System and method for identifying, indexing, and navigating to deep states of mobile applications
A mobile application development system includes a developer portal that receives an application from a developer and provides a routing library to the developer to augment the application. An offline analysis system analyzes the application to (i) determine a set of activities that a handler within the application is programmed to resume in response to respective resumption requests from a host operating system and (ii) determine parameters for each of the activities. The offline analysis system generates a set of links that each corresponds to a respective one of the activities. The routing library, installed as part of the augmented application onto a user device, receives a link, from the user device's operating system, that identifies a first activity. The routing library includes instructions for generating a first resumption request based on parameters corresponding to the first activity and transmitting the first resumption request to the augmented application's handler.
1. An electronic device comprising:
a processor; and
a memory electrically connected to the processor,
wherein the memory stores instructions which, when executed, cause the processor to install a first application on the electronic device, the first application comprising:
a routing library configured to register a link scheme with an operating system of the electronic device, and
a handler configured to resume an activity of the first application in response to a request from the routing library, and
wherein the link scheme comprises a scheme providing access to an internal state of the first application.
2. The electronic device of claim 1 , wherein the routing library is further configured to:
install a business rule specifying a state of the first application that is to be accessible by the handler.
3. The electronic device of claim 2 , wherein the routing library is further configured to:
install a user interface (UI) event sequence to reach the specified state of the first application that is to be accessible by the handler.
4. The electronic device of claim 3 , wherein the routing library is further configured to:
download one or more UI event sequences each time the first application is opened.
5. The electronic device of claim 4 , wherein the link is received as a part of a search result from a second application of the electronic device.
6. The electronic device of claim 5 , wherein the link allows a user of the second application access to an internal state of the first application in response to selection of the search result.
7. The electronic device of claim 3 , wherein the routing library is further configured to:
download one or more UI event sequences at predetermined intervals.
8. The electronic device of claim 1 , wherein the routing library is further configured to:
receive a link from the operating system, wherein the link identifies a first activity;
generate a first resumption request based on parameters corresponding to the first activity; and
transmit the first resumption request to the handler.
9. The electronic device of claim 1 , wherein registering the link scheme with the operating system comprises registering a uniform resource identifier (URI) template with the operating system upon installation of the first application.
10. The electronic device of claim 1 , wherein the link scheme is generated using at least one of a simulator or an emulator.
11. A method providing access to a state of an application on an electronic device, comprising:
installing, using at least one processor of the electronic device, a first application on the electronic device;
registering, using a routing library of the first application executed by the at least one processor, a link scheme with an operating system of the electronic device; and
resuming, using a handler of the first application, an activity of the first application in response to a request from the routing library,
wherein the link scheme comprises a scheme providing access to an internal state of the first application.
12. The method of claim 11 , wherein the method further comprises:
installing a business rule specifying a state of the first application that is to be accessible by the handler.
13. The method of claim 12 , wherein the method further comprises:
installing a user interface (UI) event sequence to reach the specified state of the application that is to be accessible by the handler.
14. The method of claim 13 , wherein the method further comprises:
downloading one or more UI event sequences each time the first application is opened.
15. The method of claim 13 , wherein the method further comprises:
downloading one or more UI event sequences at predetermined intervals.
16. The method of claim 11 , wherein the method further comprises:
receiving a link from the operating system, wherein the link identifies a first activity;
generating a first resumption request based on parameters corresponding to the first activity; and
transmitting the first resumption request to the handler.
17. The method of claim 16 , wherein the link is received as a part of a search result from a second application of the electronic device.
18. The method of claim 11 , wherein the registering of the link scheme with the operating system comprises registering a uniform resource identifier (URI) template with the operating system upon installation of the first application.
19. The method of claim 11 , wherein the link scheme is generated using at least one of a simulator or an emulator.
20. A non-transitory computer readable recording medium having a program recorded thereon, the program implementing a method comprising:
installing a first application on an electronic device;
registering, using a routing library of the first application, a link scheme with an operating system of the electronic device; and
resuming, using a handler of the first application, an activity of the first application in response to a request from the routing library,
wherein the link scheme comprises a scheme providing access to an internal state of the first application.