NFC and Tasker

[Andrew Hall]

I am getting a phone with NFC (Nexus S) and have a couple of queries. 

1. I know people will have their favourite NFC app to work in conjunction with Tasker, but does anyone have practical experience of why one is better than another, why say NFC Task Launcher is better or worse than NFC ReTag Free/Pro?

2. I understand that tags can be used to activate Profiles on your phone, or Tasks within Tasker. Is this correct? I also understand that formatting may be a relevant point here - how so?

Any TaskerNFC advice on these or other points would be very gratefully received! Thanks

[Pent]

> 2. I understand that tags can be used to activate Profiles on your phone,
> or Tasks within Tasker. Is this correct?

Depends on the NFC app. Some will allow you to select a task you've
already created in Tasker to run when the tag is scanned, others
(Plugins) will allow you to add a state context that triggers a
profile when the conditions are met (i.e. when a particular tag is
scanned).

Pent

[hollywoodfrodo]

I'm a fan of URL Task Launcher which is a plug in that allows you to trigger any task by URL which means you can use just about any NFC app out there. One of my favorites is NFC Smart Q. One feature it has that you might find useful w/Tasker is switch/toggle feature.

I also use AVX which is the most advanced voice control app available for Android - it has direct Tasker integration and also has NFC launching capabilities.

There are a few others that allow direct Tasker integration, but I like using the URL Task Launcher so I can use any NFC app. On my website - AndyTags.com - I have a list of what nfc apps I think are the best after trying all of them out. Yes, I really did try all of them!

[Andrew Hall]

Thanks. This may be a stupid question, but UTL launches web pages right? Or can it be used to launch tasks/trigger states? I will have to go and check out your research :-)

[hollywoodfrodo]

No stupid questions...  No, URL launcher uses a URL to launch Tasker Tasks.  So you use any NFC App's URL writing capability (which would normally be used to launch a website) to launch any task in tasker.  The instructions under the app on Google Play tell you how to write the url to launch the tasker task once the app is installed.

[Andrew Hall]

Thanks. Will it allow me to trigger an entry task when near the tag, and then an exit task when taken away?

[hollywoodfrodo]

No, unfortunately (or fortunately depending on how you look at it) NFC doesn't work that way with tags because the tags are passive, meaning they have no power. They have a tiny microchip and then a metal coil around it. When you tap a tag with your phone that coil uses the magnetic field from your battery to basically generate a one time pulse of power so the microchip can transmit the info on it to the phone. So if you set your phone on top of a tag it reads it only once upon initial contact but not again after that unless it's removed from the tag then tapped again.

However, you can with many apps, such as NFC Smart Q, set up a "switch" or "toggle" tag so that the first time you tap it, it does one set of commands & the next time it does a different set of commands.

So with that app and the URL Task Launcher app, you could create a toggle/switch tag that triggers one tasker task upon initial tap and a second tasker task upon a subsequent tap.

[Andrew Hall]

Fair enough. I am just aware that sometimes I do not want one or more items to toggle but ensure eg GPS it turned on, even if it is already. I think I need to go and learn about the IF function! I understand tags generally do not hold much data - I am guessing you use UTL to trigger a more involved Task on the phone... Thanks for that info. 

Any other wise words of nfc advice/recommendation? :-)

[hollywoodfrodo]

Well, tags can hold quite a bit of info/task. Many NFC apps will do a lot of things you might use tasker to do. Of course if you put all those things in a Tasker Task then you only have to write one command to the tag.

Also some apps like NFC Task Launcher have built in Tasker integration so you wouldn't need URL Task Launcher. Since this is a Tasker forum though, if you want more NFC info, check out AndyTags.com - lots of info there.

[Paul]

I've tried a bunch of Apps and combinations and find that "NFC Task Launcher" is easiest.  It lets you specify a named Tasker task to launch, and it just does it.

"URL Task Launcher" didn't work for me, on Samsung S4.  It ignored Tasker completely, and started chrome which then objected to the "tasker:" URL.

Helpful i hope.

What really surprises me is that Tasker doesn't have NFC support, and still no definitive guidance as to how to get this to work.  :-(

---

[André Kjellstrup]

I could not believe that tasker did not had NFC support... needed to google it.
Now I believe.
How is this even possible ? - is it coming in a updated version soon ?

[Wes Stacey]

How is this even possible ? - is it coming in a updated version soon ?

Because There a MULTIPLE free plugins developed by others that can take care of it just fine, Why would the developer waste time building it into Tasker when the functionality already exists?

Locale NFC plugin does everything i need it too....

[Wes Stacey]

Reading further through this thread, I want to clarify some things. 

All you REALLY need from an NFC tag is a one time scan to trigger a task from within Tasker, you don't need to buy some fancy "Smart Tags" you can make tasks that toggle between different actions depending on how many times it scans. I have a keychain that once scans turns on my workout mode which turns off all my location based profiles so that while i'm riding my bike it doesn't trigger the location tasks. scanning it a second time turns them back on. 

first thing it does it check a variable and depending on it's value either turns them off or on. the logic is like this

If %Workout ~ 0

Turn off location profiles

Set Workout = 1 

else if %Workout ~ 1

Turn on location profiles

Set Workout = 0

end if

it works just fine and i use cheap off the shelf tags, Locale NFC Plugin (linked in my previous post) triggers off the hardcoded tag ID number so there is no need to even program the tags. If you want it to toggle something use the logic like above in your tasks.   

-Wes

[K L]

Locale NFC plugin does not yet detect the TAG_LOST state.

[hollywoodfrodo]

Hey - I'm the owner of AndyTags (NFC Tag Store) and I've tested just about every app that can trigger tasker tasks with NFC.  My recommendation is Llama.  It's a free "mini-tasker" app that has great NFC functionality and can trigger tasker tasks.

In addition it beats tasker when it comes to location based events (imo) so you can use it to trigger tasker tasks based on location.

You can also have multiple triggers on it so for example, you can have one tag that triggers one tasker task when at home, but a different task when you tap it at work.  I did a review of it.

I used to be a fan of URL Task Launcher when it first came out, but as things changed in Android it seemed to not work so well anymore.

Another good option is NFC Task Launcher, but I'd recommend checking out Llama first.

[OleStokie]

I carry both a smart phone and tablet, the wife has the same, where these devices need subtly different tasks applying at the same location. I appreciate that multiple tags could be used programmed for each device, however I can think of another way, but is it possible? 

If a set of NFC tags were to contain:-

Work

Car

Home

Bed

Along with several others related to specific locations,

 And a trigger on each of the devices then contain the list of tasks to undertake on a ‘nfc content’ = “Car” (for example) trigger .

Anyone know of an NFC app that can handle this?

[Scott]

Trigger allows you to run a task when a NFC tag is scanned.  It writes the task name to the NFC tag.  I haven't tried it, but I believe you can have tasks with the same name but different actions on your two devices and the one tag will trigger both correctly.

The Locale NFC Plugin works sort of the opposite way.  It lets you use a specific NFC tag as a event profile rather than writing anything to the tag itself.  So you'd just have your two devices do different things when you scan the same tag.

FWIW, Trigger is free while the Locale NFC Plugin costs $1.53.