Feature Request: URL Scheme that performs operations without opening Plaintext.

[Brian Lindsay]

Dear Plaintext developer(s) and community,

Request:  URLs that perform operations without opening Plaintext.

Proposed Design:

URL Structure:

 Option 1.) plaintext://<operation>/path/to/file.txt?body=some text here

 Option 2.) plaintext://path/to/file.txt?action=<operation>&text=some text here

 where <operation> can be any of {open, new, create, append, prepend}.

Operation details:

open: (To open a file or folder in Plaintext)

 + if intermediate folders don't exist

 ++ create intermediate folders

 + if path ends in "/"

 ++ if no text passed in

 +++ open folder in plaintext

 ++ else ( text passed in )

 +++ create new document with current timestamp.

 + append any text passed in 

 + open file in plaintext.

new: (To open a "new" file or folder in Plaintext)

 + if intermediate folders don't exist

 ++ create intermediate folders

 + if path ends in "/"

 ++ if no text passed in

 +++ open folder in plaintext

 ++ else ( text passed in )

 +++ create new document with current timestamp.

 + append any text passed in 

 + open file in plaintext.

create: (To create a file without opening plaintext)

 + if intermediate folders don't exist

 ++ create intermediate folders

 + if path ends in "/"

 ++ create new document with current timestamp.

 + append any text passed in 

 + NOT open the file for editing in plaintext

append: (To append to an existing file without opening plaintext)

 + if intermediate folders don't exist

 ++ create intermediate folders

 + if path ends in "/"

 ++ create new document with current timestamp.

 + append any text passed in 

 + NOT open the file for editing in plaintext

prepend: (To prepend to an existing file without opening plaintext)

 + if intermediate folders don't exist

 ++ create intermediate folders

 + if path ends in "/"

 ++ create new document with current timestamp.

 + prepend any text passed in 

 + NOT open the file for editing in plaintext

Reasoning:

My main concern is the ability to append to files in Plaintext from Drafts, without requiring internet connectivity (Dropbox) or opening Plaintext.  This requires a URL that will create files if they don't exist, append by default, and not open Plaintext.

Thanks for reading.

 - Brian Lindsay.

P.S. May the community be vocal in their agreement or frustration with this proposed design.

[Grey]

To be honest, I'm not entirely sure that's possible; for an app like PlainText to do _anything_ in iOS, it has to be launched/activated. Otherwise it's suspended in the background as part of how iOS functions. Drafts may seem like it can get around this in some cases, like the "Save to Evernote" options, but that's simply sending the content directly to Evernote's servers (which requires internet, and I think it's is stashed until you're online again and it can send itself, like 'sending' an email while offline).

I could be wrong, of course, but I'm not sure your request is do-able under Apple's iOS, sorry.

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[Brian Lindsay]

Makes sense.  It's fine if it opens and then *automatically* closes after the specified operations.  My goal is to reduce human operations.  If plaintext needs to take foreground for a moment, and then goes back to home screen, that eliminates at least one step for me.  I just have to have whatever interfacing program I am using on that screen so I can get right back to where I was.  You can replace all the "NOT open the file for editing in plaintext" with "Close plaintext" and my desire is achieved.