A fast way to quickly add text into your Tana workspace using iOS shortcuts and the Scriptable App.
Watch the Loom if you prefer a video: Tana QuickAdd Shortcut Installation Vide | Loom
My Typical Disclaimer
Use this shortcut at your own risk. I take no responsibility for any data loss that may occur. Although this method works for me, and has been verified to work for others, there is no guaruntee it will work for you. I provide no commitments to support this, or develop it further. Tana is an early stage product and this shortcut could break at any time.
Installation
Requirements
You'll need the following to install this shortcut:
- An iOS device with the Shortcuts App installed
- The Scriptable App installed from the App Store
Step One: Add the Scriptable Script
- Open Scriptable and create a new script, call it Tana QuickAdd
- Grab the Scriptable part of the Shortcut here: https://gist.github.com/shabegom/e40e61a55c8ae333fe8d2d3fa3e8ec1e
- Copy all the code from the link above (hit the Raw button to make it easier) and paste it into your Scriptable script.
Step Two: Add the Shortcut
- Visit this URL to install the iOS Shortcut: https://www.icloud.com/shortcuts/74ce7f48d6d5493c8c0ba563c5f040d6
Step Three: Setup your target node
- Tana provides API keys on the node level. Create a new node, mine is called Quick Capture.
- With your cursor on the Quick Capture node open the Command Line (cmd/ctrl-k)
- Choose the Command Line option: Get API Token
- Tana will think for a bit, and the API Token should be copied to your clipboard
Note: Do this in Chrome. From some reason the token isn't copied to the clipboard in other browsers. This means you'll have to generate the API Token on your computer, and paste it somewhere to copy again on your iOS device. - Paste the API Token into the iOS Shortcut as the nodeToken.
That's it! You should now be setup. Test it out by hitting the play button on the shortcut. I put a reference to my Quick Capture node in the #day supertag so it shows up in the Daily Note.
You could duplicate the shortcut and provide different API Tokens to have multiple QuickAdds.
Limitations
This shortcut is currently limited to plain text only. Tags will not work. In fact, tags will be stripped from the input when the text appears in Tana. The only public API endpoint available today is text only. I'm sure as Tana development continues, more rich data will be supported. I hope to update this shortcut as these features become available.
Usage
There are a few different ways you can use this shortcut, from a Sharesheet, as an icon on your Home Screen, or from a Back Tap trigger (my personal favourite).
Sharesheet
By default, the Tana QuickAdd shortcut will be available in the iOS sharesheet when triggered on any text item. For example, you could select some text and choose share from the copy/paste menu.
And then choose Tana QuickAdd
If you don't see the Tana QuickAdd shortcut, you need to scroll all the way to the bottom of the list, hit Edit Actions... and move Tana QuickAdd up to your Favorites.
Add to Home Screen
You can add Tana QuickAdd to your home Screen as an icon. When you tap the icon, you'll be able to type in some text and send it to Tana. You add shortcuts to your Home Screen from within the Shortcuts app. From within the Tana QuickAdd shortcut hit the i icon.
Choose add to Home Screen and follow the prompt
Back Tap
My personal favourite way to trigger quick add is by assigning it to a Back Tap trigger. Tap triggers let you trigger shortcuts from tapping the back of your phone. They are set in the Settings app under Accessibility > Touch > Back Tap.
Once there you can choose to trigger the shortcut on Double Tap or Triple Tap. Once selected, scroll down the list of option to your Shortcuts and choose Tana QuickAdd
License
DO WHAT THE FUCK YOU WANT TO PUBLIC LICENSE
Version 2, December 2004
Copyright (C) 2022 Sam Morrison <sam@shbgm.ca>
Everyone is permitted to copy and distribute verbatim or modified
copies of this license document, and changing it is allowed as long
as the name is changed.
DO WHAT THE FUCK YOU WANT TO PUBLIC LICENSE
TERMS AND CONDITIONS FOR COPYING, DISTRIBUTION AND MODIFICATION
0. You just DO WHAT THE FUCK YOU WANT TO.