Uniform resource identifier and image sharing for contextual information display

1. A computer-implemented method implemented in a user device, the method comprising:

displaying, on a display of the user device, a particular environment instance of a native application that can display a plurality of different environment instances, wherein the native application is an application operable to generate the environment instances for display within the native application on the user device and operates independent of a browser application that can operate on the user device;

receiving, at the user device and while the particular environment instance is an active focus of the display, a single input operating system command that is a command invoked independent of the native application;

in response to the single input operating system command:

generating a query-independent request for contextual information relevant to native application and sending the query-independent request to a search system;

receiving, from the search system, contextual information that is responsive to the query-independent request and that is descriptive of the native application;

displaying, on the display, a contextual information card that includes a share command and at least one or more additional commands that are not share commands, and the contextual information;

in response to a selection of the share command from the displayed contextual information card:

determining a recipient address specifying a recipient device that is separate from the user device;

generating an image of the particular environment instance of the native application;

selecting a uniform resource identifier of the particular environment instance of the native application;

generating a message that includes the image of the particular environment instance and the uniform resource identifier; and

sending, to the recipient address, the message that includes the image of the particular environment instance and the uniform resource identifier.

2. The computer-implemented method of claim 1 , wherein generating the message that includes the image of the particular environment instance and the uniform resource identifier comprises embedding the uniform resource identifier in image metadata of the image, wherein in response to a navigation command on the image at a user device receiving the message the user device will instantiate the native application at the particular environment instance addressed by the uniform resource identifier.

3. The computer-implemented method of claim 1 , wherein generating the message that includes the image of the particular environment instance and the uniform resource identifier comprises including the uniform resource identifier and the image as separate items that are separately displayed, and wherein in response to a navigation command on the uniform resource identifier at a user device receiving the message the user device will instantiate the native application at the particular environment instance addressed by the uniform resource identifier.

4. The computer-implemented method of claim 1 , wherein selecting the uniform resource identifier of the particular environment instance of the native application comprises selecting the uniform resource identifier from a user device cache of most recently used uniform resource identifiers.

5. The computer-implemented method of claim 1 , wherein selecting the uniform resource identifier of the particular environment instance of the native application comprises requesting, by the operating system of the user device and from the native application, the uniform resource identifier of the particular environment instance.

6. The computer-implemented method of claim 1 , wherein generating the message includes including, with the image of the particular environment instance and the uniform resource identifier, the contextual information.

7. A user device, comprising:

a data processing apparatus;

a display device; and

a non-transitory computer readable storage medium in data communication with the data processing apparatus and storing instructions executable by the data processing apparatus and upon such execution cause the data processing apparatus to perform operations comprising:

displaying, on a display of the user device, a particular environment instance of a native application that can display a plurality of different environment instances, wherein the native application is an application operable to generate the environment instances for display within the native application on the user device and operates independent of a browser application that can operate on the user device;

receiving, at the user device and while the particular environment instance is an active focus of the display, a single input operating system command that is a command invoked independent of the native application;

in response to the single input operating system command:

generating a query-independent request for contextual information relevant to native application and sending the query-independent request to a search system;

receiving, from the search system, contextual information that is responsive to the query-independent request and that is descriptive of the native application;

displaying, on the display, a contextual information card that includes a share command and at least one or more additional commands that are not share commands, the contextual information;

in response to a selection of the share command from the displayed contextual information card:

determining a recipient address specifying a recipient device that is separate from the user device;

generating an image of the particular environment instance of the native application;

selecting a uniform resource identifier of the particular environment instance of the native application;

generating a message that includes the image of the particular environment instance and the uniform resource identifier; and

sending, from to the recipient address, the message that includes the image of the particular environment instance and the uniform resource identifier.

8. The user device of claim 7 , wherein generating the message that includes the image of the particular environment instance and the uniform resource identifier comprises embedding the uniform resource identifier in image metadata of the image, wherein in response to a navigation command on the image at a user device receiving the message the user device will instantiate the native application at the particular environment instance addressed by the uniform resource identifier.

9. The user device of claim 7 , wherein generating the message that includes the image of the particular environment instance and the uniform resource identifier comprises including the uniform resource identifier and the image metadata of the image as separate items that are separately displayed, and wherein in response to a navigation command on the uniform resource identifier at a user device receiving the message the user device will instantiate the native application at the particular environment instance addressed by the uniform resource identifier.

10. The user device of claim 7 , wherein selecting the uniform resource identifier of the particular environment instance of the native application comprises selecting the uniform resource identifier from a user device cache of most recently used uniform resource identifiers.

11. The user device of claim 7 , wherein selecting the uniform resource identifier of the particular environment instance of the native application comprises requesting, by the operating system of the user device and from the native application, the uniform resource identifier of the particular environment instance.

12. The computer-implemented method of claim 7 , wherein generating the message includes including, with the image of the particular environment instance and the uniform resource identifier, the contextual information.

13. A non-transitory computer readable storage medium storing instructions executable by a user device and upon such execution cause the user device to perform operations comprising:

displaying, on a display of the user device, a particular environment instance of a native application that can display a plurality of different environment instances, wherein the native application is an application operable to generate the environment instances for display within the native application on the user device and operates independent of a browser application that can operate on the user device;

receiving, at the user device and while the particular environment instance is an active focus of the display, a single input operating system command that is a command invoked independent of the native application;

in response to the single input operating system command:

generating a query-independent request for contextual information relevant to native application and sending the query-independent request to a search system;

receiving, from the search system, contextual information that is responsive to the query-independent request and that is descriptive of the native application;

displaying, on the display, a contextual information card that includes a share command and at least one or more additional commands that are not share commands, and the contextual information;

in response to a selection of the share command from the displayed contextual information card:

determining a recipient address specifying a recipient device that is separate from the user device;

generating an image of the particular environment instance of the native application;

selecting a uniform resource identifier of the particular environment instance of the native application;

generating a message that includes the image of the particular environment instance and the uniform resource identifier; and

sending, from to the recipient address, the message that includes the image of the particular environment instance and the uniform resource identifier.

14. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 13 , wherein generating the message that includes the image of the particular environment instance and the uniform resource identifier comprises embedding the uniform resource identifier in image metadata of the image, wherein in response to a navigation command on the image at a user device receiving the message the user device will instantiate the native application at the particular environment instance addressed by the uniform resource identifier.

15. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 13 , wherein generating the message that includes the image of the particular environment instance and the uniform resource identifier comprises including the uniform resource identifier and the image metadata of the image as separate items that are separately displayed, and wherein in response to a navigation command on the uniform resource identifier at a user device receiving the message the user device will instantiate the native application at the particular environment instance addressed by the uniform resource identifier.

16. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 13 , wherein selecting the uniform resource identifier of the particular environment instance of the native application comprises selecting the uniform resource identifier from a user device cache of most recently used uniform resource identifiers.

17. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 13 , wherein selecting the uniform resource identifier of the particular environment instance of the native application comprises requesting, by the operating system of the user device and from the native application, the uniform resource identifier of the particular environment instance.