Is there a way to make an Android homescreen shortcut to any given settings page such as the battery status?

[Arlen Holder]

Given _any_ given Android settings page... no matter how deep...
o Is there a way to make a single-click homescreen shortcut to it?

Much like there is a single command to check battery status on Windows
o Win+R > ms-settings:batterysaver-usagedetails

Is there a way to get a battery shortcut on the Android 10 desktop?
o Android:10 > Settings > Battery
So that I can have a "battery" shortcut on my desktop that goes there?

Can we make a shortcut to any Android settings item for the desktop?
--
Note: I'm sure there are billions of battery aps out there, and battery
widgets, and all sorts of ways to make that puny battery notification icon
at the top right of my homescreen larger so I can actually _see_ the
percentage left without glasses... but that's not what I'm asking for.

[kelown]

> Given _any_ given Android settings page... no matter how deep...
> o Is there a way to make a single-click homescreen shortcut to it?
>
> Much like there is a single command to check battery status on Windows
> o Win+R > ms-settings:batterysaver-usagedetails
>
> Is there a way to get a battery shortcut on the Android 10 desktop?
> o Android:10 > Settings > Battery
> So that I can have a "battery" shortcut on my desktop that goes there?
>
> Can we make a shortcut to any Android settings item for the desktop?

Android can natively create Settings shortcuts for home screens.
https://www.nextpit.com/how-to-create-quick-android-shortcuts-to-any-setting

1.) Tap and hold on a blank area of any home screen to bring up the
Widgets option.
2.) widgets -> settings -> drag Settings shortcut icon to any home screen
3.) select Battery option

The battery setting icon will appear on your home screen exactly where
you dragged that Settings shortcut. The same can be done for any
Settings option.

[Arlen Holder]

On Thu, 12 Nov 2020 17:19:19 -0600, kelown wrote:

>> Can we make a shortcut to any Android settings item for the desktop?
>
> Android can natively create Settings shortcuts for home screens.
> https://www.nextpit.com/how-to-create-quick-android-shortcuts-to-any-setting
>
> 1.) Tap and hold on a blank area of any home screen to bring up the
> Widgets option.
> 2.) widgets -> settings -> drag Settings shortcut icon to any home screen
> 3.) select Battery option
>
> The battery setting icon will appear on your home screen exactly where
> you dragged that Settings shortcut. The same can be done for any
> Settings option.

Hi kelown,

Oh my God! You're a genius!
o Thank you very much for that purposefully helpful & correct suggestion!

That settings-widget-for-battery-settings worked the very first time!
o <https://i.postimg.cc/rFgM7bmb/battery01.jpg>

This is a keeper!
o Now we can put the "deeper" settings into a settings folder for re-use!

Thank you for being a purposefully helpful & knowledgeable poster!
--
Every question (and answer) posted to Usenet should benefit everyone.

[123456789]

kelown wrote:

> Android can natively create Settings shortcuts for home screens.
> https://www.nextpit.com/how-to-create-quick-android-shortcuts-to-any-setting

> 1.) Tap and hold on a blank area of any home screen to bring up the
> Widgets option. 2.) widgets -> settings -> drag Settings shortcut
> icon to any home screen 3.) select Battery option
>
> The battery setting icon will appear on your home screen exactly
> where you dragged that Settings shortcut. The same can be done for
> any Settings option.

Unfortunately there is no Settings shortcut shown in widgets in either
of my Android 10 devices or my Android 5 device. However it is there in
my Android 9 device. Dunno if this is an OS version problem or a
specific device problem.

However I use an app called Shortcut Creator (Alex TernHome-Play Store)
which does pretty much the same thing and works on all my devices...

[Arlen Holder]

On Thu, 12 Nov 2020 19:20:35 -0700, 123456789 wrote:

> Unfortunately there is no Settings shortcut shown in widgets in either
> of my Android 10 devices or my Android 5 device. However it is there in
> my Android 9 device. Dunno if this is an OS version problem or a
> specific device problem.

It's not Android 10 because I'm on Android 10 - but who knows what it is

Here's a screenshot of the "settings" widget on my Moto G7 (Nova launcher):
o <https://i.postimg.cc/vTmRGghz/settings01.jpg>

> However I use an app called Shortcut Creator (Alex TernHome-Play Store)
> which does pretty much the same thing and works on all my devices...

Thanks for that pointer to...

o Shortcut Creator, by AlexTernHome
<https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.alextern.shortcuthelper>
--
Something's wrong with Aurora, but when I get it fixed, I'll test it out.

[The Real Bev]

Excellent! I still need two more taps to see which apps have been
hogging the battery, but that's better than the previous method!


--
Cheers, Bev
"We don't know how smart people can be, but we know that
dumb goes all the way to zero." -- Joe Chew

[Arlen Holder]

On Fri, 13 Nov 2020 14:14:38 -0800, The Real Bev wrote:

> Excellent! I still need two more taps to see which apps have been
> hogging the battery, but that's better than the previous method!

Hi The Real Bev,

For something like the battery setting, it doesn't save all that many
steps, simply because it wasn't all that many steps to the battery setting.

But for _deeper_ settings, it could save a lot more steps.

What I'm gonna do with this new-found capability is populate a folder in
the center of my dock (which wasn't being used anyway), which will then
have only these system settings shortcuts.
o <https://i.postimg.cc/vTmRGghz/settings01.jpg>

Woo hoo!
o I love making the desktop more efficient!

[Arlen Holder]

Given _any_ given Android settings page... no matter how deep...
o Is there a way to make a single-click homescreen shortcut to it?

SOLVED!
o <https://i.postimg.cc/vTmRGghz/settings01.jpg> Native widget results
o <https://i.postimg.cc/T2Szy9dt/settings02.jpg> SettingsCreator results

As noted elsewhere in this thread, the native widget method works fine for
top-level settings; but it doesn't work for _deeper_ settings, such as:
o Settings > System > Advanced > Developer options > Running services

I solved the problem with Aurora Store; so I can download apps again:
o Is your Aurora Store working for you, logged in anonymously, lately?
<https://groups.google.com/g/comp.mobile.android/c/PxP-9yYpimY>

I updated Shortcut Creator to version 3.2.0 once I got Aurora working again
o This allowed me to test out the suggestion by 123456789 made earlier

o Shortcut Creator, by AlexTernHome
<https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.alextern.shortcuthelper>

Shortcut Creator easily created a homescreen "Developer options" icon:
o ShortcutCreator > Shortcuts: Settings > System Actions: Developer options
(Then press the big "plus" key at the top right, & then "To Launcher".)
(This puts a "Developer options" shortcut icon on your homescreen.)

ShortcutCreator also created the "Running services" homescreen icon:
o ShortcutCreator > Shortcuts: Settings > Settings Activities: Observe activities
(Scroll down to select "Running services" (.Settings$RunningServicesActivity)
(Then press the big "plus" key at the top right, & then "To Launcher".)
(This puts a "Running services" shortcut icon on your homescreen.)
(...PLICATION_DEVELOPMENT_SETTINGS)

Using ShortcutCreator is a bit confusing as there are many options, e.g.,
o Running services (.Settings$RunningServicesActivity)
o Running services (.RunningServices)
Both of which "seemed" to have done the same thing in my quick tests...

Nonetheless, these methods appear to allow us to put a homescreen shortcut
to any setting that we want, which I put in a folder in my dock center:
o <https://i.postimg.cc/T2Szy9dt/settings02.jpg>
--
Thanks to kelown & 123456789 for their excellent on-topic test suggestions.

[Arlen Holder]

On Tue, 17 Nov 2020 01:11:47 -0000 (UTC), Arlen Holder wrote:

> Nonetheless, these methods appear to allow us to put a homescreen shortcut
> to any setting that we want, which I put in a folder in my dock center:
> o <https://i.postimg.cc/T2Szy9dt/settings02.jpg>

Here is an example of the "kill -9 <PID>" shortcut in action:
<https://i.postimg.cc/vTkv7Grh/settings03.jpg> ps -aux | kill -9 <PID>

[The Real Bev]

I have to wonder why anyone would kill with anything else but -9!
Perhaps there should be commands 'maim' and 'frighten' for those who are
against the death penalty.

--
Cheers, Bev
Please hassle me, I thrive on stress.

[Carlos E.R.]

I always kill without '-9' first.

A kill 9 kills but resources can be left hanging, used, and thus, not
possible to reclaim by other processes. Sometimes you have to reboot to
recover.

It is better to try a default kill signal, which basically tells the
application to quit, so it has a chance to close files and return other
resources it may have grabbed. Only when it fails, as a last resource,
use a 9.

--
Cheers, Carlos.

[Frank Slootweg]

[Disclaimer: Yes, I *do* get the humour.]

You claim to be a Linux junkie, but you're apparently not a Unix/UNIX
person. If you were, you would be aware of some of the other - than
9/KILL - useful signals, such as HUP, INT, QUIT, TERM, etc..

So, for example, the *decent* thing to do is to send TERM(inate)
before sending KILL! :-)

<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Signal_(IPC)#POSIX_signals>

[The Real Bev]

On 11/17/2020 10:55 AM, Frank Slootweg wrote:
> [Disclaimer: Yes, I *do* get the humour.]
>
> The Real Bev <bashl...@gmail.com> wrote:
>> On 11/16/2020 06:21 PM, Arlen Holder wrote:
>> > On Tue, 17 Nov 2020 01:11:47 -0000 (UTC), Arlen Holder wrote:
>> >
>> >> Nonetheless, these methods appear to allow us to put a homescreen shortcut
>> >> to any setting that we want, which I put in a folder in my dock center:
>> >> o <https://i.postimg.cc/T2Szy9dt/settings02.jpg>
>> >
>> > Here is an example of the "kill -9 <PID>" shortcut in action:
>> > <https://i.postimg.cc/vTkv7Grh/settings03.jpg> ps -aux | kill -9 <PID>
>>
>> I have to wonder why anyone would kill with anything else but -9!
>> Perhaps there should be commands 'maim' and 'frighten' for those who are
>> against the death penalty.
>
> You claim to be a Linux junkie, but you're apparently not a Unix/UNIX
> person. If you were, you would be aware of some of the other - than
> 9/KILL - useful signals, such as HUP, INT, QUIT, TERM, etc..

Not a junkie, just a user. If I weren't married to a junkie I'd have to
use something else. Or maybe Ubuntu or some user-friendly distribution.
Slackware is as friendly as a cornered rat, but I've learned what I
need to and when I need to do something else I beg.

> So, for example, the *decent* thing to do is to send TERM(inate)
> before sending KILL! :-)
>
> <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Signal_(IPC)#POSIX_signals>

I reboot every night so evil processes don't linger very long. I'm
getting lazier and lazier.

Hubby wants me to switch to a slackware that doesn't use multilib (which
I need to run picasa), which would mean converting everything I use by
hand. He doesn't see that as a problem. I do, in spades.

We could put the new system on a different partition and I could copy my
old stuff over, but the prospect is truly daunting.

--
Cheers, Bev
Lawyering: the only profession that if you
didn't have it you wouldn't need it.

[Arlen Holder]

On 17 Nov 2020 18:55:00 GMT, Frank Slootweg wrote:

> You claim to be a Linux junkie

Hi Frank,

Regarding:
o <https://i.postimg.cc/vTkv7Grh/settings03.jpg> ps -aux | kill -9 <PID>

I started with, oh, the IBM 1110 or 1130 or whatever it was in those days
well before Fortran 77 even existed (we wrote in COBOL, Fortran, PL/1,
etc.) with the elevated floors and air conditioned 'computer rooms' &
dot-matrix printers and I even have a few magtapes & huge floppies about...

And then when I moved to the Silicon Valley we ditched the PDP11, VAXvms &
DEC machines common in the northeast for the Masscomp & SunOS boxes of the
west coast, so to speak (where the "finger memory" began to take hold, as
anyone from our era well knows what I mean by "finger memory").

Eventually the OS moved to Solaris, where I integrated the Mac and Windows
of those days (oh, maybe it was Win95? or maybe Win2k?) using Columbia
Appletalk Protocol (aka cap - remember resource & data forks anyone?) and
Samba for the Cifs/SMB/Samba stuff, and where, even decades later, that
same "finger memory" takes hold for all the commands.

At some point, Linux arrived (in those days, the commercial stuff was on
Redhat, which when I retired, I moved to CentOS, and then Ubuntu after that
(where, yet again, "finger memory" never forgets these commands).

All the while, my "finger memory" has been placing these two in sequence:
o ps -auxww | grep <whatever>
o !! | grep -v <whateverelse>
(repeated, until we get to the desired process id, and then...)
o kill -9 <PID>

I don't use Linux all that much, although the "finger memory" of the
command line is so useful, I wrote this tutorial for Windows folks:
o Tutorial for setting up Ubuntu as a Windows Subsystem for Linux WSL in Windows 10
<https://groups.google.com/forum/#!topic/alt.comp.freeware/rOT8xBWo9dk>

But most of the time, when I used Linux, it's simply to get the otherwise
brain-dead primitive iOS devices to play nice with Microsoft Windows:
o An elegant solution to managing digital files on ANY iOS, Android, Windows, or Linux device SIMULTANEOUSLY over USB using zero additional software (other than the native OS)
<https://groups.google.com/forum/#!topic/alt.comp.freeware/H6T7KqzR_ww>

If you don't know about the "bang bang", you're missing a lot; same with
"bang -1 colon global search" (which is super useful finger memory!).
o !! | grep -v <whatever>
o !-1:gs/abc/def (in the previous command, replace abc with def)

I _wish_ Windows' command line shell had these things.
o Even the Android "termux" didn't seem to have most of those
(last I checked)

BTW, if you don't use the "ww", on Solaris anyway, you sometimes won't get
the PID that you're looking for, so I habitually add the "ww" but I didn't
add it for this Android icon name ('cuz almost nobody knows about it).
--
See also:
o Interesting question & answer about "kill -9 <PID>"
<https://groups.google.com/g/alt.os.linux/c/NXBHBiPFGvE>

[Arlen Holder]

On Tue, 17 Nov 2020 11:17:50 -0800, The Real Bev wrote:

> Not a junkie, just a user.

I love that Windows has a subsystem for Linux and I kind of sort of would
have loved that Android does too, but the Android "termux" has disappointed
me to no end in that all the "finger memory" stuff doesn't work (it seems).

o ps -auxww | grep <whatever> | grep -v <whateverelse>
o !! | grep -i <s'more>
o !-2:gs/<whatever>/<whateverelse>

That "bang bang" & "bang -number" is so freakin' useful, I greatly miss it!
o And yet, most people don't seem to even know it existed. :(

[Alan Baker]

You keep imagining yourself this genius...

...and then ask the most elementary of questions.

[Frank Slootweg]

The Real Bev <bashl...@gmail.com> wrote:

[...]

> > So, for example, the *decent* thing to do is to send TERM(inate)
> > before sending KILL! :-)
> >
> > <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Signal_(IPC)#POSIX_signals>
>
> I reboot every night so evil processes don't linger very long. I'm
> getting lazier and lazier.

'reboot'!? Go wash your mouth, girl! Real Unix systems don't get
rebooted! What do you think it is!? Some flaming Windows box!? Sheesh,
these youngsters!

[...]

[The Real Bev]

:-) Sometimes a shot in the head is the decent thing to do.


--
Cheers, Bev
Warning -- Driver carries less than $20 worth of ammunition

[Arlen Holder]

On Tue, 17 Nov 2020 17:30:03 -0800, The Real Bev wrote:

>>> I reboot every night so evil processes don't linger very long. I'm
>>> getting lazier and lazier.
>>
>> 'reboot'!? Go wash your mouth, girl! Real Unix systems don't get
>> rebooted! What do you think it is!? Some flaming Windows box!? Sheesh,
>> these youngsters!
>
> :-) Sometimes a shot in the head is the decent thing to do.

Now that the Democrats are in charge, you can't use guns for that.
o Politicians always pretend to have an easy solution you know.

Which, for the Democrats, is simply to take away the guns.
o That way, people will suddenly be nice to each other.

See?
o I've always told everyone this... I did...

Politics (and MARKETING) is sooooooo easy.
o Even an infantile voter can understand their pretend solutions.

:)
--
PS: Now that Biden is in charge, the virus will just go away on its own.

[Arlen Holder]

UPDATE:
o <https://i.postimg.cc/zD0CDJZz/printing01.jpg> Android10 ConnectionPrefs
o <https://i.postimg.cc/xdvmwQ3S/printing02.jpg> ConnectionPrefs > Printing
o <https://i.postimg.cc/PxdDh7Sv/printing03.jpg> Search > Print > Services
o <https://i.postimg.cc/pTkFdBSG/printing04.jpg> ? > Print > Documentation
o <https://i.postimg.cc/5N8c5d9T/printing05.jpg> Added free IPP print apps
o <https://i.postimg.cc/Y9TVg85t/printing06.jpg> 11 print services on
o <https://i.postimg.cc/FzmF5wYr/printing07.jpg> Shortcut to print settings

HELPFUL HINT: I've been pulling up the printer menus so much that this
one-tap homescreen print-settings shortcut is coming in quite handy:
o <https://i.postimg.cc/FzmF5wYr/printing07.jpg>

To create this one-tap homescreen shortcut to Android print settings:
1. Download & install & run "Shortcut Creator", by AlexTernHome
<https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.alextern.shortcuthelper>

2. ShortcutCreator:Settings > Observe activities > Printing
(.Settings$PrintSettingsActivity)
o Press the "plus" sign to add that shortcut to your homescreen.

3. Voila!
o You can access any deeply nested Android setting in a single tap!
--
See also:
o Is there a way to make an Android homescreen shortcut to any given
settings page such as the battery status?
<https://groups.google.com/g/comp.mobile.android/c/_1oTdgCIpkc>

[Arlen Holder]

On Wed, 11 Nov 2020 23:26:17 -0000 (UTC), Arlen Holder wrote:

> Given _any_ given Android settings page... no matter how deep...
> o Is there a way to make a single-click homescreen shortcut to it?

Update.
o <https://i.postimg.cc/GhQcYjVV/shortcut09.jpg> Net icon, before & after
o <https://i.postimg.cc/43KZDRyR/shortcut10.jpg> Copy net icon to Android
o <https://i.postimg.cc/JzFCcYq6/shortcut11.jpg> Select & edit custom icon

This thread talked about creating custom "kill -9" commands, which, when
turned into a homescreen shortcut, need to have a visibly obvious icon.
o What's a good way to kill jobs that persist in the background (without having to reboot)?
<https://groups.google.com/g/comp.mobile.android/c/Did0Rd3mRmo>

In this tutorial I wrote today, I show how to change the "kill -9" icon:
o Quick tutorial for creating Android homescreen shortcuts using custom icons
<https://groups.google.com/g/comp.mobile.android/c/if4FD2NFEnk>

See also:
o Is there a way to make an Android homescreen shortcut to any given settings page?
<https://groups.google.com/g/comp.mobile.android/c/_1oTdgCIpkc>
--
I update threads so that they serve as a single-source quickref for others.
o <https://i.postimg.cc/KzrX0Kdw/shortcut01.jpg> Custom shortcut icons
o <https://i.postimg.cc/RFs4CPxv/shortcut02.jpg> Creating URL shortcuts
o <https://i.postimg.cc/J4WzDQKc/shortcut03.jpg> Creating FOLDER shortcuts
o <https://i.postimg.cc/MKmPDnKC/shortcut04.jpg> Editing shortcut icons
o <https://i.postimg.cc/13RWYy8f/shortcut05.jpg> Choosing custom icons
o <https://i.postimg.cc/N0SpMTpH/shortcut06.jpg> Squaring the custom icon
o <https://i.postimg.cc/DybJkMNF/shortcut07.jpg> Finding icons to extract
o <https://i.postimg.cc/fRn3wv4d/shortcut08.jpg> Extracting icons to PNG
o <https://i.postimg.cc/GhQcYjVV/shortcut09.jpg> Net icon, before & after
o <https://i.postimg.cc/43KZDRyR/shortcut10.jpg> Copy net icon to Android
o <https://i.postimg.cc/JzFCcYq6/shortcut11.jpg> Select & edit custom icon