Can I integrate Microsoft Lens into my application?

Question

I like Office Lens's ability to automatically crop, focus, and align a picture... mainly for receipt and expense processing

I want to have an app flow that goes like this:

1. User opens my app and clicks photograph receipt
2. Lens opens (android intent, or similar in iOS)
3. User takes picture
4. Picture is returned to my application for processing

I am having trouble making that flow happen, and to make the data transfer (photo) between the camera and my app seamless. What options do I have?

Marybelle

What sort of app are you looking to build, is this an office add-in or some other kind of app? You have tagged the question with office-addins, but I wanted to double check – Asturias

Did you find a solution for this problem? The app flow you described is exactly what I want to do too. – Meshuga

Answer 1

If you look at Androidmanifest.xml file, you will see this XML:

<?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-8" standalone="no"?>
<manifest xmlns:android="http://schemas.android.com/apk/res/android" package="com.microsoft.office.officelens" platformBuildVersionCode="21" platformBuildVersionName="5.0.1-1624448">
    <uses-permission android:name="android.permission.CAMERA" android:required="true"/>
    <uses-permission android:name="android.permission.ACCESS_NETWORK_STATE"/>
    <uses-permission android:name="android.permission.GET_ACCOUNTS"/>
    <uses-permission android:name="android.permission.INTERNET"/>
    <uses-permission android:name="android.permission.WRITE_EXTERNAL_STORAGE"/>
    <uses-permission android:name="android.permission.AUTHENTICATE_ACCOUNTS"/>
    <uses-permission android:name="android.permission.ACCESS_DOWNLOAD_MANAGER"/>
    <uses-permission android:name="android.permission.DOWNLOAD_WITHOUT_NOTIFICATION"/>
    <uses-permission android:name="android.permission.READ_CONTACTS"/>
    <uses-permission android:name="android.permission.READ_PROFILE"/>
    <uses-permission android:name="android.permission.READ_PHONE_STATE"/>
    <uses-permission android:name="android.permission.RECEIVE_SMS"/>
    <uses-feature android:name="android.hardware.camera" android:required="true"/>
    <uses-feature android:name="android.hardware.camera.autofocus" android:required="false"/>
    <application android:allowBackup="true" android:icon="@drawable/ic_officelens" android:label="@string/officelens_app_name" android:largeHeap="true" android:name="com.microsoft.office.officelens.OfficeLensApplication" android:theme="@style/OfficeLensAppTheme">
        <activity android:label="@string/officelens_app_name" android:name="com.microsoft.office.apphost.LaunchActivity" android:theme="@style/OfficeLensSplashTheme">
            <intent-filter>
                <action android:name="android.intent.action.MAIN"/>
                <category android:name="android.intent.category.LAUNCHER"/>
            </intent-filter>
        </activity>
        <activity android:configChanges="orientation|screenSize" android:label="@string/officelens_app_name" android:launchMode="singleTask" android:name="com.microsoft.office.officelens.MainActivity" android:theme="@style/FullscreenTheme"/>
        <activity android:label="@string/officelens_app_name" android:name="com.microsoft.office.officelens.SecureActivity" android:parentActivityName="com.microsoft.office.officelens.MainActivity" android:windowSoftInputMode="stateHidden"/>
        <activity android:label="@string/title_activity_settings" android:name="com.microsoft.office.officelens.SettingsActivity" android:parentActivityName="com.microsoft.office.officelens.MainActivity"/>
        <activity android:configChanges="orientation|screenSize" android:label="" android:name="com.microsoft.office.officelens.AboutActivity" android:parentActivityName="com.microsoft.office.officelens.SettingsActivity"/>
        <activity android:label="" android:name="com.microsoft.office.officelens.FirstRunActivity" android:parentActivityName="com.microsoft.office.officelens.MainActivity" android:screenOrientation="portrait" android:theme="@style/OfficeLensFirstRunTheme"/>
        <activity android:label="@string/title_activity_section_picker" android:name="com.microsoft.onenote.pickerlib.OneNotePickerActivity" android:theme="@style/Theme.AppCompat.Light"/>
        <activity android:exported="false" android:icon="@drawable/ms_logo" android:label="@string/webflow_header" android:name="com.microsoft.onlineid.authenticator.AccountAddPendingActivity" android:theme="@style/Theme.MSA"/>
        <activity android:configChanges="orientation|screenSize" android:exported="false" android:icon="@drawable/ms_logo" android:label="@string/webflow_header" android:name="com.microsoft.onlineid.internal.ui.WebWizardActivity" android:theme="@style/Theme.MSA" android:windowSoftInputMode="adjustResize">
            <intent-filter>
                <action android:name="com.microsoft.onlineid.internal.SIGN_IN"/>
                <action android:name="com.microsoft.onlineid.internal.RESOLVE_INTERRUPT"/>
                <category android:name="android.intent.category.DEFAULT"/>
            </intent-filter>
        </activity>
        <activity android:configChanges="orientation|screenSize" android:exported="false" android:icon="@drawable/ms_logo" android:label="@string/webflow_header" android:name="com.microsoft.onlineid.ui.AddAccountActivity" android:theme="@style/Theme.MSA" android:windowSoftInputMode="adjustResize">
            <intent-filter>
                <action android:name="com.microsoft.onlineid.internal.ADD_ACCOUNT"/>
                <action android:name="com.microsoft.onlineid.internal.SIGN_UP_ACCOUNT"/>
                <category android:name="android.intent.category.DEFAULT"/>
            </intent-filter>
        </activity>
        <activity android:configChanges="orientation|screenSize" android:exported="false" android:name="com.microsoft.onlineid.ui.SignOutActivity" android:theme="@style/Theme.MSA.Transparent"/>
        <activity android:exported="false" android:icon="@drawable/ms_logo" android:label="@string/webflow_header" android:name="com.microsoft.onlineid.internal.ui.AccountPickerActivity" android:theme="@style/Theme.MSA.Dialog">
            <intent-filter>
                <action android:name="com.microsoft.onlineid.internal.PICK_ACCOUNT"/>
                <category android:name="android.intent.category.DEFAULT"/>
            </intent-filter>
        </activity>
        <service android:exported="false" android:name="com.microsoft.onlineid.internal.MsaService">
            <intent-filter>
                <action android:name="com.microsoft.onlineid.internal.GET_TICKET"/>
                <action android:name="com.microsoft.onlineid.internal.UPDATE_PROFILE"/>
                <action android:name="com.microsoft.onlineid.internal.SIGN_OUT"/>
                <action android:name="com.microsoft.onlineid.internal.SIGN_OUT_ALL_APPS"/>
                <category android:name="android.intent.category.DEFAULT"/>
            </intent-filter>
        </service>
        <service android:enabled="true" android:exported="false" android:name="com.microsoft.onlineid.sso.service.MsaSsoService">
            <intent-filter>
                <action android:name="com.microsoft.msa.action.SSO_SERVICE"/>
            </intent-filter>
            <meta-data android:name="com.microsoft.msa.service.sso_version" android:value="1"/>
            <meta-data android:name="com.microsoft.msa.service.sdk_version" android:value="@string/sdk_version_name"/>
        </service>
    </application>
    <uses-permission android:name="com.android.vending.CHECK_LICENSE"/>
    <uses-permission android:name="android.permission.MANAGE_ACCOUNTS"/>
    <uses-permission android:name="android.permission.USE_CREDENTIALS"/>
    <uses-feature android:name="android.hardware.telephony" android:required="false"/>
</manifest>

If you read this file carefully you will see that this is impossible to interact this the other API's. Neither 'broadcast' no proper 'intent-filter' to interact this the other applications.

This is impossible nowadays.

Anyway, obviously, you can save to local storage and retrieve the data from SD card using your app.

Horseshit

so the closed way would to start the app at MainActivity screen and let the user share the taken picture with my own app? – Mention

I think yes. Share in the internal/external storage. – Horseshit

How/where did you get that manifest file? Office Lens is now integrated into OneNote and other Microsoft products so I would like to see if it is now available as a published intent. – Shepp

@MartinRobins It was more than 3 years ago. I don't actually know current status – Horseshit

@Vyacheslav; Thanks, but I was asking how you got the manifest file as I was hoping to be able to get the latest version of the manifest and see for myself if anything has changed. – Shepp

@MartinRobins just download latest APK to your device. For example, all installed applications are downloaded to a particular folder. Use adb to retrieve it from an Android device to your computer and unzip or extract APK-file using android features. There are a lot of them. For example, fern flower. https://mcmap.net/q/63516/-how-do-i-get-an-apk-file-from-an-android-device/1979882 and github.com/JetBrains/intellij-community/tree/master/plugins/… – Horseshit