Web links vs app links?

[jampff 8]

Just curious... when creating a link to a note, are there any differences between the "web link" and the "app link"? Are there different intended use cases for each? This is new in the "new" Evernote and I've been meaning to ask for some time. It appears that the desktop app gives me a choice between the two, but on my android app, I can only copy a web link (I think).

It appears that the app link points to a location on my drive (?) while the web link points to the note in the Evernote cloud. I would imagine that most people would prefer the latter. EXCEPT... that on the Legacy Evernote one thing I used to do a lot was export a set of notes as one huge HTML document. LOVED this feature, highly useful for working and sharing offline. Because I linked notes to each other frequently, in the exported HTML document, all those note links would help me navigate it... basically those note links would link to other parts of the same HTML page, instead of opening up the note at evernote.com. I really need this because it makes working offline (necessary sometimes) possible.

I used to use my android app the most, and the links it generated were perfect. Now it appears that the android app only generates web links to notes, so I've stopped using it for linking. I work much slower because I have to be in front of my Windows machine to go through and create note links.

Please, some clarity: am I correct in understanding how these links work? If I copy a web link, will it only open online? Am I correct that note links created in Android are only web links? I'm not even sure if the ability to export HTML is back yet, but if/ when it returns, what kind of link should I use if I want to jump around the HTML document instead of open the note in the cloud?

Thanks! 

[gazumped 11,699]

Hi.  App links can only connect to a note in a locally stored database since they open in the installed app (hence the name...).  Mobile devices do not have a locally stored copy of any notes - they rely totally on downloading from the server.  App links can only open on a desktop running the installed app.  Web links open in the browser and are loaded directly from the server,  so are available anywhere.

I'm not sure what you're expecting from an exported HTML note,  but links between notes should still work - have you tried setting up a small test?

[buckethead 219]

3 hours ago, gazumped said:

App links can only open on a desktop running the installed app

Not true. Just checked and on my iPad using iOS I was able to open an app link within the iOS app (I double checked at it was set as evernote//). I use app links extensively when lining to other notes and I have yet to have a link fail to open on iOS. 

[gazumped 11,699]

12 hours ago, buckethead said:

Not true. 

I oversimplified - note links should open in whatever environment is available for them.  Sometimes you get a choice of browser or app.  I didn't want to cover all the possible options without knowing the reason behind the question.

More here - Create internal note links

[eric99 986]

21 hours ago, gazumped said:

I'm not sure what you're expecting from an exported HTML note,  but links between notes should still work - have you tried setting up a small test?

I did the test and it doesn't work: note links are not referring to other html notes or inside the note which does work in legacy for windows. This proves again that legacy HTML for windows is superior to V10 in several aspects (links to notes or attachments, tags, document size...)  This generation of EN web developers should really have a look at legacy for windows (not mac) to find out how to do this properly...

[gazumped 11,699]

3 hours ago, eric99 said:

I did the test and it doesn't work:

Ouch.  That raises the point (though not for discussion here) - what happens if you export some linked notes and then re-import them?  Will they still be linked?

I think there was a kind of a work-around (or at least a plaster-over) a long time ago that involved giving two or more linked notes a matching random code so that they were at least easily manually matched together in their new environment.  That would work here,  obviously - subject to how many notes and how many links need to be repaired...

[jampff 8]

Here's my screen recording of my test... there is some unusual and less than optimum behavior here:

 

[gewappnet 79]

It is exactly the same with iOS and macOS as shown in the video. I think it all comes down to these two things:

- The web links (starting with http://evernote.com) should redirect to the desktop app or stay in it when used on a system with installed desktop app.

- It should be possible to create app links (starting with evernote://) on the mobile app as well.

[Claudiofpiga 59]

I'm not sure if an issue for the rest :  what annoys me ,  when I copy  the interna lapp link from a note and copy it to any  app ,  it will always open the Windows EN app (  format evernote:///view/....... ) ;  when I use the iOs / iPados copy interbal link , it opens the web EN at Windows and the app at the mobile ( the format :  https://www.evernote.com/shard/......... ) .

 

for me  , it's very annoying ;  I haven't seen ( so far )  a development to "fix"  this ( if needs and could be fixed)

[gewappnet 79]

50 minutes ago, Claudiofpiga said:

for me  , it's very annoying ;  I haven't seen ( so far )  a development to "fix"  this ( if needs and could be fixed)

Yes, this annoying. But there is now a way on iOS/iPadOS to create "evernote:///view/..." links: Use the new functionality to insert links as described here:

https://help.evernote.com/hc/en-us/articles/208313588

[Claudiofpiga 59]

55 minutes ago, gewappnet said:

Yes, this annoying. But there is now a way on iOS/iPadOS to create "evernote:///view/..." links: Use the new functionality to insert links as described here:

https://help.evernote.com/hc/en-us/articles/208313588

thanks,  I was checking  and I don't see the difference ( I use the copy internal link option on a note in iPad  -  in fact ,  the only copy link option i have ,  EN 10.47 iPaods) 

Wherev do you find the  "evernote:///view/..."  format option  ?

[gewappnet 79]

1 minute ago, Claudiofpiga said:

thanks,  I was checking  and I don't see the difference ( I use the copy internal link option on a note in iPad  -  in fact ,  the only copy link option i have ,  EN 10.47 iPaods) 

Wherev do you find the  "evernote:///view/..."  format option  ?

No, do it exactly as it is described on the linked web page. Do not copy the link! Go to the note where you want to insert a link. Press the blue/green "+" button that will bring up the insert menu. One of the many options there (image, quote, audio, ...) is "link to note". Press this. A new box will appear and then you can select the note that you want to link to. THIS will create the correct "evernote:" link.