Firefox OS: How launch an APP in code

Question

I want to open an APP when one Alarm is fired. I can fire alarms with Alarm API, but I don't know how I can open the APP when the alarm is fired. Now, when the alarm is fired the APP is opened but in background.

I have Firefox OS 1.1.

Answer 1

If the only app you want to launch is your app from inside your app then you can use Open Web Apps API and write code like the following:

var request = window.navigator.mozApps.getSelf();
request.onsuccess = function() {
  if (request.result) {
    setTimeout(function() {
      request.result.launch();
    }, 10000);
  } else {
    alert("Called from outside of an app");
  }
};
request.onerror = function() {
  alert("Error: " + request.error.name);
};

The above example will launch (bring in foreground) your App after 10 seconds.

request.result is an App object which describes your app.

---

In case you want to launch other apps, you have to use mozApps.mgmt.getAll() to find other apps (it returns as request.result an array of installed apps - App objects). To use this API your app should be a privileged one. For code examples check at gaia source code which you can find also on github.

disclaimer: In some cases mozApps.mgmt methods needs your app to be certified, I am not 100% sure if this happens with mozApps.mgmt.getAll(). If someone knows please edit my answer or leave a comment. Thanks!

Answer 2

You also can use MozActivity to open another app, please reference camera and gallery apps. in camera.js:775-789 it use MozActivity to open Gallery:

var a = new MozActivity({
  name: 'browse',
  data: {
    type: 'photos'
  }
});

and you need to add avtivities in manifest.webapp for your app:

"activities": {
  "browse": {
    "filters": {
      "type": "photos"
     },
    "disposition": "window"
  },
  ...
}

there is a sample to open gallery in an app:

http://jsfiddle.net/F6aEC/

and you also can open this link in your firefox os phone, install and test it:

http://jsfiddle.net/F6aEC/fxos.html