x-apple-data-detectors
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x-apple-data-detectors is a URL scheme seen in an error message after clicking on auto-linked text in an Apple Notes app text note, that was errantly copied as a link from one note to a shared note, which when clicked in MacOS does not resolve due to a proprietary scheme and path ID dependent on source context; avoid such anti-patterns in auto-link functions.
Error
Example error message:
There is no application set to open the URL x-apple-data-detectors://embedded-result/nnn
where "nnn" is a 3 digit number that clearly is an index into a device-local database and is thus useless in another context such as another device.
Anti-patterns
Anti-patterns from such Apple auto-linking:
- overly aggressively “data detector” (regex, algorithm, LLM, whatever) text matching — auto-linking should have zero false positives, better to have false-negatives (some things not getting auto-linked) than any false-positives
- mixing code generated content and author content: copying an auto-link URL as if it was part of the source content and then pasting it, instead of preserving author-created text only, and instead designing for lazy auto-linking at the destination
- proprietary URL scheme (even “x-” at that)
- URL segment dependent on device-only info: path identifier segment dependent on a device-local database row, unresolvable when such content is shared in another context, e.g. via a shared note, or if copy/pasted into a message
See Also
- Apple
- anti-patterns
- https://support.mozilla.org/en-US/questions/1047397
- 2017-03-16 Apple support post: x-apple-data-detectors
How do i turn this garbage off?
When i forward an email, it takes elements from my signature and adds a URL for this.
It looks extremely unprofessional and provides absolutely no purpose.