Execute a deep link in Windows

October 13, 2023

I’m working in an application that uses deeplinks to redirect actions from the user in a website into the app.

In macOS, I can test if the deeplink is working by simply executing in the terminal open "[deeplink]", for instance, open "my_app_name:import_file=454d1618-fb9b-45ea-b4c3-f32e6200cce4". This redirects me to my app and does (or don’t) the apropiate action so I can later check the logs, etc.

So, how can I do the same in Windows? How can one "launch" a deep link in Windows? (sorry for my vocabulary, pretty sure it’s not correct)

Any method will be appreciated 🙂

>Solution :

In Windows, you can use a variety of methods to launch a deep link (also known as a URI scheme) to test your application. Here are a few methods:

Method 1: Using Command Prompt or PowerShell

You can use the start command in Command Prompt or PowerShell to launch a URI scheme. For example:

start my_app_name:import_file=454d1618-fb9b-45ea-b4c3-f32e6200cce4

Or in PowerShell:

Start-Process "my_app_name:import_file=454d1618-fb9b-45ea-b4c3-f32e6200cce4"

Method 2: Using Run Dialog

Press Win + R to open the Run dialog.
Type your deep link into the dialog box and press Enter. For example:
```
my_app_name:import_file=454d1618-fb9b-45ea-b4c3-f32e6200cce4
```

Method 3: Using a Web Browser

You can also create a simple HTML file with a hyperlink using the URI scheme and open it with a web browser. For example, create an HTML file with the following content:

<!DOCTYPE html>
<html lang="en">
<head>
    <meta charset="UTF-8">
    <meta name="viewport" content="width=device-width, initial-scale=1.0">
    <title>Deep Link Test</title>
</head>
<body>
    <a href="my_app_name:import_file=454d1618-fb9b-45ea-b4c3-f32e6200cce4">Launch App</a>
</body>
</html>

Open this HTML file in a web browser and click the link to launch the deep link.

And finally – Method 4: Using a Shortcut

Right-click on the desktop and choose New > Shortcut.

In the location field, type the deep link and click Next.

my_app_name:import_file=454d1618-fb9b-45ea-b4c3-f32e6200cce4

Give the shortcut a name and click Finish.
Double-click the shortcut to launch the deep link.

Please make sure that your application is registered to handle the custom URI scheme (my_app_name in this case) on Windows. If it’s not registered, Windows won’t know how to handle the URI scheme and won’t launch your app. You can register a URI scheme by modifying the Windows Registry, which typically happens during the installation of your app.