# Intra-Device Interaction Between UIAbility Components


UIAbility is the minimum unit that can be scheduled by the system. Jumping between functional modules in a device involves starting of specific UIAbility components, which belong to the same or a different application (for example, starting UIAbility of a third-party payment application).


This topic describes the UIAbility interaction modes in the following scenarios. For details about cross-device application component interaction, see [Inter-Device Application Component Interaction (Continuation)](inter-device-interaction-hop-overview.md).


- [Starting UIAbility in the Same Application](#starting-uiability-in-the-same-application)

- [Starting UIAbility in the Same Application and Obtaining the Return Result](#starting-uiability-in-the-same-application-and-obtaining-the-return-result)

- [Starting UIAbility of Another Application](#starting-uiability-of-another-application)

- [Starting UIAbility of Another Application and Obtaining the Return Result](#starting-uiability-of-another-application-and-obtaining-the-return-result)

- [Starting a Specified Page of UIAbility](#starting-a-specified-page-of-uiability)

- [Using Ability Call to Implement UIAbility Interaction (System Applications Only)](#using-ability-call-to-implement-uiability-interaction-system-applications-only)


## Starting UIAbility in the Same Application

This scenario is possible when an application contains multiple UIAbility components. For example, in a payment application, you may need to start the payment UIAbility from the entry UIAbility.

Assume that your application has two UIAbility components: EntryAbility and FuncAbility, either in the same module or different modules. You are required to start FuncAbility from EntryAbility.

1. In EntryAbility, call **startAbility()** to start UIAbility. The [want](../reference/apis/js-apis-app-ability-want.md) parameter is the entry parameter for starting the UIAbility instance. In the **want** parameter, **bundleName** indicates the bundle name of the application to start; **abilityName** indicates the name of the UIAbility to start; **moduleName** is required only when the target UIAbility belongs to a different module; **parameters** is used to carry custom information. For details about how to obtain the context, see [Obtaining the Context of UIAbility](uiability-usage.md#obtaining-the-context-of-uiability).
   
   ```ts
   let wantInfo = {
       deviceId: '', // An empty deviceId indicates the local device.
       bundleName: 'com.example.myapplication',
       abilityName: 'FuncAbility',
       moduleName: 'module1', // moduleName is optional.
       parameters: {// Custom information.
           info: 'From the Index page of EntryAbility',
       },
   }
   // context is the ability-level context of the initiator UIAbility.
   this.context.startAbility(wantInfo).then(() => {
       // ...
   }).catch((err) => {
       // ...
   })
   ```

2. Use the FuncAbility lifecycle callback to receive the parameters passed from EntryAbility.
   
   ```ts
   import UIAbility from '@ohos.app.ability.UIAbility';
   import Window from '@ohos.window';
   
   export default class FuncAbility extends UIAbility {
       onCreate(want, launchParam) {
   	// Receive the parameters passed by the caller UIAbility.
           let funcAbilityWant = want;
           let info = funcAbilityWant?.parameters?.info;
           // ...
       }
   }
   ```

3. To stop the **UIAbility** instance after the FuncAbility service is complete, call **terminateSelf()** in FuncAbility.
   
   ```ts
   // context is the ability-level context of the UIAbility instance to stop.
   this.context.terminateSelf((err) => {
       // ...
   });
   ```


## Starting UIAbility in the Same Application and Obtaining the Return Result

When starting FuncAbility from EntryAbility, you want the result to be returned after the FuncAbility service is finished. For example, your application uses two independent UIAbility components to carry the entry and sign-in functionalities. After the sign-in operation is finished in the sign-in UIAbility, the sign-in result needs to be returned to the entry UIAbility.

1. In EntryAbility, call **startAbilityForResult()** to start FuncAbility. Use **data** in the asynchronous callback to receive information returned after FuncAbility stops itself. For details about how to obtain the context, see [Obtaining the Context of UIAbility](uiability-usage.md#obtaining-the-context-of-uiability).
   
   ```ts
   let wantInfo = {
       deviceId: '', // An empty deviceId indicates the local device.
       bundleName: 'com.example.myapplication',
       abilityName: 'FuncAbility',
       moduleName: 'module1', // moduleName is optional.
       parameters: {// Custom information.
           info: 'From the Index page of EntryAbility',
       },
   }
   // context is the ability-level context of the initiator UIAbility.
   this.context.startAbilityForResult(wantInfo).then((data) => {
       // ...
   }).catch((err) => {
       // ...
   })
   ```

2. Call **terminateSelfWithResult()** to stop FuncAbility. Use the input parameter **abilityResult** to carry the information that FuncAbility needs to return to EntryAbility.
   
   ```ts
   const RESULT_CODE: number = 1001;
   let abilityResult = {
       resultCode: RESULT_CODE,
       want: {
           bundleName: 'com.example.myapplication',
           abilityName: 'FuncAbility',
           moduleName: 'module1',
           parameters: {
               info: 'From the Index page of FuncAbility',
           },
       },
   }
   // context is the ability-level context of the callee UIAbility.
   this.context.terminateSelfWithResult(abilityResult, (err) => {
       // ...
   });
   ```

3. After FuncAbility stops itself, EntryAbility uses the **startAbilityForResult()** method to receive the information returned by FuncAbility. The value of **RESULT_CODE** must be the same as the preceding value.
   
   ```ts
   const RESULT_CODE: number = 1001;
   
   // ...
   
   // context is the ability-level context of the initiator UIAbility.
   this.context.startAbilityForResult(want).then((data) => {
       if (data?.resultCode === RESULT_CODE) {
           // Parse the information returned by the callee UIAbility.
           let info = data.want?.parameters?.info;
           // ...
       }
   }).catch((err) => {
       // ...
   })
   ```


## Starting UIAbility of Another Application

Generally, the user only needs to do a common operation (for example, selecting a document application to view the document content) to start the UIAbility of another application. The [implicit Want launch mode](want-overview.md#types-of-want) is recommended. The system identifies a matched UIAbility and starts it based on the **want** parameter of the caller.

There are two ways to start **UIAbility**: [explicit and implicit](want-overview.md).

- Explicit Want launch: This mode is used to start a determined UIAbility component of an application. You need to set **bundleName** and **abilityName** of the target application in the **want** parameter.

- Implicit Want launch: The user selects a UIAbility to start based on the matching conditions. That is, the UIAbility to start is not determined (the **abilityName** parameter is not specified). When the **startAbility()** method is called, the **want** parameter specifies a series of parameters such as [entities](../reference/apis/js-apis-ability-wantConstant.md#wantconstantentity) and [actions](../reference/apis/js-apis-ability-wantConstant.md#wantconstantaction). **entities** provides additional type information of the target UIAbility, such as the browser or video player. **actions** specifies the common operations to perform, such as viewing, sharing, and application details. Then the system analyzes the **want** parameter to find the right UIAbility to start. You usually do not know whether the target application is installed and what **bundleName** and **abilityName** of the target application are. Therefore, implicit Want launch is usually used to start the UIAbility of another application.

This section describes how to start the UIAbility of another application through implicit Want.

1. Install multiple document applications on your device. In the **module.json5** file of each UIAbility component, configure [entities](../reference/apis/js-apis-ability-wantConstant.md#wantconstantentity) and [actions](../reference/apis/js-apis-ability-wantConstant.md#wantconstantaction) under **skills**.
   
   ```json
   {
     "module": {
       "abilities": [
         {
           // ...
           "skills": [
             {
               "entities": [
                 // ...
                 "entity.system.default"
               ],
               "actions": [
                 // ...
                 "ohos.want.action.viewData"
               ]
             }
           ]
         }
       ]
     }
   }
   ```

2. Include **entities** and **actions** of the caller's **want** parameter into **entities** and **actions** under **skills** of the target UIAbility. After the system matches the UIAbility that meets the **entities** and **actions** information, a dialog box is displayed, showing the list of matched UIAbility instances for users to select. For details about how to obtain the context, see [Obtaining the Context of UIAbility](uiability-usage.md#obtaining-the-context-of-uiability).
   
   ```ts
   let wantInfo = {
       deviceId: '', // An empty deviceId indicates the local device.
       // Uncomment the line below if you want to implicitly query data only in the specific bundle.
       // bundleName: 'com.example.myapplication',
       action: 'ohos.want.action.viewData',
       // entities can be omitted.
       entities: ['entity.system.default'],
   }
   
   // context is the ability-level context of the initiator UIAbility.
   this.context.startAbility(wantInfo).then(() => {
       // ...
   }).catch((err) => {
       // ...
   })
   ```

   The following figure shows the effect. When you click **Open PDF**, a dialog box is displayed for you to select.

   ![uiability-intra-device-interaction](figures/uiability-intra-device-interaction.png)
   
3. To stop the **UIAbility** instance after the document application is used, call **terminateSelf()**.
   
   ```ts
   // context is the ability-level context of the UIAbility instance to stop.
   this.context.terminateSelf((err) => {
       // ...
   });
   ```


## Starting UIAbility of Another Application and Obtaining the Return Result

If you want to obtain the return result when using implicit Want to start the UIAbility of another application, use the **startAbilityForResult()** method. An example scenario is that the main application needs to start a third-party payment application and obtain the payment result.

1. In the **module.json5** file of the UIAbility corresponding to the payment application, set [entities](../reference/apis/js-apis-ability-wantConstant.md#wantconstantentity) and [actions](../reference/apis/js-apis-ability-wantConstant.md#wantconstantaction) under **skills**.
   
   ```json
   {
     "module": {
       "abilities": [
         {
           // ...
           "skills": [
             {
               "entities": [
                 // ...
                 "entity.system.default"
               ],
               "actions": [
                 // ...
                 "ohos.want.action.editData"
               ]
             }
           ]
         }
       ]
     }
   }
   ```

2. Call the **startAbilityForResult()** method to start the UIAbility of the payment application. Include **entities** and **actions** of the caller's **want** parameter into **entities** and **actions** under **skills** of the target UIAbility. Use **data** in the asynchronous callback to receive the information returned to the caller after the payment UIAbility stops itself. After the system matches the UIAbility that meets the **entities** and **actions** information, a dialog box is displayed, showing the list of matched UIAbility instances for users to select.
   
   ```ts
   let wantInfo = {
       deviceId: '', // An empty deviceId indicates the local device.
       // Uncomment the line below if you want to implicitly query data only in the specific bundle.
       // bundleName: 'com.example.myapplication',
       action: 'ohos.want.action.editData',
       // entities can be omitted.
       entities: ['entity.system.default'],
   }
   
   // context is the ability-level context of the initiator UIAbility.
   this.context.startAbilityForResult(wantInfo).then((data) => {
       // ...
   }).catch((err) => {
       // ...
   })
   ```

3. After the payment is finished, call the **terminateSelfWithResult()** method to stop the payment UIAbility and return the **abilityResult** parameter.
   
   ```ts
   const RESULT_CODE: number = 1001;
   let abilityResult = {
       resultCode: RESULT_CODE,
       want: {
           bundleName: 'com.example.myapplication',
           abilityName: 'EntryAbility',
           moduleName: 'entry',
           parameters: {
               payResult: 'OKay',
           },
       },
   }
   // context is the ability-level context of the callee UIAbility.
   this.context.terminateSelfWithResult(abilityResult, (err) => {
       // ...
   });
   ```

4. Receive the information returned by the payment application in the callback of the **startAbilityForResult()** method. The value of **RESULT_CODE** must be the same as that returned by **terminateSelfWithResult()**.
   
   ```ts
   const RESULT_CODE: number = 1001;
   
   let want = {
     // Want parameter information.
   };
   
   // context is the ability-level context of the initiator UIAbility.
   this.context.startAbilityForResult(want).then((data) => {
       if (data?.resultCode === RESULT_CODE) {
           // Parse the information returned by the callee UIAbility.
           let payResult = data.want?.parameters?.payResult;
           // ...
       }
   }).catch((err) => {
       // ...
   })
   ```


## Starting a Specified Page of UIAbility

A UIAbility component can have multiple pages. When it is started in different scenarios, different pages can be displayed. For example, when a user jumps from a page of a UIAbility component to another UIAbility, you want to start a specified page of the target UIAbility. This section describes how to specify a startup page and start the specified page when the target UIAbility is started for the first time or when the target UIAbility is not started for the first time.


### Specifying a Startup Page

When the caller UIAbility starts another UIAbility, it usually needs to redirect to a specified page. For example, FuncAbility contains two pages: Index (corresponding to the home page) and Second (corresponding to function A page). You can configure the specified page URL in the **want** parameter by adding a custom parameter to **parameters** in **want**. For details about how to obtain the context, see [Obtaining the Context of UIAbility](uiability-usage.md#obtaining-the-context-of-uiability).


```ts
let wantInfo = {
    deviceId: '', // An empty deviceId indicates the local device.
    bundleName: 'com.example.myapplication',
    abilityName: 'FuncAbility',
    moduleName: 'module1', // moduleName is optional.
    parameters: {// Custom parameter used to pass the page information.
        router: 'funcA',
    },
}
// context is the ability-level context of the initiator UIAbility.
this.context.startAbility(wantInfo).then(() => {
    // ...
}).catch((err) => {
    // ...
})
```


### Starting a Page When the Target UIAbility Is Started for the First Time

When the target UIAbility is started for the first time, in the **onWindowStageCreate()** callback of the target UIAbility, parse the **want** parameter passed by EntryAbility to obtain the URL of the page to be loaded, and pass the URL to the **windowStage.loadContent()** method.


```ts
import UIAbility from '@ohos.app.ability.UIAbility'
import Window from '@ohos.window'

export default class FuncAbility extends UIAbility {
    funcAbilityWant;

    onCreate(want, launchParam) {
        // Receive the parameters passed by the caller UIAbility.
        this.funcAbilityWant = want;
    }

    onWindowStageCreate(windowStage: Window.WindowStage) {
        // Main window is created. Set a main page for this ability.
        let url = 'pages/Index';
        if (this.funcAbilityWant?.parameters?.router) {
            if (this.funcAbilityWant.parameters.router === 'funA') {
                url = 'pages/Second';
            }
        }
        windowStage.loadContent(url, (err, data) => {
            // ...
        });
    }
}
```


### Starting a Page When the Target UIAbility Is Not Started for the First Time

You start application A, and its home page is displayed. Then you return to the home screen and start application B. Now you need to start application A again from application B and have a specified page of application A displayed. An example scenario is as follows: When you open the home page of the SMS application and return to the home screen, the SMS application is in the opened state and its home page is displayed. Then you open the home page of the Contacts application, access user A's details page, and touch the SMS icon to send an SMS message to user A. The SMS application is started again and the sending page is displayed.

![uiability_not_first_started](figures/uiability_not_first_started.png)

In summary, when a UIAbility instance of application A has been created and the main page of the UIAbility instance is displayed, you need to start the UIAbility of application A from application B and have a different page displayed.

1. In the target UIAbility, the **Index** page is loaded by default. The UIAbility instance has been created, and the **onNewWant()** callback rather than **onCreate()** and **onWindowStageCreate()** will be invoked. In the **onNewWant()** callback, parse the **want** parameter and bind it to the global variable **globalThis**.
   
   ```ts
   import UIAbility from '@ohos.app.ability.UIAbility'
   
   export default class FuncAbility extends UIAbility {
       onNewWant(want, launchParam) {
           // Receive the parameters passed by the caller UIAbility.
           globalThis.funcAbilityWant = want;
           // ...
       }
   }
   ```

2. In FuncAbility, use the router module to implement redirection to the specified page on the **Index** page. Because the **Index** page of FuncAbility is active, the variable will not be declared again and the **aboutToAppear()** callback will not be triggered. Therefore, the page routing functionality can be implemented in the **onPageShow()** callback of the **Index** page.
   
   ```ts
   import router from '@ohos.router';
   
   @Entry
   @Component
   struct Index {
     onPageShow() {
       let funcAbilityWant = globalThis.funcAbilityWant;
       let url2 = funcAbilityWant?.parameters?.router;
       if (url2 && url2 === 'funcA') {
         router.replaceUrl({
           url: 'pages/Second',
         })
       }
     }
   
     // Page display.
     build() {
       // ...
     }
   }
   ```

> **NOTE**
> When the [launch type of the callee UIAbility](uiability-launch-type.md) is set to **standard**, a new instance is created each time the callee UIAbility is started. In this case, the [onNewWant()](../reference/apis/js-apis-app-ability-uiAbility.md#abilityonnewwant) callback will not be invoked.


## Using Ability Call to Implement UIAbility Interaction (System Applications Only)

Ability call is an extension of the UIAbility capability. It enables the UIAbility to be invoked by and communicate with external systems. The UIAbility invoked can be either started in the foreground or created and run in the background. You can use the ability call to implement data sharing between two UIAbility instances (caller ability and callee ability) through IPC.

The core API used for the ability call is **startAbilityByCall**, which differs from **startAbility** in the following ways:

- **startAbilityByCall** supports ability launch in the foreground and background, whereas **startAbility** supports ability launch in the foreground only.

- The caller ability can use the caller object returned by **startAbilityByCall** to communicate with the callee ability, but **startAbility** does not provide the communication capability.

Ability call is usually used in the following scenarios:

- Communicating with the callee ability

- Starting the callee ability in the background

  **Table 1** Terms used in the ability call

| **Term**| Description|
| -------- | -------- |
| CallerAbility | UIAbility that triggers the ability call.|
| CalleeAbility | UIAbility invoked by the ability call.|
| Caller | Object returned by **startAbilityByCall** and used by the caller ability to communicate with the callee ability.|
| Callee | Object held by the callee ability to communicate with the caller ability.|

The following figure shows the ability call process.

  Figure 1 Ability call process

  ![call](figures/call.png)  

- The caller ability uses **startAbilityByCall** to obtain a caller object and uses **call()** of the caller object to send data to the callee ability.

- The callee ability, which holds a **Callee** object, uses **on()** of the **Callee** object to register a callback. This callback is invoked when the callee ability receives data from the caller ability.

> **NOTE**
> 1. Currently, only system applications can use the ability call.
> 
> 2. The launch type of the callee ability must be **singleton**.
> 
> 3. Both local (intra-device) and cross-device ability calls are supported. The following describes how to initiate a local call. For details about how to initiate a cross-device ability call, see [Using Cross-Device Ability Call](hop-multi-device-collaboration.md#using-cross-device-ability-call).


### Available APIs

The following table describes the main APIs used for the ability call. For details, see [AbilityContext](../reference/apis/js-apis-app-ability-uiAbility.md#caller).

  **Table 2** Ability call APIs

| API| Description|
| -------- | -------- |
| startAbilityByCall(want: Want): Promise<Caller> | Starts a UIAbility in the foreground (through the **want** configuration) or background (default) and obtains the caller object for communication with the UIAbility. For details, see [AbilityContext](../reference/apis/js-apis-inner-application-uiAbilityContext.md#abilitycontextstartabilitybycall) or [ServiceExtensionContext](../reference/apis/js-apis-inner-application-serviceExtensionContext.md#serviceextensioncontextstartabilitybycall).|
| on(method: string, callback: CalleeCallBack): void | Callback invoked when the callee ability registers a method.|
| off(method: string): void | Callback invoked when the callee ability deregisters a method.|
| call(method: string, data: rpc.Parcelable): Promise<void> | Sends agreed parcelable data to the callee ability.|
| callWithResult(method: string, data: rpc.Parcelable): Promise<rpc.MessageSequence> | Sends agreed parcelable data to the callee ability and obtains the agreed parcelable data returned by the callee ability.|
| release(): void | Releases the caller object.|
| on(type: "release", callback: OnReleaseCallback): void | Callback invoked when the caller object is released.|

The implementation of using the ability call for UIAbility interaction involves two parts.

- [Creating a Callee Ability](#creating-a-callee-ability)

- [Accessing the Callee Ability](#accessing-the-callee-ability)


### Creating a Callee Ability

For the callee ability, implement the callback to receive data and the methods to marshal and unmarshal data. When data needs to be received, use **on()** to register a listener. When data does not need to be received, use **off()** to deregister the listener.

1. Configure the ability launch type.
   Set **launchType** of the callee ability to **singleton** in the **module.json5** file.

   | JSON Field| Description|
   | -------- | -------- |
   | "launchType" | Ability launch type. Set this parameter to **singleton**.|

   An example of the ability configuration is as follows:

   
   ```json
   "abilities":[{
     "name": ".CalleeAbility",
     "srcEntrance": "./ets/CalleeAbility/CalleeAbility.ts",
     "launchType": "singleton",
     "description": "$string:CalleeAbility_desc",
     "icon": "$media:icon",
     "label": "$string:CalleeAbility_label",
     "visible": true
   }]
   ```

2. Import the **UIAbility** module.
   
   ```ts
   import Ability from '@ohos.app.ability.UIAbility';
   ```

3. Define the agreed parcelable data.
   The data formats sent and received by the caller and callee abilities must be consistent. In the following example, the data formats are number and string.

   
   ```ts
   export default class MyParcelable {
       num: number = 0
       str: string = ""
   
       constructor(num, string) {
           this.num = num
           this.str = string
       }
   
       marshalling(messageSequence) {
           messageSequence.writeInt(this.num)
           messageSequence.writeString(this.str)
           return true
       }
   
       unmarshalling(messageSequence) {
           this.num = messageSequence.readInt()
           this.str = messageSequence.readString()
           return true
       }
   }
   ```

4. Implement **Callee.on** and **Callee.off**.
   The time to register a listener for the callee ability depends on your application. The data sent and received before the listener is registered and that after the listener is deregistered are not processed. In the following example, the **MSG_SEND_METHOD** listener is registered in **onCreate** of the ability and deregistered in **onDestroy**. After receiving parcelable data, the application processes the data and returns the data result. You need to implement processing based on service requirements. The sample code is as follows:

   
   ```ts
   const TAG: string = '[CalleeAbility]';
   const MSG_SEND_METHOD: string = 'CallSendMsg';
   
   function sendMsgCallback(data) {
       console.info('CalleeSortFunc called');
   
       // Obtain the parcelable data sent by the caller ability.
       let receivedData = new MyParcelable(0, '');
       data.readParcelable(receivedData);
       console.info(`receiveData[${receivedData.num}, ${receivedData.str}]`);
   
       // Process the data.
       // Return the parcelable data result to the caller ability.
       return new MyParcelable(receivedData.num + 1, `send ${receivedData.str} succeed`);
   }
   
   export default class CalleeAbility extends Ability {
       onCreate(want, launchParam) {
           try {
               this.callee.on(MSG_SEND_METHOD, sendMsgCallback);
           } catch (error) {
               console.info(`${MSG_SEND_METHOD} register failed with error ${JSON.stringify(error)}`);
           }
       }
   
       onDestroy() {
           try {
               this.callee.off(MSG_SEND_METHOD);
           } catch (error) {
               console.error(TAG, `${MSG_SEND_METHOD} unregister failed with error ${JSON.stringify(error)}`);
           }
       }
   }
   ```


### Accessing the Callee Ability

1. Import the **UIAbility** module.
   
   ```ts
   import Ability from '@ohos.app.ability.UIAbility';
   ```

2. Obtain the caller interface.
   The **context** attribute of the ability implements **startAbilityByCall** to obtain the caller object for communication. The following example uses **this.context** to obtain the **context** attribute of the ability, uses **startAbilityByCall** to start the callee ability, obtain the caller object, and register the **onRelease** listener of the caller ability. You need to implement processing based on service requirements.

   
   ```ts
   // Register the onRelease() listener of the caller ability.
   private regOnRelease(caller) {
       try {
           caller.on("release", (msg) => {
               console.info(`caller onRelease is called ${msg}`);
           })
           console.info('caller register OnRelease succeed');
       } catch (error) {
           console.info(`caller register OnRelease failed with ${error}`);
       }
   }
   
   async onButtonGetCaller() {
       try {
           this.caller = await context.startAbilityByCall({
               bundleName: 'com.samples.CallApplication',
               abilityName: 'CalleeAbility'
           })
           if (this.caller === undefined) {
               console.info('get caller failed')
               return
           }
           console.info('get caller success')
           this.regOnRelease(this.caller)
       } catch (error) {
           console.info(`get caller failed with ${error}`)
       }
   }
   ```