iOS 15 Compatibility: There is a bug in Shortcuts on iOS 15 that prevents syncing of your shortcut library from the Shortcuts to MFC Deck. Until this bug is resolved by Apple (FB9585913), MFC Deck will be unavailable to download from the App Store.
MFC Deck Documentation
MFC Deck creates dynamic control decks and cards that run shortcuts, present information, send commands to your macOS applications, power NFC tags, and automatically run shortcuts. Display these decks and cards in Home Screen widgets, on your Apple Watch, and in assistant voice responses.
Table of Contents
System Requirements
MFC Deck requires the following:
- iOS 14.4 or lower. NOTE: A bug in iOS 14.5 and 15 prevents MFC Deck from operating correctly.
- MFC Deck Helper shortcut
If you want to take advantage of automatic shortcut running with the Trigger Server, Autocuts, or Background Automations, install these shortcuts:
Setup
When you install MFC Deck on a new iOS device, you will be presented with the MFC Deck Setup assistant. Follow the steps below to configure MFC Deck.
- Installing MFC Deck for the First Time?
- MFC Deck Helper
- Setup: Running Your First Update
- Notifications, Custom Actions, Shortcuts, and Sample Decks
- Setup Complete
Set up MFC Deck for the first time
Overview
Here is an overview of the main features of MFC Deck.
Decks
Decks hold a collection of cards. You can create as many decks as you want in MFC Deck, and you can also nest decks within other decks for greater organization. Learn more about decks here.
Decks can be displayed in many ways, as shown in the screenshot below:
Cards
Cards are the fundamental building block of MFC Deck. Cards can not only run shortcuts with parameters, they can persistently display the result of the last time the shortcut was run. Learn more about cards here.
Action Button
The Action Button contains useful functions for navigating and controlling MFC Deck. It appears as a button in the shape of the MFC Deck icon in one of four positions on the screen.
Learn more about the Action button, sheet, and menu in MFC Deck
Trigger Server
Create triggers (similar to cards) to run automatically whenever MFC Deck’s Trigger Server is active in the foreground.
When you’re not actively using your iOS device, you can enable the Trigger Server to run periodic tasks throughout the day. When you need to use your device, swipe up to reveal the Home screen or push the Home button. When you return back to MFC Deck, the Trigger Server will continue processing any queued up triggers to run.
To exit the Trigger Server, tap the MFC Deck logo in the four corners of the screen.
Full documentation how to set up, create, and use the Trigger Server can be found here.
NOTE: The Trigger Server is part of MFC Deck Premium.
NFC
Use MFC Deck and your NFC Tags to create a control deck that runs shortcuts and other actions with just a tap. Or, manage multiple shortcuts using a single NFC Tag. Learn more about how to use NFC stickers with MFC Deck.
Learn how to create an NFC Deck with NFC stickers and MFC Deck
Apple Watch
Your decks and a subset of cards are available for viewing only on Apple Watch.
Card actions cannot currently be run, and any card with no result will be hidden on the Apple Watch.
NOTE: If you use images in your cards, note that the sync can sometimes take several minutes before the correct image is displayed. Nested decks are currently not supported on Apple Watch. You will only be able to see the contents of the parent deck.
Siri Voice Response
You can display your small, medium, or large cards within Siri, making her responses much more visually appealing and information dense.
Widgets
You can display cards and decks on your iOS 14 Home Screen by adding a MFC Deck widgets.
Learn more about using MFC Deck with Home Screen widgets in iOS 14
Settings
This section covers the various configuration options in MFC Deck’s Settings screen.
- Premium
- General
- Notifications
- Search
- Appearance
- Running Shortcuts
- Triggers and Monitoring
- Helper Shortcuts
- Contact
- Advanced
- Reset
Advanced
This section covers advanced ways you can use MFC Deck:
MFC Deck Autocuts
Learn how you can use the MFC Deck Autocuts shortcut to automatically run multiple shortcuts in a deck with individual settings for custom input, schedule, and frequency for each shortcut. Click here to learn more.
Background Automations
New in Version 1.1.0 is the Background Automations feature which allows you to continually run shortcuts in the background on an interval. MFC Deck and the Background Automations shortcut implement a new Background trigger for iOS 14.
Learn more about background automations here.
Sample Shortcuts
Visit the MFC Deck Shortcuts Gallery to see a list of shortcuts that work with MFC Deck.
If you have a shortcut that you’d like to feature, please send a feedback request from the MFC Deck Settings screen.
Examples
Here are some screenshots and descriptions on the kinds of cards, decks, and experiences you can create using MFC Deck:
- Dashboard
- Home Screen widgets
- Siri Response Cards
- NFC Decks
- Apple Watch Decks
- macOS Application Decks
See what you can create with MFC Deck
API
MFC Deck comes with over 30 custom actions to use in your own shortcuts. Learn also how to create rich cards with icons, text, backgrounds, and more by understanding the Card Result Format.
Learn about MFC Deck custom actions and the Card Result Format
Support
For technical support not covered below, go to the MFC Deck Settings screen and tap Send Feedback.
Localization
Help localize MFC Deck into your language. Information on the strings need to get MFC Deck localized is forthcoming. In the meantime, contribute a localization for the MFC Deck Helper shortcut by creating a pull request here.
Troubleshooting and Known Issues
Here is a list of troubleshooting tips and known issues with MFC Deck:
- MFC Deck doesn’t work on iOS 14.5 and 15: A bug exists that prevents the proper syncing of shortcuts to MFC Deck.
- Navigating in a sheet sometimes jumps forward and backwards. Close the sheet, reopen, and try again.
- Images on cards in Apple Watch take a long time to refresh after being changed on an iOS device. Syncing will improve with future versions of the app.
- Shortcuts and MFC Deck crashes when tapping Cancel in a shortcut. This is a known issue with the way Shortcuts handles x-callback-url, which MFC Deck uses to call a shortcut and return to itself after running. There is currently no workaround at this time. Read the section Exiting Shortcuts Properly in the API documentation for more details.
- Rearranging cards doesn’t work: You may need to tap the lock button twice when in Manual sort mode to enable Drag and Drop reordering of cards.
Version History
- Version 1.0.0: October 14, 2020. Initial release.
- Version 1.0.1: October 21, 2020.
- Version 1.0.2: October 28, 2020.
- Version 1.1.0: November 8, 2020.