You’ve built a shortcut with a Choose from Menu action and it works, but it looks like a plain text list from 2015. vCard Menu Creator gives those menus icons and subtitles by generating vCard code, a trick shortcut builders have used for years to get prettier menus.
How it works
The trick works because a vCard is a contact card format, and Shortcuts shows contacts in a list with a photo, a name and a subtitle line. Feed Choose from List a set of fake contacts and you get a menu that looks like it came from a real app. Writing that vCard code by hand is tedious, and this shortcut does it for you.
It has two main parts.
Create a vCard builds the menu itself. Beginners get a guided tool that asks for each item step by step. If you know the format, you can edit the vCard code directly instead.
vCard Icon Studio makes the icons. Type the name of an SF Symbol, pick one of the available colors and export it. You can also prepare an image you made elsewhere so it’s ready to embed in a vCard.
The shortcut needs the free Actions app alongside Shortcuts. It’s part of the author’s Pro Collection, and version 3.9.5 brought speed improvements.
Getting it set up
Install the Actions app from the App Store if you don’t have it.
Running the shortcut
Create your menu with the guided tool or the code editor, and the vCard code is copied to your clipboard. Then open the shortcut you want to dress up and add three actions:
- A Text action, with the vCard code pasted in.
- Set Name, set to
vcard.vcf. - Choose from List, with the Set Name action as input. Tap that input and change its type to Contact.
That last step is the one people miss. Without switching the type to Contact, Shortcuts shows the raw text instead of the styled menu. A companion shortcut called Use vCard, by the same author, can also handle the display part for you.
Use cases
- Give a personal toolbox shortcut a menu with a colored icon for each tool.
- Add subtitles explaining what each option does, so other people can use your shortcut.
- Make a shortcut you plan to share publicly look more polished.
Common questions
Do I need to know how vCards work?
The guided creator handles the format. There’s also a code editor if you want finer control.
Why does my menu show text instead of icons?
Check the Choose from List input. Its type has to be set to Contact, not Text.
Can I use my own icons instead of SF Symbols?
Icon Studio can prepare an image you’ve made yourself so it’s ready for a vCard.
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