VoiceCentral URLs and Icons

[Chris]

Note: This topic may be a bit advanced for some users. If anyone is interested in using these features but runs into issues, feel free to post on this thread to get some help. We do intend to add an "advanced install" option in the future that will ask the right questions to perform the configuration for you.

One of the most common requests we've received is for the ability to have more control over how VoiceCentral is launched. Many people wanted this solely for push notifications while others wanted to have separate icons to get to specific tabs quickly, etc. To meet all of these needs, v1.1.0 added support for multiple parameters that control the way VoiceCentral launches. Each of these parameters can be used independently or in conjunction with one another using an ampersand (&) to separate them. Once you enter the URL with the desired parameters, use the + icon to add it to your home screen or to your bookmarks.

Launching in Safari

If you need to launch VoiceCentral from another application, you cannot launch it as a standalone app. Instead, it has to be launched as a tab in Safari. To allow VoiceCentral to run within Safari, add the browser parameter with a value of true. You can also use this approach to add a bookmark to VoiceCentral within Safari.

Example: https://voicecentralwe.appspot.com/voicecentral.html?browser=true

Launching to a Specific Tab

While v1.1.0 does allow you to choose the default startup tab, some users wanted to be able to have different icons that launch to specific tabs. For example, you could have a "VC Contacts" tab that always goes directly to your contact list or a "VC Keypad" icon that launches directly to the keypad. Additionally, push notifications can be set to launch directly to the Voicemail or SMS tab as appropriate. To use this feature, add the tab parameter with a value of any tab name along the bottom of the app (the names are not case-sensitive): Recents, Contacts, SMS, Voicemail, Keypad, Settings

Example: https://voicecentralwe.appspot.com/voicecentral.html?tab=Contacts

Launching to a Specific Account

Premium Subscribers can have multiple accounts in v1.1.0 and change between them while using the app. To make life easier, you can also have a different icon for each account. For example, you might have a "VC Work" icon and a "VC Home" icon that each launch directly into the appropriate account. To use this feature, add the account parameter with a value of your Google Voice phone number in the format +14045551212, 14045551212, or 4045551212.

Example: https://voicecentralwe.appspot.com/voicecentral.html?account=+14045551212

Combination Examples

Voicemail tab within Safari

https://voicecentralwe.appspot.com/voicecentral.html?browser=true&tab=voicemail

SMS tab within Safari

https://voicecentralwe.appspot.com/voicecentral.html?browser=true&tab=sms

Contacts for a Specific Account

https://voicecentralwe.appspot.com/voicecentral.html?tab=contacts&account=+14045551212

Quick Settings for an Account

https://voicecentralwe.appspot.com/voicecentral.html?tab=settings&account=+14045551212

[recycle]

Nice -- especially with multiple accounts.

Any way to link directly to the "Favorites" in Contacts?

[Chris]

Not yet. I added a feature request to our tracking system for this. As a workaround, you can launch to the Contacts tab and it will always start on the last view you were on (Favorites or Contacts). If you use Favorites more frequently, then it will start there most often.

[jongpie]

Thanks for the info on the new features, Chris. This is an awesome addition to a great webapp.

Just curious, are there plans to have each tab (SMS, Voicemail, etc.) have their own icons? I added SMS & Voicemail to my home screen, and they both have the Black Swan logo. It's not THAT big of a deal, but if there's a way where you could have each section have it's own unique icon, that'd be awesome.

[Chris]

I added a feature request for different icons based on the tab. Thanks for the feedback--keep it coming.

[Chris]

The installation URL now has an Advanced option that will build the icon/bookmark for you:

http://voicecentral.riverturn.com/install

[eprisencc]

Hey Chris is there a way to make it go all the way down to the bottom when using a full screen web browser on the iPhone? I use both full screen browser and perfect browser and they have this awkward gap at the bottom of black swan that looks as if it is making room for safari browser controls which are no longer there in a full screen browser.

[Chris]

I logged a feature request to allow full-screen mode within other browsers. Thanks for letting us know.