can you create siri shortcuts for allergies and Goodreads?

By Dawn 👩🏻‍🦯, 29 October, 2018

Forum
iOS and iPadOS

Hi all!
I have the Siri shortcuts app installed and I've started playing with it a bit. I have 2 things that I want to create a shortcut for, but the apps I use don't support that yet.

1. Is there a way to create a Siri shortcut for checking pollen/mold/other allergy levels? I have an app that I use and love, but it doesn't support shortcuts.

2. I'd really like to create shortcuts for Goodreads too. For example, I'd like to have a shortcut where I could say: `what books are in the )insert series name here) by (insert author)` and I could pull up the books for that series. I'd like 1 for finding info about a book too like synopsis author, Isbn. title, etc. I don't want it for spicific books. I'd like to be able to search for any book/series. Sadly, Goodreads doesn't support shortcuts either.

Is there a way to create these types of shortcuts?
Thanks in advance!

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Comments

By Dave Matters on Saturday, October 27, 2018 - 06:36

First off, I’m curious as to what app you like for the pollen information.

Secondly, you can probably do these both but you would need to find some websites that could offer you the information, and then set up shortcuts that can basically query the website and then sort or filter out the information you are wanting. Not an easy shortcut to set up and create, but from what I understand and the research I’ve done it is possible.

It would involve using get url content actions, and the like. You would not be able to get the info from an app unless it allowed interactions through url callbacks.
I at one point was playing around with these concepts trying to get some weather information from the NWS website. Admittedly, I still have a ways to go.

By AnonyMouse on Saturday, October 27, 2018 - 06:36

Member of the AppleVis Editorial Team
Hello Dawn, Those are pretty good questions! As you mentioned you can't really or use an app for any kind of Siri Shortcuts if the developer hasn't included those with in the app. Unfortunately, I have not seen anything like those quite yet. However, as Dave was on the right path. If one knows of a web site that we could use to pull that information. It is plausible we can create a shortcut to do that. Here is an example I created that works for my area. It pulls the information from pollen.com but it isn't as clean as I like it to be, but it works. Since they don't really follow a traditional HTML body content. It could had been a bit easier but it's rough around the edges. Sadly, this is the only site that I found that gives a decent set of information. However, if you find another site that may have a better layout that we could use. Feel free to use that URL in the example I gave. Just download it from here: https://www.icloud.com/shortcuts/07fd93d34f2743218490f3872f71cec3 If you look at the URL that is in the example. Just replace my zip code with yours and that should do. Oh, yes make sure to give it a Siri Phrase and you are ready to go. I had to use a different action than what I had for my example with in the How to Use Siri Shortcuts Part 3: The Library podcast as the pollen site was weird about not wanting to play nicely. HTH - AnonyMouse