Deep links are essentially a path that navigates to a screen in an app. If the steps that lead to that screen have visibility restrictions that are not met then the link will not work. This is the behavior you are seeing correct?
5 Likes
Yes, Iâm used to website where each page has a dedicated link and you can jump right into it.
I figured what you said while developing the app and I think I might have an ok workaround. Once completed will share.
Hi @Wiz.Wazeer your app link is broken, do you by chance still have this demo somewhere? Iâd like to put a link into a rich text component - but itâs to VCF cards which would be a different link for each details screen. Is this even possible? As of now I can make a button to share the VCF (itâs a link to the file hosted on Glide) but the shared link looks terrible and suspectâŚ
1 Like
Hi @a.manda,
I am working on that template, adding all the latest stuff. The rich text example freezes on iPhone I checked, but on android I donât know. I have not tried with VCF links and I doubt they would work (unless some1 has tried them successfully)âŚhave you considered ânavigate to tabâ > link to screen under compound actionâŚitâs an effective alternative unless of course the link is to an external site.
1 Like
I tried making a button that shares a link to the details screen (alternative to the VCF thing) but learned that does not work unless the app is public. (Which makes sense for security)
The links are external - hosted by Glide but are external to the app screens. Just trying to avoid displaying Glideâs unchangeable file naming structure:
Since the rich text solution is buggy Iâll next try rehosting on Google Drive instead 
2 Likes
Wouldnât this just be a template column built with the markdown text and link, used to fill a rich text component?
1 Like
Sorry Jeff, just realized my long game wasnât obvious here - @Wiz.Wazeer had shared his âbury long link inside rich text componentâ method in a few different posts and this is the one that has better context for what Iâm trying to do.
I have handmade (
) VCFs for all my contacts and uploaded them via Glide onto every details screen. Along with an âAdd To Contactsâ button (which just links to the VCF and loads it straight up) I have a âShare This Contactâ button which is attached to the action âShow sharing optionsâ with data being set to the VCF link. Since Glide renames all uploaded files this share action results in a bunch of shady-looking jibberish being shared - see my phone screenshot above your reply.
I thought the rich text component method was a possible solution to this problem, but now Iâm unsure of that? I was able to build a rich text component that holds the link per your instructions:
And thank you because thatâs SO COOL all on its own - but Iâm not seeing how to apply it to my previously-not-clear problem. First off, I canât attach this rich text component to my share button (right?) and secondly, if I directly attach the template column to my share button it STILL displays the shady looking gibberish when I click to share. Seems like no matter how I mask the gibberish the act of sharing cuts down to the actual file name 
I tried as a solution hosting the VCFs on Google Drive, Dropbox, and iCloud but none of those services load the file correctly as a contact card like Glide does. (They all load it into their proprietary windows and not as a raw file) Seems like my only solution is finding a ârealâ web hostâŚ?
2 Likes
OK, I see what you are saying. I would agree with a third party host to avoid the weird name. Iâm not aware of a good way to mask a file name or at least in my experience I havenât had to deal with that unless you are actually building your own host website with code. I think it will download with whatever name it has. As for the other services youâve tried, I would do some research on other url formats they offer or additional query parameters that you can add to the url. Sometimes the base url will take you directly to their page, but with the correct url or parameters, you can get the direct download.
This is an excerpt I found while searching for dropbox
To get a direct download link, just paste your link into a text editor and replace the
www.dropbox.comwithdl.dropboxusercontent.com, which will give you a link like:
https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/s/hriinb9w3a2107m/iPad%20intro.pdf
4 Likes
I see!!! Again, this is so incredibly cool as standalone knowledge, thank you!! Sadly, Glide keeps hitting me with âgotchasâ - if I use the direct download link for Dropbox, Glide auto-wraps that link with the app url like so:
https://appname.glideapp.io/dl/dl.dropboxusercontent.com/s/randomnumbers/filename.extension
Now if I use a direct download link for Google Drive, that does load except Drive adds their OWN gibberish, so Iâm back to the gibberish file name issue. I couldnât find a direct download converter for iCloud, but Iâm wondering - is this a thing where Glide only allows their âShow sharing optionsâ action to attach directly to an outside link IF that link is already encrypted? And if itâs not they wrap the link in the app? As aâŚsecurity measure?
I donât really understand this because I can attach any of these links to the âopen linkâ action without Glide wrapping the app around it. (Although a window does pop up to say âThis website is trying to download a contact card. Do you want to allow this?â so maybe thatâs the difference)
Now Iâm thinking that ANY hosting service that provides a ârawâ link to the file would result in Glide wrapping that link with the app 
Side Note: If you ignore the âShare Contactâ button and instead click the âAdd To Contactsâ button and the VCF loads nicely into the screen - YES at this point there is a share icon native to the phone itself (at least on iPhone) but there is a strange bug happening where choosing to share via text loads an empty text message with no attachment. Email option works correctly, but the text option is just an empty text. This was discovered by one of my users and I reproduced it.
Basically I feel like a mouse in a maze filled with dead-ends on this one! SighâŚ
4 Likes
Glide doesnât wrap your links. Are you sure they start with https://?
2 Likes
@david good call, my test link WAS somehow missing https:// 
It still worked with the âopen linkâ action so I didnât catch that! And since I had just learned that Glide does wrap the app url around the action:
Show sharing options--->Link to current screen
on non-public apps I had it in my head that this was normal Glide behaviorâŚthank you very much for catching that.
2 Likes
On capturing the deep link URL to a column upon record creationâŚany luck with this? Would be powerful. Thank you.
I would love this feature as well. It was around in staging when they first introduced the feature, but it never made it production.
Is there any way to capture the deep link value and store it somewhere, anywhere? I want to send the link in an SMS to direct the user to the specific page. Thanks
1 Like
The only way, I think, is to manually access the specific row via the real app and paste the deep link to your Sheet.
1 Like
This is the only way we could get it to work too.
1 Like
Can you provide more specific about how to do this?
If you have added a rowID to the Sheet, publish the app, go to the specific screens you want to copy the URL, then copy the URL in the address bar and paste it to the Sheet.
1 Like
I use the Integromat service with Bitly to shorten the links >>>> https://www.integromat.com/en/integration/2019-create-shortened-url-addresses-from-new-google-sheets-spreadsheet-row-via-bitly
Works great for me!
4 Likes
OK, I see. Iâm looking for a way to automate that and use the links outside of Glide (in Zapier). Still not possible?