
mbpatte1
New Member
#14
Hey, I've got the syntax down for all the scriptures, but I am struggling to get a deep link working with preach my gospel. I tried similar syntax to what is on lds.org for PMG, but I haven't figured it out yet for the deep links. Is there any syntax page for this? I couldn't find one. I'm currently using:

gospellibrary://content/missionary/preach-my-gospel-a-guide-to-missionary-service/lesson-1-the-message-of-the-restoration-of-the-gospel-of-jesus-christ?lang=eng

and I'm getting "Content Not Available". I double checked and I do have PMG downloaded in gospel library on the test device. Thanks!
davidbcarter
New Member
#15
mbpatte1 wrote:Hey, I've got the syntax down for all the scriptures, but I am struggling to get a deep link working with preach my gospel.
Try changing your "gospellibrary://content/missionary/" to "gospellibrary://content/manual/" followed by the rest of your link.
David Carter
mbpatte1
New Member
#16
@davidbcarter:

Unfortunately that was what I tried during my first attempt, I reordered it to missionary because the manuals section of gospel library doesn't contain preach my gospel anymore and I thought that could of been why it wasn't working.

I've also tried p-m-g, pmg, and a series of other combinations for the book name and no luck.
davidbcarter
New Member
#17
mbpatte1 wrote:Unfortunately that was what I tried during my first attempt, I reordered it to missionary because the manuals section of gospel library doesn't contain preach my gospel anymore and I thought that could of been why it wasn't working.
That's odd... I suggested it because that's what works for me. I've not tried your specific link, but this one works for me (as long as GL is already open in the background):

gospellibrary://content/manual/preach-my-gospel-a-guide-to-missionary-service/what-do-i-study-and-teach/lesson-3-the-gospel-of-jesus-christ.p16
David Carter
lajackson
Community Moderators
#18
mbpatte1 wrote:gospellibrary://content/missionary/preach-my-gospel-a-guide-to-missionary-service/ [INSERT] lesson-1-the-message-of-the-restoration-of-the-gospel-of-jesus-christ?lang=eng
Well, for that one I have marked a place where you will need to insert:
what-do-i-study-and-teach/
between "service/" and "lesson-1 . . ." and it does have a .p1 at the end for the start of the lesson.

I can't help you with the overall link, though. Sorry.
davidbcarter
New Member
#19
Here's a working link to Lesson 1:

Code: 

gospellibrary://content/manual/preach-my-gospel-a-guide-to-missionary-service/what-do-i-study-and-teach/lesson-1-the-message-of-the-restoration-of-the-gospel-of-jesus-christ?lang=eng
Here was your link:

Code: 

gospellibrary://content/missionary/preach-my-gospel-a-guide-to-missionary-service/lesson-1-the-message-of-the-restoration-of-the-gospel-of-jesus-christ?lang=eng
The two differences were
  • you needed "manual" instead of "missionary"
  • you left out the "/what-do-I-study-and-teach/" portion
David Carter
mbpatte1
New Member
#20
That was it! I had not realized that the lesson section "/what-do-I-study-and-teach/" was required. And yes, it needs to be manual not missionary. Thanks for the help!
sbradshaw
Community Moderators
#21
dthomaswright wrote:Love this idea. I can see so many uses for this as a teacher!! Hoping this becomes an easier process like mentioned above as adding a button/option to give you the link instead of creating it.
I'm working on a third-party tool to make getting the links easier.
http://www.scripturetools.net/url
Right now it only works for scripture references. I still have some work to do improving the design and making it easier to use, and working with non-scripture content.
Samuel Bradshaw • If you desire to serve God, you are called to the work.
mbpatte1
New Member
#22
So I have a couple questions maybe someone knows.

1. Every time I deep-link it makes another screen in Gospel Library. This can be slightly annoying for the user, because I created over 30 screens prior to realizing what was happening, and deleting screens can only be done one at a time.

2. If I deep link to the Book of Mormon without providing any book/chapter/verse details is there anyways that I can have it default to wherever they currently are rather than resetting them to the title page? I don't know if that makes sense.
sbradshaw
Community Moderators
#23
mbpatte1 wrote:1. Every time I deep-link it makes another screen in Gospel Library. This can be slightly annoying for the user, because I created over 30 screens prior to realizing what was happening, and deleting screens can only be done one at a time.
This is something I noticed to, but it's a hard issue to deal with because there are use cases that support both systems. When you don't know what the user wants, adding on is usually better than replacing something that might be important.
mbpatte1 wrote:2. If I deep link to the Book of Mormon without providing any book/chapter/verse details is there anyways that I can have it default to wherever they currently are rather than resetting them to the title page? I don't know if that makes sense.
I haven't found a way to do this yet, but I agree that it should be possible.
Samuel Bradshaw • If you desire to serve God, you are called to the work.
bradhayashi
New Member
#24
I need some clarification:
1) Which direction is deep linking, from another app to GL or the other way around?
2) Is there a reference manual yet, or are we still limited to gleaning what others have said in this thread to figure this feature out?

Thanks!
sbradshaw
Community Moderators
#25
There isn't a reference anywhere currently, that I know of, besides this thread. Deep linking is linking into an app, from a web page or another app. So, I can put a link on my website or in an app I develop, that goes to a chapter in Gospel Library.

This is possible because the developers of Gospel Library have (with the latest updates) built support for a custom gospellibrary:// URL scheme into the Gospel Library.

This web page has some working examples of linking into Gospel Library and into the LDS Music app (as far as I know, the links there only work in iOS):
http://singpraises.net/hymnbooks.1
You'll need to open the web page on an iOS device with Gospel Library or LDS Music installed.

If you look at the top of a hymn in Gospel Library you'll see an "Open in LDS Music" link that is able to take you into LDS Music, because the developers of the LDS Music app have built in support for a custom ldsmusic:// URL scheme.
Samuel Bradshaw • If you desire to serve God, you are called to the work.
bradhayashi
New Member
#26
OK, thanks Samuel. Do you think that in the future there will be the capability to link from GL? I would love to be able to link verses to other supporting documents, such as a website or a PDF file.
sbradshaw
Community Moderators
#27
bradhayashi wrote:OK, thanks Samuel. Do you think that in the future there will be the capability to link from GL? I would love to be able to link verses to other supporting documents, such as a website or a PDF file.
In order to link to something outside of an app, you need an absolute URL. For example, to link to a web page in Safari, you need a URL for that web page (which would start with http://). To link to a song in LDS Music, you need a URL for that song (which would start with ldsmusic://). But not every app has a URL scheme – for example, the Dropbox app developers haven't built in a URL scheme so it's not possible to link to a file in Dropbox.

If you have a URL, you can type or paste it into a notebook entry. Maybe Gospel Library could have a text box that comes up when you're creating a link, that allows you to type in a URL. I'm not sure what else they could do. I'm sure they don't want to be in the business of loading third-party files into the app, storing them on their servers, and syncing them between devices.
Samuel Bradshaw • If you desire to serve God, you are called to the work.
druidsareus
New Member
#28
I just started in a mission office in charge of ipads. I can see a lot of potential for this. It makes me very excited that soon as a mission we can send links to scriptures, and other things that the missionaries could read.
sjuchau
New Member
#29
I'm working on deep linking the MTC Teacher manuals to GL, but I'm having a similar problem to mbpatte1: some (but not all) of my PMG links are not working. The URl pattern I'm using matches the one suggested earlier on this thread, so I'm not sure what the problem is.

An example of a URl that doesn't work (I get the error message "Cannot Open Content: The requested content is not currently available"): gospellibrary://content/manual/preach-my-gospel-a-guide-to-missionary-service/lesson-2-the-plan-of-salvation.p245?lang=eng#p243

An example of one that does: gospellibrary://content/manual/preach-my-gospel-a-guide-to-missionary-service/how-do-i-develop-christlike-attributes.p74?lang=eng#p72

Any ideas? I'm grateful for any feedback!
lajackson
Community Moderators
#30
sjuchau wrote:An example of a URl that doesn't work (I get the error message "Cannot Open Content: The requested content is not currently available"): gospellibrary://content/manual/preach-my-gospel-a-guide-to-missionary-service/lesson-2-the-plan-of-salvation.p245?lang=eng#p243
The URL that works appears to be a correct URL. I see two possible problems with this one that does not work.

First, before "lesson-2-" there should be something that indicates you are in Chapter 3, What Do I Study and Teach?. Second, there are not 243 pages in PMG, so the real page number is going to be closer to 42 or 43 (just a guess, I don't have the book in front of me).

See if those two fixes help.
aebrown
Community Administrator
#31
lajackson wrote:Second, there are not 243 pages in PMG, so the real page number is going to be closer to 42 or 43 (just a guess, I don't have the book in front of me).
Actually, the PDF for PMG has 244 pages (not the numbered pages, which only go to 228, but the actual count of pages in the PDF). The following link will correctly go to the next to last page of the PDF on LDS.org:

https://www.lds.org/bc/content/shared/c ... f#page=243
Questions that can benefit the larger community should be asked in a public forum, not a private message.
sbradshaw
Community Moderators
#32
Edited 7 times, last by sbradshaw on
"p245" refers to paragraph 245 on the content item (web page or Gospel Library "page").
I'm guessing that you need "/what-do-i-study-and-teach" in the URL, as lajackson mentioned.

To break it down:

Code: 

gospellibrary://
This tells iOS to switch to the Gospel Library app.

Code: 

content
This tells Gospel Library that what follows will be a content location in the app you want to go to (as opposed to an action that you want the app to perform, like adding something to favorites or bringing up the share menu – I don't know if anything besides "content" is set up).

Code: 

/manual
Part of the content item's "URI" uniform resource identifier. Indicates that it's a type of manual.

Code: 

/preach-my-gospel-a-guide-to-missionary-service
Part of the content item's "URI" uniform resource identifier. The name of the manual.

Code: 

/what-do-i-study-and-teach
Part of the content item's "URI" uniform resource identifier. The name of the chapter within the manual.

Code: 

/lesson-2-the-plan-of-salvation
Part of the content item's "URI" uniform resource identifier. The name of the subsection within the chapter.

What's above will get you to the right page / content item. Everything that follows is "extra" information:

Code: 

.p245
This tells Gospel Library to highlight paragraph 245 on the page.

Code: 

?lang=eng
This tells Gospel Library to load the English version of the content, as opposed to another language.

Code: 

#p243
This tells Gospel Library to jump down to paragraph 243, after the page loads.

Most chapters don't have subsections on separate pages, but Chapter 3 of Preach My Gospel is an exception. The Lessons within Chapter 3 are on different pages in the app so they have extended URIs.

To put it back together, this link worked for me:
[url]gospellibrary://content/manual/preach-my-gospel-a-guide-to-missionary-service/what-do-i-study-and-teach/lesson-2-the-plan-of-salvation.p245?lang=eng#p243[/url]

With the URI marked in bright green:
gospellibrary://content/manual/preach-my-gospel-a-guide-to-missionary-service/what-do-i-study-and-teach/lesson-2-the-plan-of-salvation.p245?lang=eng#p243
Samuel Bradshaw • If you desire to serve God, you are called to the work.
sjuchau
New Member
#33
I'm using GL, so the p links me to a paragraph number in the coding, not a page number on the PDF. Thanks, though! I'll keep trying.
lajackson
Community Moderators
#34
sjuchau wrote:I'm using GL, so the p links me to a paragraph number in the coding, not a page number on the PDF. Thanks, though! I'll keep trying.
I have learned something new today (a usual occurrence, actually). So probably all you need is the Chapter 3 reference in the URL before the lesson-2- reference.
sjuchau
New Member
#35
Thank you! The trick was what-do-i-study-and-teach. Thanks again for the help!
sbradshaw
Community Moderators
#36
You're welcome!
sbradshaw wrote:"p243" refers to paragraph 243 on the content item (web page or Gospel Library "page").
...

Code: 

.p245
This tells Gospel Library to highlight paragraph 245 on the page.
...

Code: 

#p243
This tells Gospel Library to jump down to paragraph 243, after the page loads.
Actually, it looks like this is redundant in Gospel Library. if you just use the ".p245" Gospel Library will highlight and jump to paragraph 245. The "#p243" doesn't actually do anything in Gospel Library.

However, on LDS.org, ".p245" (highlight) and "#p243" (jump) are both needed if you want to highlight and jump. Note that it's usually good for the jump paragraph to be one or two behind the highlight paragraph on LDS.org, because LDS.org has a header bar that hides whatever's at the very top of the page. On Gospel Library, again, this is irrelevant.
Samuel Bradshaw • If you desire to serve God, you are called to the work.
sbradshaw
Community Moderators
#37
This blog post describes a trick for getting the URI of a content item:
Navigate to the content you want to deep link and take a screenshot. Gospel Library will ask you if you want to send that screenshot as feedback. Tap “Send” and a feedback email will appear, pre-filled with information the support team can use to help answer inquiries, including the current content’s path. Once you’re done you can cancel and delete the email.
Samuel Bradshaw • If you desire to serve God, you are called to the work.
dallanduggar
New Member
#38
Thank you for posting this thread. It helped me get the Launch Center Pro app on my iPhone all preloaded to quickly launch the Gospel Library and the Hymns. Does anyone know the main URL for the LDS Tools app? I tried ldstools:// but it is not working. I would love to have that URL so I can quickly launch to it in Launch Center Pro. Thanks!
sbradshaw
Community Moderators
#39
Unfortunately the LDS Tools developers haven't implemented any deep linking. You can send feedback through the app to suggest it.
Samuel Bradshaw • If you desire to serve God, you are called to the work.
bensycamore
New Member
#40
Does anyone know if there is a way to deep link to a specific bookmark?
leejj
New Member
#41
Any update on deep linking in either iOS or Android?
oakb
New Member
#42
I love the deep-linking feature, and only wish getting references were easier. For those on iOS and running Workflow (https://appsto.re/us/2IzJ2.i), I have developed a workflow that places the selected text (or as much of the selected text as GL spits out... sometimes only a couple words—appears to be buggy), a standard text reference, and links to both lds.org and GL—with the links in Markdown format—on the clipboard.

Please note that I used a kludge to grab verse number(s) from the text reference and insert them into the links. Since non-scriptural references don't include the paragraph number, it is currently impossible to include paragraph numbers in the links; however, the Debug examination method described elsewhere here can be used to acquire paragraph number(s), which can then be manually added to the links; at least the guesswork is removed from formulating the main parts of the links. :) My workflow can be found here:

https://workflow.is/workflows/8cd6af1b5 ... a84c420d80

-Brian
haileyjames
New Member
#43
I'm trying to create list of the required readings for my institute class that would link into the app from an email or text message.

Questions:
-It is possible to change the text of the link so instead of the email/message showing [url]gospellibrary://content/scriptures/dc-testament/dc/18.10-16?lang=eng[/url] it would simply show DC 18:10-16?

-It this feature available for the students without apple devices? Or would I need to create a separate list of links that link instead to lds.org?

Thanks, and sorry if my questions aren't terribly clear; I'm really new to all this.

-Hailey
sbradshaw
Community Moderators
#44
Currently, these links don't work in Android; so you will need to include separate links to LDS.org.

As far as I know, texts don't support rich hyperlinks (for example, with a title different from the URL); but most email programs support HTML for sending rich hyperlinks by email.
Samuel Bradshaw • If you desire to serve God, you are called to the work.
tracicot
New Member
#45
Is it possible to deep link to a bookmark? For example, I have a bookmark entitled Korean Reading. Can I create a deep link to open the app right to that bookmark? This would be an awesome feature for building some Workflows to dive into your scripture study.
sbradshaw
Community Moderators
#46
Not that I know of, currently – though that'd be a great idea. You should send it through in-app feedback.
Samuel Bradshaw • If you desire to serve God, you are called to the work.
danhixon
New Member
#47
This is a great feature! Is there anyway to highlight a section that spans two chapters?

For example:
bofm/1-ne/1.18-20,2.1-4?lang=eng

Is there official documentation anywhere?
sbradshaw
Community Moderators
#48
danhixon wrote:This is a great feature! Is there anyway to highlight a section that spans two chapters?

For example:
bofm/1-ne/1.18-20,2.1-4?lang=eng

Is there official documentation anywhere?
It's not possible to highlight across multiple chapters. There isn't official documentation anywhere, unfortunately.
Samuel Bradshaw • If you desire to serve God, you are called to the work.
bdurney
New Member
#49
Has deep linking to the Gospel Library app changed for iOS 10? I updated my iPad Pro to iOS 10 and could no longer open links that had worked in iOS 9. The same links worked fine on my iPhone which was still on iOS 9. I use 1Writer to write lessons and talks and it's great to link to the Gospel Library app, but now it seems like that is broken.
sbradshaw
Community Moderators
#50
Deep linking still works for me. Could you send me an example of a link that's not working?
Are you using the regular released version of Gospel Library (3.4.13) or are you using a beta? I know the beta for Gospel Library 4 has been flaky with deep links (this should be fixed before release), and also sometimes iOS routes links to the wrong app version if there are multiple versions of the app installed at the same time.
Samuel Bradshaw • If you desire to serve God, you are called to the work.
bdurney
New Member
#51
Here's a link to a Sunday School lesson:
gospellibrary://content/youth/learn/ss/self-reliance/overcome?lang=eng

and here's a link to a conference talk:
gospellibrary://content/general-conference/2015/04/the-eternal-perspective-of-the-gospel?lang=eng

As I mentioned before, I was trying to use them in 1Writer. I don't know of other apps where I can easily test this kind of link.

Update: After posting this I looked at the original post in Safari on my iPhone. When I tapped on a link it asked me if I wanted to open the link in "Library" and when I tapped Open, it did it. I guess it's something with 1Writer.
bdm4
New Member
#52
The issue is with 1Writer. I have logged an issue with the developer and they have acknowledged the issue is theirs. It should be fixed in a future update.

Brent
kb2001
New Member
#53
sbradshaw wrote:This blog post describes a trick for getting the URI of a content item:
Navigate to the content you want to deep link and take a screenshot. Gospel Library will ask you if you want to send that screenshot as feedback. Tap “Send” and a feedback email will appear, pre-filled with information the support team can use to help answer inquiries, including the current content’s path. Once you’re done you can cancel and delete the email.
Has this changed? I took a screenshot of the current week of Come Follow Me, but when I said to Send, it brought up an email (just like it used to), but it was completely blank.

Is there still a way to get the URI of a content item??
sbradshaw
Community Moderators
#54
Gospel Library now supports universal links, which means that the same URL used to open the web page will also open the app, if you're on a device with Gospel Library installed. For example, here's the link to this week's Come, Follow Me lesson for individuals and families:
https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/stu ... 0?lang=eng
If you tap the link on a device with Gospel Library installed, it will open into Gospel Library by default instead of opening in the web browser.

The easiest way to get these URLs is to go to Study.ChurchofJesusChrist.org and browse from there, then copy the URL from the navigation bar. Alternatively, from inside Gospel Library, you can use the "Share" feature to share selected text, or the full chapter – the URL will be included in the text that's shared.
Samuel Bradshaw • If you desire to serve God, you are called to the work.
kb2001
New Member
#55
@sbradshaw These universal links are just what I've been looking for! However, it's not working for me. Is it because I'm using Word? When I tap a weblink in an email, it opens in my Gospel Library app. But when I create a hyperlink in Word, save it as a pdf, then tap on the phrase in the pdf, it opens in the web browser instead of the app.

I am recently called as the ward Digital Bulletin Editor. It's going great--email links open properly in the email app and URLs open in the web browser. It was suggested to me to create "deep links" for Sunday School lessons and the hymns we sing in sacrament meeting. I've figured out how to get the proper URIs so that they open in the apps (both Gospel Library and Sacred Music) when tapped from an email, but Word doesn't yet seem to have a hyperlink function for URIs.

I know just enough tech to be dangerous, so if I've explained my dilemma clearly, can you point me in a direction where I can find these answers?
davidbcarter
New Member
#56
This may be totally wrong, but I wonder if it’s not a problem with the way links are stored in Word docs, PDF files, etc. At work, we’ve recently discovered that deep links into our web-based learning management system don’t work when clicked from a Microsoft Office document (Word, Excel, etc.) or a PDF file even though they work fine from an email. When we contacted the vendor, they looked into it and said it was a problem with the way hyperlinks were stores in those documents and there was nothing they could do about it.
David Carter
russellhltn
Community Administrator
#57
It wouldn't surprise me but any web links in documents go though a link handler in the reader for security screening rather than just blindly passed to the OS. It might be designed to make sure web links really go to the web and are not obfuscated links to local files.
Have you searched the Help Center? Try doing a Google search and adding "site:churchofjesuschrist.org/help" to the search criteria.

So we can better help you, please edit your Profile to include your general location.
kb2001
New Member
#58
Aww, this doesn't sound good. If deep-linked text just won't work in Word, does anyone have any suggestions for linking to specific content in the Sacred Music app and Gospel Library from our digital bulletin?

If you want to see the bulletin itself, you can go to [*]

* The link to the bulletin has been deleted because it includes real names, phone numbers, and email addresses. This is a public forum.
sbradshaw
Community Moderators
#59
What app are you using to view the PDF? I emailed myself a PDF and a Word document with a link, and opened them in the Apple Mail app on my phone – the link opened Gospel Library from both the PDF and the Word document.
Samuel Bradshaw • If you desire to serve God, you are called to the work.
smower
New Member
#60
Is there a way to deep link to a bookmark?
Also, the new widgets can link to the current Come Follow Me lesson. Is there a deep link that determines the current Come Follow Me lesson?
sbradshaw
Community Moderators
#61
smower wrote:Is there a way to deep link to a bookmark?
Also, the new widgets can link to the current Come Follow Me lesson. Is there a deep link that determines the current Come Follow Me lesson?
No, unfortunately, there's not a URL pattern that allows linking to a bookmark or to the current Come, Follow Me lesson, though that would be handy. I'd recommend sending those as feature requests using Send Feedback in Gospel Library settings.
Samuel Bradshaw • If you desire to serve God, you are called to the work.
djdinut1
Member
#62
What is the correct link for non-successive verses? It used to be like this: gospellibrary://content/scriptures/nt/mark/13.1,7 but that no longer works.
sbradshaw
Community Moderators
#63
This is the preferred way to form the link, because it will work on both web and mobile, and fall back to the browser if Gospel Library isn't installed:
https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/stu ... ang=eng#p1
However, it looks like there's a bug where the app doesn't draw the callout bar when there are multiple verse groups (comma-separated). I'd recommend using Send Feedback in Settings to report the issue.
Samuel Bradshaw • If you desire to serve God, you are called to the work.
djdinut1
Member
#64
Thank you for your reply. I see, as you say, that "the app doesn't draw the callout bar when there are multiple verse groups (comma-separated)." I'll report it in feedback.
sbradshaw
Community Moderators
#65
There's now an official documentation page that explains how to deep link to Gospel Library content:
https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/learn/mobile-applications/deep-linking-in-gospel-library?lang=eng
Samuel Bradshaw • If you desire to serve God, you are called to the work.
gonzalomoscoso
New Member
#66
Thanks for sharing this info

any updates about Deep Links??
jbstanford
New Member
#67
This is a bit related - does anyone know the iOS URL Scheme for the familytree app =https://apps.apple.com/us/app/familysea ... -your-tree) ? It's not familytree:// or familysearch:// or any of those ones I've tried. Can't find it anywhere online.
gonzalomoscoso
New Member
#68
Or maybe the bookmarks in general??
gospellibrary://content/bookmarks

Doesn’t work. Just open gospel library