Feature request: Siri Shortcuts

[slyfoxgh]

I just learned about this app and am looking forward to trying it once it hits the app store.

If it is not already implemented, please add Siri shortcuts support. This is very useful for program shortcuts to play specific books. With multiple libraries and books, it is much faster to use Siri shortcuts to continue playing different media app and switching to different libraries than opening the app and switching to different libraries.

[rasmuslos]

Thanks, hopefully soon...

Siri intents are already partially implemented, so you can say "Hey Siri play 1984 by George Orwell". Episodes and podcasts are on the roadmap, and once these are implemented playing media using Siri Shortcuts should be easy.

Switching library, etc. might be a little bit further away.

[slyfoxgh]

When you say "Switching libraries," do you mean a shortcut to switch libraries or a shortcut to play media from different libraries? I was thinking of a shortcut where you can preset a specific book from a specific library, and then when you run the shortcut, it can start playing the book. In my case, I have a few books from the nonfiction library and the fiction library.

I can create a shortcut where it will give me a list of books (pre-set) to play, and I can choose which one. Another shortcut can be dedicated to a specific book from a specific library.

[rasmuslos]

Apparently apple employs little monkeys that just hit random keys on a typewriter until working some code is procured... While you get a Shortcut when you create a PlayMediaIntent for music, you apparently have to create one yourself for audiobooks... So this might actually take longer. Also for some reason that is truly beyond me Siri refused to play podcasts from ShelfPlayer, while Audiobooks work just fine...

But all ABS items have a unique id, so you would not have to specify the library, only the audiobook you would want to play. With the build in implementation (this is not available for some reason) you could just choose a recently played item. With a custom one I have honestly no idea, but I will look into it, but sadly not in the near future.

[rasmuslos]

I got shortcuts working in AmpFin, so I will be able to port them to ShelfPlayer soon™️ (https://github.com/rasmuslos/AmpFin/commit/da618e27827d7d7d989cd7768f6ba9c3eba19e94)

[iamhenry]

@rasmuslos would love a siri shortcut to add a bookmark. any rough eta for something like this?

i use this shortcut in Prologue app all the time while i'm driving or on a walk. I then use the accessibility feature to double tap the back of the iPhone to trigger the shortcut.

[rasmuslos]

Shouldn't be too long, probably in the next release. I did rework the Siri integration, and it is much better now (https://github.com/rasmuslos/ShelfPlayer/commit/878f23c61fe7559f63b569ba4be802a0ef91acb5). I have to implement programmatic routing first, but after that I can look into implementing Intents or App Intents, I have not figured out the difference yet.

[slyfoxgh]

Siri Shortcuts is not working in 2.4.1

[rasmuslos]

You cannot play nothing. The play intent without any parameters will be removed in the next release.

[dominicwa]

Hi @rasmuslos, any update on shortcuts in the app? Thanks.

[rasmuslos]

Somewhat: They are not going to be part of 2.5.0 which focuses on improving existing code but they are the next thing that I will work on.