ADN Activity Collection

UIActivities to share with App.net (ADN) apps from an Activity Sheet

The Activity Sheet is new iOS 6. It provides for abstractions to share content from apps to multiple services in a very decoupled way. Custom activities can be added as options. Sharing messages to App.net (ADN) with apps like Netbot and Felix can help get more content onto ADN and give users sharing options they want. This sample project will provide a collection of activities which will detect if an ADN app is available and make it available as an option if it is. (screenshot below)

How to use ADN Activity Collection

The source files you would need are in the ADNActivities folder. There is the base class and the Felix, Netbot and other activities. The images used for the icons are drawn in code thanks to PaintCode so there are no resources you need to add or manage in your project. Finally you may need to add frameworks to your project such as Core Graphics.

Once you have the source files added you can use the example in SSTViewController to set up the activities which are shown by the Activity Sheet. It creates an array of activity items which includes an NSString and NSURL value if both fields are populated. A URL is simply added to the NSString value for the ADN activities but Twitter and Facebook using them as links. If Felix, Netbot or another ADN client has the option to take an NSURL value it could be passed as well to share on ADN.

See the PaintCode documents included with this project as examples of what is needed to provide a new icon for an activity.

What about my favorite ADN app?

More apps can be supported. All that is needed is a URL Scheme with a way to send a new post over to the app. Felix, Netbot, Riposte and hAppy are currently supported. Below are links to their docs covering their URL Scheme support.

• Felix
• Netbot (Same as Tweetbot)
• Riposte
• hAppy

Return URL Scheme (deprecated)

One additional parameter which is sent to the other apps is a value which can be used to return to the calling app once the post operation has completed. This way the sequence of sharing returns to the originating app. It is likely developers will be more likely to integrate ADN clients with these activities if they know they are not sending users away from their app with this option. ADN clients should return to the calling app once the post is completed or canceled.

To support the Return URL Scheme simply use the parameter returnURLScheme and once the operation to post has completed or is canceled use that value to open the calling application to return to it. The returning application should handle that interaction if any customization is wanted, but there may not be any necessary actions.

Included within this project (open the Workspace) there is an example ADN Client which works with the ADN Activities application. It can even be used with the Simulator to show how the interaction works between a calling application and a client. The Return URL Scheme is used to complete the activity as intended.

X-Callback-URL

Instead of the Return URL Scheme the code base will be replaced with the x-callback-url specification. This specification is used by Google Chrome Mobile to allow apps to open content in apps made by Google and then return to the originating app.

No View Controller

For other sharing options there is typically a view controller which allows the user to edit and share the content from within the app. Since these activities are meant to use a third party app to authenticate with ADN and complete the post there is no view controller. It makes sense to warn they user they are about to leave the app though, so a view controller which can preview the message and allow the user to cancel if they choose instead if jumping to another app could be added later.

Contributions

Additional ADN clients can be supported on iOS by simply using the current activities as a reference. The Felix and Netbot activities use a base class which does much of the work. Simply fork this project on GitHub and submit a Pull Request once you are ready. Pull Requests will be reviewed and added if they appear to be ready to be included with the collection.

Support

Issue tracking on GitHub can be used for any issues which come up. Otherwise I can be found on ADN.

Your App Here

Are you using the ADN Activity Collection in your app? I'd like to add a list of apps which are using it here so others can see real-world examples. Simply reach out to my on ADN with my details below.

Elsewhere with ADN

This solution and others are listed with ADN Developer Resources where you can find other bits you can use with your development work.

Brennan Stehling on App.net
@smallsharptools

Screenshot