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Make links to notes to open with desktop app


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Frustrated.

I want links to Evernotes to open with the desktop app, but deleting the evernote cookie does not solve it.

Second, when I display a note on the web, it opens as a copy.

Its all going haywire ...

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12 minutes ago, markjl said:

I want links to Evernotes to open with the desktop app, but deleting the evernote cookie does not solve it.

If you want this, you need to make what Evernote calls "In-App Note Links". This is all a little confusing as these are also -- I think -- referred to as "internal links". In any case, these are the "evernote:///view/..." links. In the Windows client, select the note you want, and press Ctrl+Alt+L to create one of these. You can use these to jump from note to note inside the Evernote Windows application, or open a note in the Evernote Windows application.

Adding to the confusion, if you right-click on a note in the note list, and select the "Copy Internal Link Ctrl+Alt+L", it actually creates a regular note link of the form "https://www.evernote.com/shard/[shardId]/nl/[userId]/[noteGuid]/", which is not the same as what s produced using Ctrl+Alt+L. 

Rainy day reading: https://dev.evernote.com/doc/articles/note_links.php

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1 hour ago, markjl said:

Frustrated.

I want links to Evernotes to open with the desktop app, but deleting the evernote cookie does not solve it.

Second, when I display a note on the web, it opens as a copy.

Its all going haywire ...

Here's an old link as to how to reset the selection of Web or Desktop for Chrome.  It is not 100% up to date based upon browser changes and just time passed. 

I used this recently to reset the selection myself..  The post was an aid in that it got me to the neighborhood and then I was able to do some spelunking to get to the right panel.  Didn't take note of the new steps though, sorry.  I think it was under Cookes and Site Data somewhere.   A new EN blog post would be nice.

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I think the path to the cookies is Settings - Advanced - Content Settings - Cookies - See all cookies and site data - evernote.com.  I guess if you don't see the enAppInstalled cookie you can just remove them all and see if it resets.

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1 hour ago, markjl said:

Thanks @CalS In the end it was resolved but I'm not really sure how.
I re-copied the note link after deleting all Evernote cookies several times.
I probably restarted the machine as well

You are welcome.  Glad it sorted itself, sweet mysteries of life.

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Hey, I just noticed this as an issue yesterday. I just got it working again.

I guess Evernote for web just got a redesign or something (the sidebar is black). I clicked on my name in the top-left corner and there was a button in the menu that says "Switch to older version of Evernote". 

Once I switched back, it started working again.

For anyone coming across this post and wondering what the deal is, there are regular note links (starting with https://www.evernote.com/shard/...) and classic note links (evernote:///view/...). I have a Mac at home and I use the Evernote app. I use Todoist and put note links in Todoist sometimes. I can use the classic note link which will open right to Evernote in the app. However, on my work PC, I'm not permitted to download Evernote, so I prefer to use the http links. On my home machine, the http links opened a browser tab, then immediately opens the note in-app. Something about the redesign changed that.

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On 1/20/2019 at 6:17 PM, Shawn_S said:

Hey, I just noticed this as an issue yesterday. I just got it working again.

I guess Evernote for web just got a redesign or something (the sidebar is black). I clicked on my name in the top-left corner and there was a button in the menu that says "Switch to older version of Evernote". 

Once I switched back, it started working again.

For anyone coming across this post and wondering what the deal is, there are regular note links (starting with https://www.evernote.com/shard/...) and classic note links (evernote:///view/...). I have a Mac at home and I use the Evernote app. I use Todoist and put note links in Todoist sometimes. I can use the classic note link which will open right to Evernote in the app. However, on my work PC, I'm not permitted to download Evernote, so I prefer to use the http links. On my home machine, the http links opened a browser tab, then immediately opens the note in-app. Something about the redesign changed that.

This was great advice. I don't want to use in-app note links, since they will not work on platforms without Evernote Windows (such as my Android app). The classic "Note Links", which also open in the WIndows app when it's installed, are more universal. Since I rarely use Evernote web, and I despise the long load times of the new version, your suggestion for a workaround was wonderful.

Now, I hope Evernote doesn't mess this up by disabling the old version or altering the link behavior somehow. Links really ought to default to the best available option to open the link in, which is fantastic when it recognizes different apps installed on different platforms.

 

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On 1/10/2019 at 11:54 AM, CalS said:

Here's an old link as to how to reset the selection of Web or Desktop for Chrome.  It is not 100% up to date based upon browser changes and just time passed. 

I used this recently to reset the selection myself..  The post was an aid in that it got me to the neighborhood and then I was able to do some spelunking to get to the right panel.  Didn't take note of the new steps though, sorry.  I think it was under Cookes and Site Data somewhere.   A new EN blog post would be nice.

I found that logging out of EN web also reverted to the old link behavior. However, I think it had the side effect of also logging me out of the Web Clipper. Wouldn't deleting the cookie have the same undesirable side effect?

 

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21 hours ago, mz123 said:

I found that logging out of EN web also reverted to the old link behavior. However, I think it had the side effect of also logging me out of the Web Clipper. Wouldn't deleting the cookie have the same undesirable side effect?

Got me.  I used this solution some time back, found it somewhere.  Since then browsers and the link activation methodology may have changed for all I know.  Sorry.  As of now EN links in other apps open in my desktop app.  

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15 hours ago, mz123 said:

I don't want to use in-app note links, since they will not work on platforms without Evernote Windows (such as my Android app). The classic "Note Links", which also open in the Windows app when it's installed, are more universal.

This might be worth double-checking. I created a test note in the Windows program with links to an existing note: one an "Internal link", i.e., right-clicking on the note in the Note List, producing the evernote.com/shard type link; and the other using Ctrl+Alt+L on the selected note in the Note List, producing the evernote:///view type link. I synced, and then opened the test note on my Android phone and copied the whole thing into a test calendar app event. Tapping on either link took me straight to the Evernote app. I do find that sometimes tapping a link on my phone will go briefly to the Evernote login page in my browser, but that is always immediately redirected to the app. So the system seems to work pretty smoothly on Android at the moment.
 

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25 minutes ago, Dave-in-Decatur said:

This might be worth double-checking. I created a test note in the Windows program with links to an existing note: one an "Internal link", i.e., right-clicking on the note in the Note List, producing the evernote.com/shard type link; and the other using Ctrl+Alt+L on the selected note in the Note List, producing the evernote:///view type link. I synced, and then opened the test note on my Android phone and copied the whole thing into a test calendar app event. Tapping on either link took me straight to the Evernote app. I do find that sometimes tapping a link on my phone will go briefly to the Evernote login page in my browser, but that is always immediately redirected to the app. So the system seems to work pretty smoothly on Android at the moment.
 

Thanks for the tip. While it may work in some apps, an evernote:/// link is an unusual beast and may not work elsewhere. For example, I use Remember the Milk with Evernote the most, and RTM doesn't even interpret evernote:/// as a valid link.

There's another problem: I can't create evernote:/// style links from the Evernote app on Android. As a result, I can't do the process you describe in reverse.

Using regular evernote.com/shard type links works well everywhere, from any app, created on any platform, and shared with any other app.... provided Evernote continues to support  its own Windows app properly and opening Evernote links there! The fact that the new version of the web app breaks this functionality is unfortunate. I guess it's up to us power users, who really use the product, to point out when things like this get broken.

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On 3/1/2019 at 4:07 AM, l3utterfish said:

Still not able to open http links in Desktop app after deleting all cookies...

Please EVERNOTE fix this.

I'm not sure that http links are supposed to open in the Desktop app--they're Internet URLs, and are likely to open in the browser interface, I would think. There is another type of "internal link" that starts with evernote:///view and should reliably open in the desktop app. You can create one of these by selecting a note in the Note List, then either (a) pressing Ctrl+Alt+L, or (b) right-clicking on the selected note in the list and holding down Ctrl while clicking Copy Internal Link. The process is a little confusing, but it does work to create this link.

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7 hours ago, Dave-in-Decatur said:

I'm not sure that http links are supposed to open in the Desktop app--they're Internet URLs, and are likely to open in the browser interface, I would think. There is another type of "internal link" that starts with evernote:///view and should reliably open in the desktop app. You can create one of these by selecting a note in the Note List, then either (a) pressing Ctrl+Alt+L, or (b) right-clicking on the selected note in the list and holding down Ctrl while clicking Copy Internal Link. The process is a little confusing, but it does work to create this link.

I disagree that this view. The problem with classic links, is that they  only work in the desktop app. If I try to view them on my phone, for example, they fail.

The previous behavior was best: open the link in the Desktop app if it's installed / available, and use the web otherwise. On mobile, use the mobile app if it's installed, and use the web otherwise. That makes complete sense, since presumably the reason I installed the desktop and mobile apps is that I want them to handle everything Evernote for me.

Additionally, it's a standard behavior for apps in general, for links and files. "Hey, I'm an app that can handle this kind of file, or this kind of link, so I'll open it rather than send it to the browser". It's true of other mobile apps when viewing web links to services provided by that app (Google Maps, LinkedIn, Trello, etc.),  and also for Windows with default files and protocols (tel: links, file: links,  etc.)

Evernote should be no different.

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On 3/2/2019 at 6:07 PM, mz123 said:

The problem with classic links, is that they  only work in the desktop app. If I try to view them on my phone, for example, they fail.

This is not my experience. I just tested (again; see above), and when created an evernote:/// type link and inserted it into another note in the desktop program, then opened that note on my phone and tapped that link it took me straight to the linked note.

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4 hours ago, Dave-in-Decatur said:

This is not my experience. I just tested (again; see above), and when created an evernote:/// type link and inserted it into another note in the desktop program, then opened that note on my phone and tapped that link it took me straight to the linked note.

That may be the case for me too, but only in the Evernote app. Other apps don't know how to deal with the links.

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58 minutes ago, mz123 said:

That may be the case for me too, but only in the Evernote app. Other apps don't know how to deal with the links.

On my iPad and Mac, the evernote:///view/... link opens in the app within Evernote and other apps

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6 hours ago, l3utterfish said:

I used to open all links in the desktop app. First the website opened and then right away jumped into the app.

Thats what i want to continue doing and I cant :(

What type of link are you using.  The classic/internal link (evernote:///view/115625.....) should open in the Evernote app

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11 hours ago, DTLow said:

On my iPad and Mac, the evernote:///view/... link opens in the app within Evernote and other apps

I use Android. I don't know much about iOS. It doesn't work for me. So, I guess if Evernote classic goes away, I would be stuck with links that don't work on Android, at least if I want to link to Evernote notes from other apps. 

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12 hours ago, mz123 said:
17 hours ago, Dave-in-Decatur said:

This is not my experience. I just tested (again; see above), and when created an evernote:/// type link and inserted it into another note in the desktop program, then opened that note on my phone and tapped that link it took me straight to the linked note.

That may be the case for me too, but only in the Evernote app. Other apps don't know how to deal with the links.

Hmm. I just tried again, doing this: I copied an evernote:///view type link in the Windows desktop program and pasted it into another note; on my phone, I opened the note and selected and copied the link (which displayed the title of the linked note); then, still on the phone, I pasted that into a calendar event. Tapping on the link goes directly to the linked note in the Evernote app. However it may be, apps that properly handle URLs on my phone are able to open the Evernote app to a linked note.

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1 hour ago, Dave-in-Decatur said:

Hmm. I just tried again, doing this: I copied an evernote:///view type link in the Windows desktop program and pasted it into another note; on my phone, I opened the note and selected and copied the link (which displayed the title of the linked note); then, still on the phone, I pasted that into a calendar event. Tapping on the link goes directly to the linked note in the Evernote app. However it may be, apps that properly handle URLs on my phone are able to open the Evernote app to a linked note.

Are you on Android?

 

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2 hours ago, mz123 said:

I use Android. I don't know much about iOS. It doesn't work for me. So, I guess if Evernote classic goes away, I would be stuck with links that don't work on Android, at least if I want to link to Evernote notes from other apps. 

This is a Windows-specific forum. If you are an Android user, you should be seeking an answer in the Android forum here: https://discussion.evernote.com/forum/210-evernote-for-android/

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42 minutes ago, jefito said:

This is a Windows-specific forum. If you are an Android user, you should be seeking an answer in the Android forum here: https://discussion.evernote.com/forum/210-evernote-for-android/

The reason this topic is here, is that a Windows-specific function stopped working: the ability to open standard Evernote links in EN for Windows Desktop, rather than in a browser.

Others suggested workarounds:

  1. Disable the new Evernote for Web and return to the previous version, or
  2. Use classic note links instead

I use the first workaround, which works for now. Of course, as the old version of the web interface likely won't be around forever, I hope Evernote fixes this shortcoming before removing the legacy web interface.

Here, I was pointing out that the second workaround doesn't work for me. It works fine on Windows, but fails on mobile. One of the core benefits of links is to enable sharing across platforms. 

The core problem is that Evernote Windows doesn't open its own links.

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6 minutes ago, mz123 said:

The reason this topic is here, is that a Windows-specific function stopped working: the ability to open standard Evernote links in EN for Windows Desktop, rather than in a browser.

What is your definition of "standard Evernote links".  

There's actually three standards

  1. classic/internal (evernote:///view/...   <<< Opens in the Evernote app
  2. private browser
  3. public browser
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4 minutes ago, DTLow said:

What is your definition of "standard Evernote links".  

There's actually three standards

  1. classic/internal (evernote:///view/...   <<< Opens in the Evernote app
  2. private browser
  3. public browser

Now sure what you mean by #2 and #3. I mean links created when I select "Copy Internal Link", which look like this: https://www.evernote.com/shard/s3/nl/...

By the way DTLow, I'm rehashing stuff here. Everything is spelled out in great detail in this thread: the problem, various workarounds, and disadvantages of the workarounds.

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Several problems (see higher in this thread for details):

It doesn't in all cases.

It used to never do so with the Windows app installed.

It shouldn't today, with the Windows app installed. 

 

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2 hours ago, mz123 said:

It doesn't in all cases.

It used to never do so with the Windows app installed.

It shouldn't today, with the Windows app installed. 

I'm not a Windows user.  

On Mac and iPad,  https://www.evernote.com/sh... links open in a web browser
We do get a button to open the note in the app (cookie related)

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17 hours ago, DTLow said:

I'm not a Windows user.  

On Mac and iPad,  https://www.evernote.com/sh... links open in a web browser
We do get a button to open the note in the app (cookie related)

One note here... before I found the workarounds, I saw the button. However, to get the button requires me to be logged in with the browser. I'm almost never logged in there.

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21 hours ago, mz123 said:
23 hours ago, Dave-in-Decatur said:

Hmm. I just tried again, doing this: I copied an evernote:///view type link in the Windows desktop program and pasted it into another note; on my phone, I opened the note and selected and copied the link (which displayed the title of the linked note); then, still on the phone, I pasted that into a calendar event. Tapping on the link goes directly to the linked note in the Evernote app. However it may be, apps that properly handle URLs on my phone are able to open the Evernote app to a linked note.

Are you on Android?

Yes, Android and Windows. See my sig below.

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On 3/4/2019 at 12:15 PM, mz123 said:

I mean links created when I select "Copy Internal Link", which look like this: https://www.evernote.com/shard/s3/nl/...

Adding to the confusion, using Evernote/Mac and Evernote/Web

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6 hours ago, Dave-in-Decatur said:

Yes, Android and Windows. See my sig below.

OK, I wasn't aware of the nuance here, and in sum it's really odd.

For starters, typing evernote:///view/... does not create a link that's clickable, whereas www.evernote.com/shard/ does. Android, and its apps, don't know what to do with a classic EN link in general. But....

I found that your approach works for me too, in the way you described. However, it's not going to work in most apps, and never works unless I first "prep" the link in Evernote. For example:

  1. If I copy the link out of an Evernote note in Android, it works as you described, but only in some apps. I can't paste that link into Google Keep for example, or a Google Doc. It works in my calendar app though.
  2. If I instead simply grab the URL directly from Evernote Windows "evernote:///view/...", without first pasting it into a different Evernote note, and share it somehow (in Google Keep, in Remember the Milk as text, or in a calendar event), it isn't even recognized as a link in Android, and it's not clickable. If I paste that text into Chrome Android, it simply searches for it in Google.
  3. Interestingly, if I paste the text of the URL into Remember the Milk Android, but in the URL field, it somehow now recognizes it as clickable and sends it to the Evernote App.

My most common use case is actually #3. I never realized that a link might work out of the URL field, but not out of a note field. All other links are clickable out of a note field just fine. It seems the Android OS doesn't make evernote:/// links clickable, but Remember the Milk figures it out. I strongly suspect that's due to their behind-the-scenes integration with Evernote, which I actually did not use or even enable.

I suspect many, if not all apps don't recognize links of the form evernote:/// - perhaps #1 works in some apps, such as our calendar apps, because some apps simply paste links without bothering to somehow validating them first. In other words, Keep, Docs, and other apps look at the clipboard and say "here's a link that's not actually a link, so I'll just paste the text part". Our calendar apps simply paste what's there, and it turns out the links are valid for the Evernote app.

It would be great if you could validate the above to ensure things aren't different between our phones.

Bottom-line: on my phone (and I suspect on yours too), Android and most apps don't know how to deal with evernote:/// and do not treat those as valid links. Some apps are the exception. On the other hand, www.evernote.com/shard is obviously a web link, and will be handled that way and intercepted by the installed Evernote app, providing a more consistent experience. So, standard links always work on Android, wherever you put them. Classic links only work if you first copy them out of the Evernote app within the phone (or within Remember the Milk's URL field, likely due to those companies' integration partnership).

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Very interesting. I appreciate your diligence! I don't have Google Keep or Remember the Milk. But your analysis certainly looks right. I can say that Color Note, a non-synched note-taking app, readily transforms regular URLs (http:// etc.) into functioning links, but does not do so for evernote:///view URLs, even ones pasted out of Evernote notes. Why calendar apps (both the stock app and Business Calendar, which is the one I actually use) can do so under certain circumstances is a mystery. FWIW, when I try to create a link from an evernote:///view URL in Google Calendar in a browser on my PC, it refuses to accept it as a valid link. I can use Business Calendar on my phone to format such text as a link, but it does not function, on the phone or my PC. So clearly the evernote:///view URL is "special," and can work on Android devices only under specific, limited circumstances, as you have so carefully researched.

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  • 1 year later...

Hi everyone here, thanks for the discussion, which was very helpful. As of May 2020, this problem is still outstanding, so I created a new thread to gather people. Check this out if you are still experiencing similar issue: 

 

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Hello. Just became again a subscriber, after an absence of many years. 

I tried to include Evernote in my "ecosystem" of applications, in which Evernote was expected to be a source for notes. Unfortunately the link that Evernote creates is in fact a link for the web portal, which is useless for my purposes since I am not always online plus I would like to make use of my notes that are stored offline.

The "copy internal link" functionality is useful only to link Evernote notes with each other. 

My question is: is there a way to create a link that opens the Evernote note I want to retrieve on Evernote Desktop App (I have a Mac) if the link is pasted in other applications like Omnifocus? 

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