Shortcut actions that work well in Today View
Shortcuts with simple actions work best in Today View. The following actions are good candidates for shortcuts that can be launched and completed entirely within Today View.
Ask for Input
Use the Ask for Input action to enter numbers in shortcuts in Today View. In the example below, the calculator appears after you tap the Calculate Tip shortcut in Today View.
For example, you could use Ask for Input with the Log Health Sample action to create a widget shortcut for logging your weight. When run, the shortcut opens a number pad in the widget for typing in your weight.
When you add an Ask for Input action to a shortcut that you plan to run from Today View, make sure to set Input Type to Number.
Get Clipboard
Use the Get Clipboard action to bring content into a shortcut in Today View. When apps don’t provide the ability to share, you can copy what you want to the clipboard, then run a shortcut in Today View to process the content or send it somewhere else.
For example, the Save to Dropbox shortcut uses the Copy to Clipboard action to add copied content to Dropbox. Using this shortcut from Today View, you can send multiple passages from one or more documents to Dropbox, appending each piece of copied information to the same Dropbox file.
Choose from List, Choose from Menu
Use the Choose from List and Choose from Menu actions to make selections from a list of options in Today View. Straight from the widget, you can make choices that change how the shortcut operates.
For example, using the Choose from List action, you can set up a shortcut that displays a list of songs to play. A more complicated shortcut might use the Choose from Menu action to branch the shortcut and run a series of actions based on the option chosen.
For details, see Choose from List action and Use the Choose from Menu action in Shortcuts.
Show Alert
Use the Show Alert action to display alerts or to ask for a confirmation in Today View. When a shortcut reaches an alert, a message with an OK button (and sometimes a Cancel button), is displayed.
