1. Automate
2. Documentation
3. App start

App start

An action block that starts an app activity.

The fiber will proceed immediately without pause. If you want the fiber to pause until the activity has finished, use the App decision block instead.

An app activity is referred, either explicitly by its package and activity class, e.g. by using the Pick activity button, or implicitly by an action and data URI. Explicit start is seldom needed and should be avoided as it will stop working if the activity class is renamed. To implicitly start the “main” activity like the launcher does, specify only the package.

What data, actions and extras an activity support varies. Search for public documentation, or look at the app manifest for clues. Information about common Intents. The Pick shortcut button may be able to extract some of this information from a shortcut as created by an app, see also Shortcut start block.

When including a file URI either as data URI or "android.intent.extra.STREAM" extra, ensure to enable the appropriate Grant flags otherwise it may be inaccessible to the app.

Note! If this block cause a ActivityNotFoundException, SecurityException or otherwise fail it’s likely because the activity isn’t exported, it’s been temporarily or permanently disabled, or it’s secured by a permission to prevent third-party apps from launching it.

Actions

The list below describe some universal or more notable actions:

• Create document — create a new empty document of MIME type, with optional title extra, in a content provider supporting it that the user picks. Must include Openable category. To get the URI of the created document use the App decision block instead.
• Delete — delete the given data URI from its container.
• Edit — provide explicit editable access to the given data URI.
• Insert — insert an empty item into the given container. May include data URI of the directory in which to place the data.
• Insert or edit — pick an existing item, or insert a new item, of MIME type and then edit it. Use the App decision instead to get the content URI of the picked item.
• Install package — launch application installer. Data URI must be a content or package, URI where the APK can be retrieved. Not working on Android 8+ due to Google Play store policy, use workaround.
• Install package workaround — install an app package. Data URI must be a content or package URI where the APK can be retrieved. Requires Automate legacy extension on Android 8+.
• Main — start as a main entry point, usually includes Launcher category.
• Search — perform a search, usually with a query extra.
• Send — deliver data of MIME type to someone else, usually as a text and/or stream extra.
• Send to — send a message to recipient specified in data URI, e.g. as a mailto, sms or mms URI. See compose blocks.
• Send multiple — like send above, except the data is multiple, i.e. text and/or stream extras use *List conversion types.
• Translate — perform text translation of text extra.
• Uninstall package — launch application uninstaller. Data URI must be a package URI of app to uninstall.
• View — show data to the user, usually specified in Data URI. See Content view block.
• Voice command — start voice command.
• Web search — perform a web search, usually with a query extra.

Extras

The table below lists some of the commonly used keys for the extras dictionary:

Launch options

Input arguments

• Package — package name of the app activity.
• Activity class — class name of the app activity.
• Action — action the activity should perform.
• Data URI — content URI the activity should handle.
• MIME type — type of data the Data URI is referring to. See MIME type.
• Category — action category, use an array for multiple categories.
• Extras — dictionary with extended data, inconvertible entries lacking a conversion type may be excluded.
• Flags — launch flags.
• Launch options — dictionary with activity launch options. (Android 4.1+)
• Chooser — whether to allow a choice of implicit activity.