Inter-Widget Communication (IWC)

System API Action: launch(nodeValue)

• nodeValue: Object - data to pass to the launched application. Obtainable in the launched application's connected client in the launchParams property.

Applies to only the System API

Launch an Application Through the System API

Applications have the possibility to launch other applications in the IWC. Rather than just opening a link in a new tab, the System API can be used to pass important information to the launching application much like how Android allows passing serialized data to new activities.

To launch an application, simply call the launch action on the corresponding resource reference.

var bouncingBallsRef = new iwc.system.Reference("/application/com.ozp.bouncingBalls");

bouncingBallsRef.launch();

To launch an application with data passed to it:

var data = {
    "Hello": "world!"
};

bouncingBallsRef.launch(data);

The launched application can gather the launch data using the getLaunchData method. It uses promises to resolve after the client has connected:

var launchData = {};
iwc.getLaunchData().then(function(data){
    launchData= data;
});

Passing launch parameters Without using the System API

Alternatively, launch data can be passed to the opening application in the following places so long as the key is ozpIwc.launchData:

• window.name
• Url query parameter: (?launchData=<stringified & URI-encoded object>)
  • LaunchData persists through browser refresh (good for when sharing a URL of a application occurs).
• Url hash: (#launchData=<stringified & URIencoded object>)
  • LaunchData does not persist through browser refresh (good for when launching an application to handle the launch data for a unique one-time need).

To stringify and URI-encode a value in javascript:

var obj = {'a': 1};
var stringified = JSON.stringify(obj);
var uriEncoded = encodeURIcomponent(stringified);