Allowing local path to launch as a link

SmartJason

I want to have my Evernote links just launch the note in my local Evernote for Windows instead of first launching it in the web-based version of the note and then in Evernote for Windows like it does. The web-based Evernote note window it launches is useless, goes unused, blocks my SmartSheet window, and has to be closed manually each time.

 

In an effort to create a workaround, I tried inserting the link to the local Evernote for Windows version of the note, as a general "link" -- but since it's not formatted with an http or www type of standard convention in front of it, SmartSheet doesn't treat it as a link and won't launch it.

 

I'd appreciate any suggested workaround that might be practical.

 

Thanks!

 

 

 

Jeff K.

Would definitly love this little bit of funciton around. Also, have it available in the Cell would be great

SoniaR

Hi SmartJason and Jeff K - 

 

I've just talked to the engineer who built this feature - because we don't yet support evernote:// links, we open the web app first and then Evernote detects whether you have the desktop application intalled. This is what causes the desktop application to be launched after the web app. I've passed your suggestion on to the team for the ability to support evernote:// links, which would eliminate opening both versions of Evernote. 

 

Thanks,

Sonia

SmartJason

Any chance I can have the engineer contact me directly? I'll pay for having this code written ASAP. It presents a huge impediment with our intended workflow and is a constant issue to deal with. We've already spent dozens of hours trying to find a workaround, but for some reason the way Evernote and SmartSheet work has thus far confounded all our attempts to use macros to close the browser window after-the-fact.

 

The way it works now also slows down the opening of the Evernote for Windows note.

 

Thanks.

 

 

SmartJason

By the way, you have strong incentive to make this happen that you're not aware of. I have access to rather influential people regarding the implemenation of Evernote, at HQ, and have been trying to persuade them to look at the many ways SmartSheet can be used to serve as "project manager" for any kind of content in Evernote -- but they watch me wrestle with this issue and try in vain to solve it, and it kills my case to them.

John Sauber

Quite some time ago, I put in an enhancement request to allow local application launches via the link feature in Smartsheet. Not only would this work for Evernote via evernote://, but potentiolaly with your local ERP system, or some other local application.

Alex Vorobiev

Folks - appreciate the feedback.  The reason it works the way it does because the "open" link is designed to work for all users - whether or not they have an Evernote client installed.  The Evernote website then detects - through a cookie - whether you have previously selected to use your desktop Evernote client and opens it in addition to the webpage.

 

I have added this request to our feaure list and we will look at ways to streamline the experience (I can think of a couple of options).

 

Supporting arbitrary cell URLs to launch local apps is also on the list.

 

Thanks!

SmartJason

A solution I found is to use ActiveWords. I created three sets of command strings, using Alt-Tab, Ctrl-W, and Esc as needed. One closes the browser and dialog box and puts me back to Evernote for Windows, one closes the browser and puts me back at the dialog box, and one closes the browser and dialog box and leaves me in SmartSheet.

 

I execute the given command string after it's put me into Evernote for Windows.

 

 

SmartJason

Any chance we're making progress on this? It's been... almost a year now.

 

Something as crude as a user-selectable option to have a macro close the window for the web-based version of Evernote each time a link attachment is hit would suffice.

 

Anything that's reasonably workable would suffice! Please!

 

It's kind of ridiculous that you haven't made this a much higher prioirty and fixed it yet.

 

 

 

 

Kennedy Stomps

Hi Jason: This is on our Apps and Integrations team's radar but is still in progress--a lot of energy has been devoted to our ongoing projects with JIRA and webhooks this year. I don't have a timeline for it at this point. 

SmartJason

Thanks for the reply.

 

Acutally, the title of this thread I created is perhaps not really relevant. Pasting in a local Evernote link takes a lot of extra work to even obtain that local path's coding.

 

What's needed is the simple ability to have an Evernote for Windoes (or Mac?) note launch when clicking on the attached Evernote note link in SmartSheet without the ridiculous shortcoming of having the web-browser version also open and be there smack in the middle of the SmartSheet screen, blocking it, and requiring that it be manually closed, every single time a link is launched to open an attached Evernote note.

 

This is is really important and is a really glaring shortcoming, I mean, you go as far as providing a way to sign up for the Evernote account within SmartSheet and thereby see all the Evernote notebooks and notes in the dialog box in Evernote when adding a new Evernote note as an attachment! Yet launching that link afterwards can't work in a useful way?

 

Other priorities sound great, but you probably have no idea how bad this makes you look -- and the business it's probably costing you.

 

Maybe I need to create a new thread with a more appropriate title and let other users chime in on wanting the same thing. Would that maybe get more attention on this?

 

(Note that my attempted fix with macros with AcitiveWords, X-Keys, and AutoHotkey have all failed due to the quirky nature of the issue I'm trying to resolve here. It's got to be done internally by SmartSheet devs themselves.)

 

You're missing a huge opportunity here! Do you not know that the integration between SmartSheet as the control center and Evernote as the place for many layers of note details for each given record is a powerhouse combination? You should be miling this for all it's worth!

 

Maybe if I go to HQ they'll send it to the right department head to give it the appropriate attention. (Yes, I can contact the CEO's office if needed. I just don't want to have to put in the time doing your jobs. This feedback is intended to facilitate that.)

 

Kennedy Stomps

Hi Jason-- I've just reached out to one of our PMs to provide more information on this, he'll either respond here or send you an email personally shortly. 

Scott Willeke

SmartJason,

Thanks for the feedback. This is still something we're tracking but since it isn't commonly requested we haven't been able to justify making this a higher priority than other things we've been working on. We'll continue to monitor this thread to gauge interest in this request from across our customer base. As Alex mentioned previously on this thread, Smartsheet uses the browser-based link since it is designed to work for all users - whether or not they have an Evernote client installed. Smartsheet has no way of knowing if you have the Evernote desktop application installed or not, but Evernote does (which is why the script at Evernote.com automatically opens the note in the desktop app). It might be worth asking Evernote to add a feature to close that extra window after their script opens the note in the desktop application.

 

Scott Willeke | Smartsheet
Sr. Product Manager, Strategic Integrations

 

P.S. As an experiment I was playing with a Greasemonkey script to see if it is possible to automatically close the leftover note window. This isn't foolproof and may stop working at any time if Evernote changes the code on their site, but you can give it a try if you're feeling adventurous. To say the least this should be considered experimental beta quality, so no warranty!

 

SmartJason

Hi Scott,

 

I hugely appreciate this! The code is way above my pay grade but I should be able to follow the instructions, which I assume will be clear enough for an average person (I haven't look it through in detail yet -- just the code itself, which is infinitely beyond me but is obviously addressing the issue exactly the way it needs to be -- unless and until Evernote provides a solution from their end, as you said).

 

Do you mind if I create a new thread with a more appropriate title and ask if others find this to be an issue as well? I'll summarize what's in this thread (and if it's okay with you I'll post your "give it a try" link with the appropriate disclaimers, too). Sound good?

 

Jay

 

 

Scott Willeke

Jay,

 

Sure it's always fine to create another thread. If you check the solution and it works well for you I think it's fine to tell others with the appropriate disclaimers.

SmartJason

Scott,

 

I am just now ready to implement the creative solution (well, "possible" solution) you provided to me back in July. Before I do, I just want to check with you to ask whether there have been any new developments in this area recently that I should know about, or whether I should still go ahead and proceed with testing out the possible solution you gave me in July.

 

Thanks.

 

Jay