As long as it’s been on the market, Launch Center Pro has been regarded as one of the best power user utilities native to iOS. Through using hidden URL-based commands built into a variety of apps, Launch Center Pro can create super fast workflows and shortcuts, It’s this unique idea that makes it the productivity powerhouse that has had app reviewers and bloggers raving with every update.

Launch Center Pro is available in the App Store, which inherently means it’s going to have limitations compared to tools, tweaks, and apps found in the jailbreaking realm of third-party iOS. However, Launch Center Pro’s creative versatility allows it to interact with jailbreak apps just like with App Store apps, adding a great bonus to the already-fantastic potential of Launch Center Pro.

Here’s how I have employed Launch Center Pro to interact with jailbreak apps.

First, iFile & file system shortcuts. iFile supports a URL scheme, “ifile://”. Creating an “action” in LCP with just “ifile://” will only open the app. The neat feature with iFile URL scheme is its ability to handle “file://” addresses as well. For example, to set up a LCP action to open iFile to the folder containing Winterboard themes, use this as the URL:

ifile://file:///Library/Themes/

That basic recipe will be able to open any (valid) path in the iOS file system.

Here’s an easy way to add the Winterboard action to your Launch Center Pro, just tap this link.

Other misc. URL schemes. Not many jailbreak apps have URL schemes built-in, and even fewer have any documentation about them. This webpage has a bunch of Cydia’s URL schemes, although some are outdated and don’t work. I’ve only managed to find one other jailbreak app that has a URL scheme: iCleaner Pro can be launched using “icleaner://”. Here’s the link for that action.

Find URL schemes in apps! Being jailbroken means full access to the file system, where a bunch of fun behind-the-scenes stuff is stored. Some of that fun stuff is apps’ URL schemes, if they have any. To check if an app has a URL scheme, go to either /Applications (for Cydia/jailbreak apps) or /User/Applications (for App Store apps). Find the app’s folder, and inside should be an Info.plist file. Open it and search it for “URL scheme”; if there’s any results, the code should be pretty easy to read and determine the app’s URL scheme.