Abstract: A method includes displaying a first graphical user interface (GUI) via a first native application installed on a mobile computing device. The first GUI is configured to accept a search query, including one or more search terms, and transmit the search query to a search engine. The method includes receiving search results including a post execution view of a second native application for display on the touchscreen. The post execution view is a second GUI providing access to a function associated with the second native application. The method includes, at the search engine, identifying, based on the search terms of the search query, the second native application in an index that stores information and code related to native applications. The method includes executing code associated with the second native application to generate a post execution view. The method includes transmitting the post execution view to the mobile computing device.

Abstract: A method includes receiving, at a search server, a search query from a remote computing device. The search query includes one or more search terms. The method includes identifying, based on the search terms of the search query, at least one native application from a plurality of native applications specified in an index. The index stores information related to the plurality of native applications. Each native application includes code that is executable at the remote computing device. The method includes executing, at the search server, at least a portion of the code associated with the identified native application. The method includes generating a view of a particular state of the identified native application upon executing the portion of the code. The view includes a graphical user interface that provides access to the particular state. The method includes transmitting the view to the remote computing device as a search result.

Abstract: A search system includes a mobile computing device configured to display a first graphical user interface (GUI) via a first native application installed on the mobile computing device. The first GUI receives a search query including search terms and transmits the search query to a search engine. The mobile computing device receives search results, at least one which includes a post-execution view of a second native application including a second GUI that provides access to a function associated with the second native application. The search system includes a search engine that identifies, based on the search terms of the search query, the second native application from an index. The search engine executes code associated with the second native application. The search engine generates the post-execution view of a particular state of the second native application upon executing the code and transmits the post-execution view to the mobile computing device.

Abstract: A mobile computing device includes a touchscreen, a transceiver, a non-transitory memory, and a computing processor. The memory stores an installed, native first application associated with an operator of a search engine. Upon executing the computer-readable instructions, the processor displays a first graphical user interface (GUI) on the touchscreen via the first application. The processor receives a search query via the first GUI, including one or more search terms. The processor transmits the search query to the search engine via the transceiver. The processor receives search results from the search engine in response to transmitting the search query to the search engine. At least one of the search results includes a post-execution view of a second native application. The processor displays the post-execution view on the touchscreen. The post-execution view includes a second GUI that provides access to a function associated with the second native application.

Abstract: A method includes receiving a search query and identifying an entity record in an entity data store using the search query. The entity data store includes a plurality of entity records. Each of the entity records includes an entity name, an entity type, and entity information. The entity type indicates a category in which the entity name and the entity information belongs. The method further includes generating a reformulated query by inserting one or more terms from the identified entity record into the search query. Additionally, the method includes performing a search for software applications using the reformulated query and generating a list of software applications identified during the search.

Abstract: Techniques include transmitting, using a searching device, a search query to a search system, and selecting, also using the searching device, one of a plurality of viewing devices to view results of the search (e.g., based on a user input or other considerations). The techniques further include receiving search results from the search system at the selected viewing device in response to transmitting the search query. In this example, each search result indicates a function for a computing device to perform. The techniques also include displaying the search results on the viewing device, receiving a user selection of one of the search results at the viewing device, and transmitting, using the viewing device, an indication of the user selection to a performing device. In this example, the performing device is configured to perform the function indicated by the selected search result in response to receiving the indication.

Abstract: A system includes a user interface presented to a developer. The developer selects a first function to supplement functionality of a first application with external functionality available from third party applications. A code generation module provides a software object to the developer for incorporation into a first state of the first application. The first state includes a user interface element associated with an entity. User selection of the user interface element initiates preparation of a query wrapper including a combination of the entity's name and a predefined text string corresponding to the first function. The query wrapper is transmitted to a search system and a result set is received and displayed. A first item of the result set includes an access mechanism for a specified state of a target application. User selection of the first item causes the access mechanism to open the target application to the specified state.

Abstract: A system of one or more computing devices includes a user interface presented to a developer. A data store stores information identifying multiple functions, each corresponding to external functionality available from third party applications. The developer selects at least one of the functions to supplement functionality of a first application. A code generation module provides a software object for incorporation into the first application. The software object includes instructions for transmitting a query wrapper to a search system. The query wrapper includes a predefined text string corresponding to one of the functions selected by the developer. The software object includes instructions for receiving and displaying a result set including multiple items, each including a name and corresponding access mechanism of an application. The software object includes instructions for, in response to user selection of a first item, actuating the access mechanism to download or open the corresponding application.

Abstract: A system stores information identifying functions and corresponding unique identifiers. Each of the functions corresponds to external functionality available from third party applications. An application developer selects one of the functions to supplement functionality of their application. The system provides a software object to the application developer. The software object includes instructions for, in response to user selection of a user interface element, preparing a query wrapper including the corresponding unique identifier of the function and an identifier of a corresponding entity. The instructions transmit the query wrapper to a search system and receive a result set from the search system. An item in the result set includes an access mechanism for a specified state of a target application. The instructions display the result set and, in response to user selection of the item, actuate the access mechanism to open the target application to the specified state.

Abstract: A system includes a data store storing information identifying multiple functions and corresponding unique identifiers. Each of the functions corresponds to external functionality available from third party applications. The system receives a selection from an application developer of a function to supplement functionality of an application under development. The system provides a software object to the application developer for incorporation into a state of the application. The software object includes instructions for extracting text from the state and preparing a query wrapper including the corresponding unique identifier of the function and the extracted text. The instructions receive a result set, including an item that includes an identifier of a target application and an access mechanism for a specified state of the target application. The instructions display the item and, in response to user selection of the item, actuate the access mechanism to open the target application to the specified state.

Abstract: In some embodiments, a user interface module may be configured to assist a user in defining a set of states and a set of transitions, each transition of the set of transitions linking two states of the set of states, the set of states and the set of transitions defining a path to a target state, each state of the set of states being a web page, each transition of the set of transitions defining an interaction with an interactive element. A navigation instruction generation module may be configured to generate navigation instructions based on the set of states and the set of transitions. A focused crawler module may be configured to navigate to the target state based on the navigation instructions. A scraper module may be configured to copy information from the target state in response to the focused crawler module navigating to the target state.

Abstract: In one embodiment, a search query is received from a computing device, the search query including one or more search terms. Based on the one or more search terms, one or more entities are identified from a set of multiple entities. Each of the one or more identified entities is associated with one or more application functionalities. In addition, a set of applications are identified based on the one or more search terms. Based at least on a type of at least one of the identified one or more entities, a determination is made that a particular application from the set of applications supports the at least one of the identified one or more entities. Thereafter, the applications in the set are ranked based in part on the determination that the particular application supports the at least one of the identified one or more entities.

Abstract: A method including receiving a search query containing one or more query terms from a remote device and determining one or more query parses based on the search query and a knowledge base. Each query parse indicates one or more entity types, wherein each entity type corresponds to a query term or a combination of query terms contained in the search query. The method further includes obtaining a set of app-specific rules, each app-specific rule respectively corresponding to a respective software application. The method further includes generating a set of unparameterized function identifiers based on the plurality of app-specific rules and the one or more query parses. For each of the set of unparameterized function identifiers, the method includes parameterizing the function identifier based on the query terms. The method further includes generating search results based on the parameterized function identifiers and transmitting the search results to the remote device.

Abstract: In one embodiment, a search query is received from a computing device, the search query including one or more search terms. Based on the one or more search terms, one or more entities are identified from a set of multiple entities. Each of the one or more identified entities is associated with one or more application functionalities. In addition, a set of applications are identified based on the one or more search terms. Based at least on a type of at least one of the identified one or more entities, a determination is made that a particular application from the set of applications supports the at least one of the identified one or more entities. Thereafter, the applications in the set are ranked based in part on the determination that the particular application supports the at least one of the identified one or more entities.

Abstract: A method includes receiving a search query and identifying an entity record in an entity data store using the search query. The entity data store includes a plurality of entity records. Each of the entity records includes an entity name, an entity type, and entity information. The entity type indicates a category in which the entity name and the entity information belongs. The method further includes generating a reformulated query by inserting one or more terms from the identified entity record into the search query. Additionally, the method includes performing a search for software applications using the reformulated query and generating a list of software applications identified during the search.

Abstract: A disclosure provides techniques for generating search results containing state links to applications. A method includes receiving a query containing one or more query parameters from a remote computing device and identifying a set of third party applications corresponding to the one or more query parameters. For each third party application, the method includes transmitting at least a subset of the one or more query parameters to a server associated with the third party application, receiving a response from the server associated with the third party application, and generating a state link to a native application version of the third party application based on the response. The method further includes providing the states links to the remote computing device.

Abstract: A method for generating search results containing state links to applications. The method includes receiving a search query from a remote computing device, generating a state link to a state of a native application based on the search query and providing the state link to the remote computing device, all by a processing device. The state link is provided with one or more other state links to third party applications. The native application is a third party native application. The native application corresponds to a third party application having one or more versions. The state link includes an application resource identifier corresponding to the native application and is used to access the state in the native application version of the third party application.

Abstract: In one embodiment, a search query is received from a computing device, the search query including one or more search terms. Based on the one or more search terms, one or more entities are identified from a set of multiple entities. Each of the one or more identified entities is associated with one or more application functionalities. In addition, a set of applications are identified based on the one or more search terms. Based at least on a type of at least one of the identified one or more entities, a determination is made that a particular application from the set of applications supports the at least one of the identified one or more entities. Thereafter, the applications in the set are ranked based in part on the determination that the particular application supports the at least one of the identified one or more entities.