{TIP} Make Applications Invisible in Launcher

[drewksparks]

Prerequisites:
Internalz (pref Internalz Pro)
Basic knowledge of system files

My launcher pages get cluttered, so here is a way to make some apps invisible. This clears up space on your launcher, but the functionality of the invisible apps remains. This can be used to remove apps that you NEVER launch from their icon but still use the functionality. These for me are: SIM toolkit, VPN, Uberkernel, Gesture Tutorial (or First Use), PDF Viewer, etc. This process is REVERSIBLE.

Steps:
1. Launch Internalz

2. Make sure "Master Mode" is ON in the preferences menu.

3. Locate the app file for the app you wish to change. (System apps like PDF Viewer are usually in /usr/palm/applications folder, while installed apps are in /media/cryptofs/apps/usr/palm/applications/)

4. Navigate to the appinfo.json in the main folder for the app. Open this.

5. Here's the hard part. Under the icon information line, (looks like "icon":"icon.png") create a new line. In this new line, type

"visible": false,

MAKE SURE YOU PUT THE COMMA! IF COMMA ISN'T THERE, THE APP FUNCTIONALITY WILL NOT BE PRESENT.

Reboot phone, or just Luna. Enjoy you're newly cleaned and less cluttered Launcher.

To reverse:
Just remove the extra line from the file. Make sure all comma's and quotes are intact.

[gerzhwin]

Cool thing to do! Does this also work in webOS 2.x? And who is maybe patching the Software Manager or make a stand-alone app to enable this functionality?

[geekpeter]

ah n1, just the ticket to save space for apps that arent directly used.

just hidden my uberkernel icon, xserver, xterm, tigervnc, systoolsmgr, filemgr, and a fair few more.

awesome ta.

[drewksparks]

Originally Posted by gerzhwin

Cool thing to do! Does this also work in webOS 2.x? And who is maybe patching the Software Manager or make a stand-alone app to enable this functionality?

Yes it works in all versions I've been able to test it in. (1.4.5, 2.1.0, 2.2.4, 3.0.4) never had any problems with it, as long as you place the comma. I'm a noob at patches and apps, but someone is more than welcome to implement this in one.

[eblade]

Note that the comma should only be there if you are not inserting that line at the end of the file.

[drewksparks]

Originally Posted by eblade

Note that the comma should only be there if you are not inserting that line at the end of the file.

In order to simplify things, you create the new line after the icon command, which is usually not at the end, in fact, I have never seen an app where the icon line is the last one. In reality, you can place the line wherever in the file, but I chose to place it after the "icon" line because of this reason.

[Audemars02]

am i correct that by hiding the app, you are no longer able to launch the app from Just Type, either?

[drewksparks]

Originally Posted by Audemars02

am i correct that by hiding the app, you are no longer able to launch the app from Just Type, either?

Exactly. This removes all ways to launch an app by clicking on the icon, as it removes the icon itself. But, for example, if you hide the PDF viewer app, and you need to launch a pdf, (lets say there's a link to it in the browser) the app will open, and you can operate it as normal.

[eblade]

drewk,

sure, sure. but someone could have their icon listed as the last or second to last entry in the file, just wanted to make sure everyone knows that there needs to be a comma after every line in the file, except for the last one.

[despinova]

I do not know what you're doing wrong, but not working. Write [CODE] "visible": false, [/ CODE]. Restart the device, and nothing.

[sledge007]

Originally Posted by drewksparks

In this new line, type

"visible": false,

Originally Posted by despinova

I do not know what you're doing wrong, but not working. Write [CODE] "visible": false, [/ CODE]. Restart the device, and nothing.

Note that the way you wrote it here in the forum,
you have spaces between [CODE] "visible": false, [/ CODE]
.............................................^..................^

and in the OP there aren't any. Try fixing that and see if it works.

[despinova]

No. It is not.

[WknThDg]

@despinova
What app did you try this on?
The 1st app I tried this with was filemgr and I had the same problem (after restart the icon was still there).
I then looked at the appinfo.json file again (THIS time scrolling through the whole file to review it ALL) and discovered that further down was a [CODE]"visible": false,[/ CODE] line.
So I then removed my added line of [CODE]"visible": true,[/ CODE], and just changed this existing line to [CODE]"visible": false,[/ CODE] instead.
I restarted and SUCCESS!!!
NOTE: This existing line was many lines AFTER the [CODE]"icon":"icon.png[/ CODE] line.

Therefore, the [CODE]"visible": false,[/ CODE] line DOES NOT have to be the next line right after the [CODE]"icon":"icon.png[/ CODE] line (as drewksparks later said "you can place the line wherever in the file").

I recommend that BEFORE adding a [CODE]"visible": false,[/ CODE] line, 1st check to see if a [CODE]"visible": true,[/ CODE] line already exists in the "appinfo.json" file.
If it does, just change true to false in that existing line.