Web Shortcuts - at last - Page 8 - BlackBerryForums.com : Your Number One BlackBerry Community

dhollins · **OS:** 5.0.0.330

Nice! Thanks

Capital · 04-24-2008, 12:44 AM

I've really enjoyed this application, thank you!

Does anyone have this working with 4.5.0.18? I can't seem to get it to work. The woes of a beta OS...

John Clark · **OS:** 4.6.1.250

Yes, it works fine on 4.5.0.18. Be sure you're using the latest version. It should say Northcubed.

Capital · 04-24-2008, 09:45 AM

Thanks for the reply. I deleted my old version and did the OTA install of version 2.1.2 but to no avail. I'll try installing through desktop manager.

MrKyoo · 04-24-2008, 11:26 AM

You need this version. View Single Post - Web Shortcuts - at last

John Clark · **OS:** 4.6.1.250

This app has been updated. The first post of this thread links to the posti n this thread with the latest version info. Please read the post, everyone.

Capital · 04-24-2008, 02:15 PM

Thank you for the help guys but I'm still getting an error, "Uncaught exception: java.lang.NullPointerException".

ShimmyShine · 06:25 AM

Is there an up-dated link? Those links don't work for me. Preferably OTA?

Shimmy

unreal · 02:18 PM

Some nice PNG icons in 32x32 at Object Icons

BTW, I had major problems with Desktop Manager install, too. It kept telling me "no applications available for this device" (I have an 8830) and it also said there was an XML error in line 1 of each of the install apps.

However, once I copied all the files to the Shortcut directory and found the right ones to click to install each shortcut, it worked like a *dream*. This is awesome. Just what I had been hoping for. If there were a "drag and drop" installer that were easier, and maybe a web-based interface to generate the XML file or something like that, that would be awesome too.

Here are a couple of my shortcut icons. I use RTM for Remember The Milk, and the check mark for Toodledo. Also use the Home icon for a home page on Netvibes Mobile. The 'F' is designed for Flickr.

unreal · 03:50 PM

Some more icons... Purple dot, IM, Television, ToDo List (use for Nozbe, RTM, Toodledo, etc.), and RSS.

unreal · 03:49 PM

And still more... Blogger, Facebook, Movietickets.com, AIM, and a generic yellow up-arrow.

akosnitzky · **OS:** 5.0.0.230

Did anyone do an MSNBC.png?

unreal · 12:11 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by akosnitzky

Did anyone do an MSNBC.png?

No, and it's hard to find one, because the ratio of sizes isn't quite right with the MSNBC logo. However, I just whipped a couple up. Do these work?

akosnitzky · **OS:** 5.0.0.230

Thank you. I created one and host it in my Picassa account. The icons you made or sent are helpful.

unreal · **A couple of issues -** 06-02-2008, 02:32 PM

A couple of big issues with this that I hope someone can help with (Johnathan?). Also, one feature request (item #3 below). Thanks in advance for anyone's help here! This is a great app, even though I can't use two of my shortcuts as mentioned below:

1. I accidentally denied the access to the SD card on one of the shortcuts... and now when I reinstall it doesn't let me re-authorize it, so I now have a dead shortcut icon. Any advice on how to fix? It says "Application requires SDCard to operate."

2. Shortcut10 seems to be broken in the Application code somewhere. When I use the XML config file to set up a shortcut, it seems to *almost* work, except the title of the shortcut has a "right caret" in front of it (>). For example, it will say >CNN on the blackberry screen under the icon. Other shortcuts don't have the caret. I am thinking there must be an error in the app code that is causing this. When I try to launch that shortcut, it always comes back with a message that says "The protocol specified is not supported by the handheld. Please try a different URL." However, no other URL's work either.

3. Lastly, one minor feature request: Any way we could edit the config.xml file directly on the blackberry, or edit a file of the URL's that would import to the config.xml file? I hate having to go back to my laptop to make a change to the shortcut and then re-save the config.xml file there. Alternately, does anyone know of a free, small xml-capable reader/editor that can be run on the Blackberry to allow changes on the fly?

unreal · 06-02-2008, 03:40 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by unreal

1. I accidentally denied the access to the SD card on one of the shortcuts... and now when I reinstall it doesn't let me re-authorize it, so I now have a dead shortcut icon. Any advice on how to fix? It says "Application requires SDCard to operate."

Actually, I just solved this particular problem (#1) myself through a little poking around. If you encounter this SD Card issue, you need to go into Options-->Advanced-->Applications, then find the shortcut that is causing the problem. Then select it, click "Edit Permissions", and then click the Menu again. And then select "Reset Firewall Prompts". This will then allow the app to request permission to access the SD Card again.

I would still like to see problem #2 solved (the broken code for Shortcut10).

unreal · 03:56 PM

For anyone who wants to try this out with a minimum of setup time, I'm posting the contents of my config.xml file here. Feel free to copy it and save it to your Shortcuts folder on the blackberry once you have Johnathan's shortcut app installed. You'll have access to the ten shortcuts I have selected, and can change any you like to suit your needs. In addition, I have also included in the comments in this file a decent-sized list of other mobile web sites you might want to use to replace any of the ten. Just thought it would be helpful! See below:

Code:

<config>
	<shortcut1>http://m.netvibes.com</shortcut1>
	<title1>Netvibes</title1>
	<shortcut2>http://www.toodledo.com/html</shortcut2>
	<title2>Toodledo</title2>
	<shortcut3>http://www.lifehacker.com</shortcut3>
	<title3>Lifehacker</title3>
	<shortcut4>http://palm.xhtml.weather.com/xhtml</shortcut4>
	<title4>Weather</title4>
	<shortcut5>http://mobile.allrecipes.com/Search/Recipes.aspx</shortcut5>
	<title5>AllRecipes</title5>
	<shortcut6>http://m.rememberthemilk.com</shortcut6>
	<title6>Remember The Milk</title6>
	<shortcut7>http://wap.mapquest.com/wap3/Directions/Find.aspx?version=main</shortcut7>
	<title7>MapQuest</title7>
	<shortcut8>http://wap2.bonfiremedia.com/ebayserver/servlet/Controller?bmsid=&Command=ChangeCountry&si=0&ot=1</shortcut8>
	<title8>eBay</title8>
	<shortcut9>http://m.facebook.com</shortcut9>
	<title9>Facebook</title9>
	<shortcut10>http://m.cnn.com</shortcut10>
	<title10>CNN</title10>


<!-- ALTERNATIVE SITES (Titles in Parentheses) -->
<!-- http://google.com/gmm (Google Maps) -->
<!-- http://www.amazon.com/pocketpc (Amazon Anywhere) -->
<!-- http://www.ssec.wisc.edu/data/paw (PDA Animated Weather) -->
<!-- http://palm.xhtml.weather.com/xhtml (The Weather Channel) -->
<!-- http://www.google.com/xhtml (Google) -->
<!-- http://mobile.fandango.com(Fandango) -->
<!-- http://mobi.traffic.com/traffic (Traffic) -->
<!-- http://m.streetiq.com (StreetIQ Mobile) -->
<!-- http://en.wapedia.mobi (Wapedia) -->
<!-- http://wap.mapquest.com (Mobile MapQuest) -->
<!-- http://www.geek.com/gaming/portable (GameGeek) -->
<!-- http://www.drinkboy.com/offline/index.html (Mobile DrinkBoy) -->
<!-- http://wireless.tvguide.com (TV Guide) -->
<!-- http://www.netflix.com/Mobile (Netflix Mobile) -->
<!-- http://www.accuweather.com/pda/pda_5dy.asp (AccuWeather) -->
<!-- http://pda.businessweek.com/index.html (Business Week) -->
<!-- http://m.youtube.com (YouTube) -->
<!-- http://mobile.maxim.com (Maxim) -->
<!-- http://m.cnn.com (CNN) -->
<!-- http://www.amexmobile.com (American Express) -->
<!-- http://www.apnews.com (AP News) -->
<!-- http://mobile.theonion.com/content (The Onion) -->
<!-- http://m.flickr.com (Flickr Mobile) -->
<!-- http://espn.mobi (ESPN.com) -->
<!-- http://mypdasite.com (My PDA Site) -->
<!-- http://www.nypost.com/avantgo (New York Post) -->
<!-- http://mobile.myspace.com (MySpace) -->
<!-- http://www.drinkboy.com/offline/index.html (DrinkBoy) -->
<!-- http://www.gasbuddytogo.com (GasBuddy) -->
<!-- http://wap.mtv.com (MTV) -->
<!-- http://fatwallet.mobi/forums (FatWallet) -->
<!-- http://mobile.foxnews.com (Fox News) -->
<!-- http://cantoni.mobi (Cantoni Mobile Portal) -->
<!-- http://m.bestbuy.com (Best Buy) -->
<!-- http://m.cnet.com (CNet) -->
<!-- http://mobits.com/digg (Digg Mobile) -->
<!-- http://slashdot.org/palm (Slashdot) -->
<!-- http://mobile.sportingnews.com (Sporting News) -->
<!-- http://wireless.nwa.com (Northwest Airlines) -->
<!-- http://mobile.starbucks.com (Starbucks) -->
<!-- http://mobile.orbitz.com (Orbitz) -->
<!-- http://m.wund.com (Wunderground weather) --> 
<!-- http://mobile.srh.weather.gov (National Weather Service) -->
<!-- http://http://mobile.technorati.com (Technorati) -->

</config>

PDM · 06-02-2008, 04:48 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by unreal

[...]

2. Shortcut10 seems to be broken in the Application code somewhere. When I use the XML config file to set up a shortcut, it seems to *almost* work, except the title of the shortcut has a "right caret" in front of it (>). For example, it will say >CNN on the blackberry screen under the icon. Other shortcuts don't have the caret. I am thinking there must be an error in the app code that is causing this. When I try to launch that shortcut, it always comes back with a message that says "The protocol specified is not supported by the handheld. Please try a different URL." However, no other URL's work either.

[...]

You probably missed these posts on the previous page :
http://www.blackberryforums.com/afte...tml#post807395

LancePipes · 06-03-2008, 12:06 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Spamdumpster

One thing about the Pearl that bugs me is that there aren't separate icons for the Blackberry Browser and the Internet Browser.

So I installed the web shortcuts program and created a shortcut to mobile.blackberry.com, which always loads in the internet browser. My browser default is set to blackberry browser. Now I have a separate icon for each browser.

What is the difference between the blackberry browser and the internet browser??

I asked this a few months ago and no one replied. Any help? I'm curious.

LTP

John Clark · **OS:** 4.6.1.250

Blackberry Browser is on BES only and is though your company/BES.

Internet Browser is through your carrier, i.e. Verizon, Tmobile, etc.

unreal · 06-04-2008, 01:19 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by PDM

You probably missed these posts on the previous page :
http://www.blackberryforums.com/afte...tml#post807395

Actually, I didn't miss the posts. The 10th shortcut still does not work, the latest update I have for the NorthShortcut.zip file shows 1/9/2008, and Jfisher hasn't offered an update, even though his message on 1/22 said that there would be a fix forthcoming. So the problem with the 10th shortcut remains. I was hoping my post might re-start the conversation, or offer a solution that had not yet been posted, or offer JFisher some insight into the app that would help to fix the problem.

Is there a newer version, with the fix for the #10 shortcut yet? Really hoping to get this to work.

I personally still use *both* the old version with the web-based icon retrieval *and* the newer version which pulls icons off the shortcut directory -- simply because I love the ability to have icons on my BB for my favorite sites with a minimum of hassle.

John Clark · **OS:** 4.6.1.250

I don't think jfisher has updated this. I can't imagine having 10 shortcuts anyway, so it was never an issue for most. I'm sure he'll be around at some point and post an update.

unreal · **And here are some more icons -** 06-04-2008, 01:50 PM

Green (solid), Facebook, Twitter, LifeHacker.com, and a Blue Yin-Yang.

blank_green32x32.png facebook-icon.png twitter_normal.png Lifehacker.png blue_zen.png

unreal · 06-04-2008, 02:14 PM

Some more -- in blue this time

unreal · 06-04-2008, 02:19 PM

And even more blue icons...

unreal · **Last one today... -** 06-04-2008, 02:25 PM

Last batch today... enjoy!

Fromme · 06-09-2008, 04:26 AM

Is it possible to deploy it with Software Configuration's, so that all my users have the same links ?

auntpenn · **Stuck in loop! -** 06-23-2008, 12:54 PM

When I click on my shortcut icon on the homescreen it just keeps saying downloading icon with a bar going across the screen - just a continual loop. I'm not sure I did it correctly. I downloaded the program ota and ran the hub utility setup with my short url - but no icon. Is that the problem? I can't figure out how to do the icon. THANKS.

Kamau · 06-24-2008, 11:26 AM

Just a quick question about this app. Can the complete installation be done OTA, or do I have to use my laptop at some time?

akosnitzky · **OS:** 5.0.0.230

Wirelessly posted (Verizon 8830)

Quote:

Originally Posted by Kamau

Just a quick question about this app. Can the complete installation be done OTA, or do I have to use my laptop at some time?

Yes. You can download everything OTA

akosnitzky · 05:37 PM

Wirelessly posted (Verizon 8830)

Click on this.

http://m.jonathanhfisher.co.uk/webshortcuts/

Kamau · 06-24-2008, 05:51 PM

Thanks!

Kamau · 06-24-2008, 06:12 PM

Wirelessly posted

Quote:

Originally Posted by auntpenn

When I click on my shortcut icon on the homescreen it just keeps saying downloading icon with a bar going across the screen - just a continual loop. I'm not sure I did it correctly. I downloaded the program ota and ran the hub utility setup with my short url - but no icon. Is that the problem? I can't figure out how to do the icon. THANKS.

Having the same problem.

Valiantdust · 03:08 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Kamau

Wirelessly posted

Having the same problem.

Haven't had this problem myself, but in previous replies in this thread they say that if it hangs up trying to download an icon, you've probably got a typo in the url for the icon.

Personally, I prefer to load my icons on my SD card -- the how-to on that is also in earlier messages in the thread.

EDIT:

Wait, I might have missed something -- when you say "but no icon" do you mean that the icon you wanted doesn't show up, or do you mean that you opted not to specify a custom icon?

If it's the first case, check your icon's URL for typos.

If it's the latter case, check to see if the field where you would put in the icon's URL still has the "http://" in it. That's auto-filled by the program, and it may be that it is checking that location (i.e. http://[nothing]) for your icon...

If the "http://" is in there, try deleting it (so the field is empty), saving your changes, and clicking the shortcut again.

If that solves your problem, please post it here so everyone can benefit ...

Valiantdust · 06-27-2008, 03:10 PM

Also, thanks Jonathan for an awesome program!

7100simpleisbetter · 05:08 PM

Jonathan created a great app and I have used it for a while now however after finding that my wife couldn't deal with the nuances of the configuration I decided to create a service to create Personal, Intranet and Promotional Shortcuts for a fee. Please check out my website and some of the benefits.

Main Site (where you can learn about and purchase the shortcut):
Custom Blackberry Web Shortcuts

Benefits of Custom Web Shortcuts:
Benefits of Custom Shortcuts

Download some Free Web Shortcuts that I have created:
BlackBerry Custom Web Shortcuts Free Downloads

Again, if you don't want to pay, I get it and Jonathan's app is very well done and I have used it myself.

dts5.1 · 07-29-2008, 09:09 PM

Can this app be installed on an 8700c? I am running 4.2 os, but the 8700c does not have an SD card so where exactly would I install the shortcut folder of the current version? I tried installing the shortcut folder in the media folder but when I click on the shortcuts, it tells me that an SD card is required....I've read the whole thread and did not see this addressed on a non SD card device...Just wondering if it can be done, and if so how? Thanks.

John Clark · **OS:** 4.6.1.250

The version that goes on the SD card will not work. The original version (in the first post, I think) will still work.

dts5.1 · 07-29-2008, 10:02 PM

Thanks man. I'll give it a shot.

dts5.1 · 07-29-2008, 11:12 PM

I don't have a place to host my shortcut icons...would photobucket work?