A few days ago I released Shoots & Leaves’ first update (two of them, actually) in about two and a half years. It’s a small change, but an important one. Dropbox has discontinued the API we were using to connect with their service. This update implements their current API. Ideally, you shouldn’t notice anything, except maybe Dropbox uploads working more reliably. You might have to log back in, but that should be it. Thanks to everyone who continues to use the app. I don’t know what it’s future is, but this little update has reminded me how much I enjoy working on it. I still have a long list of improvements I could make. I’ve also started thinking about what a modern version, that takes advantage of the latest iOS software and hardware, might look like.
All of that to say, keep those bug reports and feature requests coming. Hopefully it won’t take as long for the next update.
Shoots & Leaves 1.4.1
Shoots & Leaves 1.2
When I first had the idea for Shoots & Leaves, it was all about to-do lists. I wanted to turn photos into links so that I could easily use them as plain text anywhere. After the app launched I heard from several people who thought it would make a great mobile blogging app. That had never occurred to me while I was working on it, but I realized it was the natural way for the app to expand. So I started looking into what services I needed to support to make it useful to bloggers.
Today we’re releasing Shoots & Leaves 1.2. Besides bug fixes and general improvements, this version includes the following new features:
- Support for uploading to Amazon S3
- Support for uploading to SFTP
- Support for uploading to a WordPress blog
- Support for sending to the WordPress App
- Support for sending to the DayOne App
- URL scheme for calling Shoots & Leaves from another app.
That last one is another biggie. Interacting with other apps is what makes Shoots & Leaves a powerful tool. And now other apps can interact with it. You can read the documentation of our URL scheme to find out how to use it.
Here’s an example of how you might use this. A user asked the other day if it was possible for Shoots & Leaves to launch the LoseIt app after copying the photo link to the clipboard. With the new URL scheme, and an app like Launch Center Pro, it is. Just create a clipboard action in Shoots & Leaves and name it “LoseIt”. Then add an action to Launch Center Pro with this URL:
shootsandleaves://x-callback-url/shoot?action=LoseIt&x-success=loseit://
When you run that action from Launch Center Pro, it will launch Shoots & Leaves and change the current action to your “LoseIt” action. After you take your picture and save the URL to the clipboard, it will launch the LoseIt app.
I think there’s a lot of potential uses for this URL scheme. If you do something fun with it, please let us know.
I hope you’ll give this new version a try. If you like it, please take a moment to rate it in the App Store. It helps us and it helps other people discover the app. If you have feature requests, bug reports, or questions send them to us.
And just so you know, I’m working on the next version already. It will launch with iOS 8 with support for sending links and text to other apps via their app extensions. I’m also working on an extension for Shoots & Leaves, so you’ll be able to upload photos and run actions from any camera/photo app that supports it. If that’s not ready on launch day, it will be soon after. I’ll keep you posted.
Shoots & Leaves 1.1
Shoots & Leaves 1.1 is now available on the App Store. Changes in this version include:
New!
- Camera roll support: Tap and hold on the shutter button to select photos from your camera roll.
- Evernote support: Upload photos to Evernote, send links to Evernote, or both.
- Post links to Things.
- Post links to Simplenote.
- Upload settings: Control the size and quality of the photos you upload.
Improved!
- Want to see the tutorial again? Launch it, and find other useful links, from the upload settings menu.
- Dropbox links now point directly to the photo, instead of a sharing page.
- Configured actions that no longer work (e.g. An action that posts to Drafts, but you’ve deleted the Drafts app. No, I can’t imagine doing that either.) are no longer hidden. Instead, if you try to select it you’re prompted to choose something else or fix the issue. If that action is currently selected you’ll be prompted next time the app is launched.
- Configured hosts that no longer work (e.g. You revoked this app’s access to your Dropbox account) will prompt you when you select them to pick a different host or fix the issue. If the host is already selected you’ll be prompted when the app launches.
Fixed!
- Tons of bugs and UI glitches.
It’s on sale for $1.99 till the end of today, so go grab it now.
And if you use Shoots & Leaves and enjoy it, this would be a great time to leave a review. It helps us and it helps other people discover the app.
To give you an idea of what’s coming, I’m currently working on version 1.2. I’m hoping to have it out this summer, and it will include a URL scheme, new hosts, new actions, and more bug fixes. Then, 1.3 will launch with iOS 8 and include as much of the great new features as I can squeeze in.
Shoots & Leaves 1.0.2
Today we released Shoots & Leaves 1.0.2 on the App Store. This release fixed a few bugs, including:
- Fixed a bug that caused uploads to fail while on slower internet connections or while uploading in the background
- Fixed a bug that could prevent new message and new email screens from appearing when returning from another app
- Added notifications for everything that happens in the background
- Fixed a bug that could prevent the user from authorizing their Dropbox account
Be sure to download the update if your device doesn’t do it automatically. Also, since ratings are reset with each release, please take a moment to rate the app. It’s the best way to help other people discover it.
We’re currently working on version 1.1, which includes a number of new features. Hopefully, we’ll have that out to our beta testers in the next week or so, then on the store as quick as we can after that.
A Great Week for Shoots & Leaves
We launched Shoots & Leaves one week ago, and the response has been wonderful. Here’s a few of the things people are saying:
- “It couldn’t be simpler: you just tap a photo and put in an optional text.” –Christian Zibreg, iDownloadBlog
- “Shoots & Leaves features a simple and clean interface that is highly intuitive from the get-go.” – Christine Chan, AppAdvice
- “It’s a simple premise that works really well, especially if you’re running low on storage space on your iPhone and don’t want to waste space on photos.” – Thorin Klosowski, Lifehacker
- “Whether you’re blogging on the go or sharing images with friends, this is a great app for anybody. It’s especially handy for those of us who like (or need) to work in plain text but want images included.” – Brett Terpstra, brettterpstra.com
- “It’s laser focused, does one thing well…” – Cody Fink, MacStories
- “If you use your iOS device’s camera to create impromptu reminders, Shoots & Leaves is for you.” – Phil Hornshaw, Appolicious
- “This app focuses on doing a single thing, but it does it very well.” – Ryan Whitwam, AppScout
Better still, we’ve received lots of great feedback from users. Many of you have emailed to tell us you love the app and to request new features. Please keep the suggestions coming. Even if we’ve heard it before (*cough*Evernote*cough*), knowing how many people want a particular feature helps us prioritize it.
And that’s what we’re working on right now: Figuring out what we can get done for the next release. As I work on version 1.1 I’ll try to keep folks updated on its progress.
Shoots & Leaves Is Now Available on the App Store
Our newest app Shoots & Leaves is now available on the App Store. Regularly $2.99, it’s on sale for $1.99 through this weekend.
Shoots & Leaves is a camera app that turns photos into links. It uploads directly to the hosting service of your choice, and the link can be used to create a reminder, send an email, and lots of other stuff. It’s great for task-based photos—taking a picture of something to remember what to buy, or capturing a model number so you can look it up later. It’s perfect for those pictures you don’t want to keep forever in your camera roll.
We really hope you’ll give it a try. If you have any questions or feedback, please get in touch.
This is the start of what we expect to be a very good year for us. We have many updates planned for Shoots & Leaves, and more new apps on the way. Keep an eye on this site for new stuff throughout 2014.
Gearing Up For Launch
Shoots & Leaves was submitted to the App Store last week, so we’re in the middle of final preparations for the launch. I have to admit, I have no idea how it’s going to go. Feedback from beta testers has been positive, and I think we have a great product that people will like if they try it. But selling apps is a tough racket. With about a million apps in the store, it’s hard to get any particular one noticed.
Pitch Perfect: The Art of Promoting Your App on the Web has been particularly useful in getting our marketing ready. I’m a developer; I readily admit I’m not a sales guy. But this book’s description of how to prepare a pitch makes me feel a lot better about our chance of having a strong launch.
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