URL Commands

URL Commands allow you to open iA Writer from other applications on both macOS and iOS, and perform specific actions on opening.

For example, you can turn a text snippet into a new iA Writer document. URL Commands can also be used to change some of iA Writer’s defaults.

Overview

Commands can be set to iA Writer by constructing special URLs:

ia-writer://command?parameter1=value1¶meter2=value2

x-callback-url

All commands can support x-callback-url:

ia-writer://x-callback-url/command?x-parameter1=x-value1¶meter1=value1¶meter2=value2

Some commands will return parameters on x-success.

Auth

For privacy and security, commands that modify or return data using x-callback-url require auth-token parameter. Auth token is synced across all your devices using iCloud. Auth token can be found in:

• On Mac: iA Writer → Preferences → General → URL Commands → Manage.
• On iOS: Library → Settings → URL Commands.

Data Types

String

Percent encoded. 4,000 or fewer characters before encoding.

Library Path

Percent encoded.

/File.txt refers to a file in the default location (iCloud or local).

Ideas: File.txt refers to a file in the custom library location named Ideas.

From Other Apps: File.txt is available on iOS.

Use contextual menu in Library and Organizer to copy paths.

Boolean

Either true or false.

Author

Percent encoded. For example: AI or ChatGPT .

Interface Commands

Open a screen in iA Writer.

open command

Opens Editor with an existing document if found, or a new empty document.

Parameters

path

Library Path. Required.

edit

Boolean. Optional. Supported only on iOS and iPadOS. false by default. If true, keyboard will be shown.

new-window

Boolean. Optional. Supported only on macOS. false by default. If true, will open the document in a new window.

Return parameters on x-success

None.

new command

Opens Editor with a new document.

Parameters

path

Library Path. Optional. Path for the file to be created. If omitted the file will be created at the root of the default location. If the path points to a directory, the file will be automatically named. If the path points to a file, it must have a plain text file extension, or the path will be ignored. The proposed filename will be used, but adjusted to avoid overwriting an existing file.

text

String. Optional. File contents.

edit

Boolean. Optional. Supported only on iOS and iPadOS. false by default. If true, keyboard will be shown.

new-window

Boolean. Optional. Supported only on macOS. false by default. If true, will open the document in a new window.

author

Author. Optional.

Return parameters on x-success

None.

quick-search command

Opens Quick Search with a given query.

Parameters

query

String. Optional.

Return parameters on x-success

None.

Data Commands

Silenty read and write data.

read command

Reads and returns files contents.

Parameters

auth-token

String. Required.

path

Library Path. Required. Path to the file to read.

Return parameters on x-success

path

Library Path. Path to the file.

text

String. File text.

write command

Creates or modifies an existing file and returns file contents.

Parameters

auth-token

String. Required.

path

Library Path. Required.

text

String. Optional.

mode

String. Optional.

create Default. Adjusts last path component to avoid replacing an existing file.

replace Replaces an existing file.

add Add the given text to an existing file; creates a file if it doesn’t exist.

patch Detects differences between the and file contents and text, and attributes edits to author, if provided.

add-location

String. Optional. Used only when mode is append.

beginning Add text at the beginning of a file.

end Default. Add text at the end of a file.

add-padding

String. Optional. Used only when mode is append.

sentence Add text as a sentence.

line Default. Add text as a line.

paragraph Default. Add text as a paragraph.

author

Author. Optional.

Return parameters on x-success

path

Library Path. Path to the file that was created or modified.

text

String. File contents after writing.

version command

Returns iA Writer app version and URL scheme version.

Parameters

None.

Return parameters on x-success

scheme-version

String. URL scheme version.

app-version

String. App version.

Version History

1

Initial release.

2

Fixed write command parameter append-padding. It was inverted in version 1: padding was appended with false, and not appended with true.

3

Changed write command with mode=append to create a file if it doesn’t exist.

4

Added open and new command parameter new-window.

Changed open command to open a new empty file if file at path is not found.

Changed write command to create target folder if it doesn’t exist.

Renamed Path data type to Library Path, and updated the data type format. Old format is deprecated.

5

Added author parameter support to write command.

6

Added author parameter support to new command.

Adjusted write command with mode=append

Renamed mode=append to mode=add, append-location to add-location and append-padding to add-padding.

Added support for add-padding values sentence and line. paragraph remains default.

Added write command mode=patch.

Adjusted read command to avoid returning authorship.

Help

FAQ

Below are answers to common questions. Everyone is special, but most questions that we get overlap.

Troubleshooting

Here are some things you can do if iA Writer acts in unexpected ways.

Backups and Recovery

Lost progress in a document? Regret deleting that paragraph? No problem!

iCloud

iA Writer is file storage provider agnostic but we recommend iCloud for the best experience across most devices:

Legacy Apps

Whenever possible, troubleshooting steps are listed here for iA Writer Classic on macOS & iOS and Writer 1.5.2 for Android.

Version History

Scroll through the history of our apps, version by version, platform by platform, update by update.

Accessibility

We want our products to be enjoyed by the widest possible audience.