Deep Linking to an App

Deep Link to Another Native App from Within Staffbase

Linking to external websites or even web-applications from the content within Staffbase is easy. Normal links lead users to a website or web app. To create normal linking, editors need to only provide the URL to the website content. Deep links on the other hand lead users to a native app. However, to generate the deep links to an app, you need to define certain parameters.

Deep Link Parameters

ParameterDescription
target-appThe URL scheme of the app, including the path to a specific page. For example, target-app:// or target-app://module/example
ios-store-linkThe link to download the target app from the Apple App Store.
android-store-linkThe link to download the target app from the Google Play Store.
custom-install-linkThe link to download the target app from the download page if the target app is not available in the public app stores.
web-linkThe link to open the web app.

Based on the parameters you define in deep links, there are two types of deep links:

  • Basic Deep Links: Lead users to a specific page of a mobile app, only if the app is installed. Example.
  • Deferred Deep Links: Lead users to a specific page of a mobile app and if the app is not yet installed, they provide an alternative option. There are two cases of such deferred deep links, where:
    • Users are also provided options to the app store and the web app. Example.
    • Users are also provided with the option to a custom download, in case the app is not available in the public app store. Example.

Creating a Deep Link to an App

You can create a deep link by defining the deep link query parameters. Prerequisites:

  • The target app to which you want to deep link must have:
    • A custom URL scheme for iOS devices
    • A web URI intent for Android devices

Tip: If the target app to which you want to deep link does not already have a custom URL scheme and a web URI intent defined, you can define them for the app.

Instructions

  1. Copy the code snippet and paste it to a browser console or some JavaScript runtime.
1var webURL = 'https://app.staffbase.com'
2var values = {
3  'target-app': '',
4  'ios-store-link': '',
5  'android-store-link': '',
6  'custom-install-link': '',
7  'web-link': '',
8}
9var isFirst = true
10webURL += '/external/openapp.html'
11for (var prop in values) {
12  if (values.hasOwnProperty(prop) && values[prop]) {
13    webURL += isFirst ? '?' : '&'
14    webURL += prop + '=' + encodeURIComponent(values[prop])
15    isFirst = false
16  }
17}
18console.log(webURL)

  1. Add the parameter values within the quotes based on the type of deep link you want to generate. For example, 'target-app': "com.target-app.client.xcallbackurl://".

  2. Execute the code in the console and retrieve the deep link.

You have generated the deep link. Now you can provide the deep link to editors of a news channel or a page in the Experience Studio.

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