Searching for application content with social plug-ins

One or more computer-readable non-transitory storage media embodying software that is operable when executed to:

• receive, from a first user interface of a first application of a first content provider and running on a client device of a first user of the online social network, a query inputted via the first user interface identifying a first entity of the online social network, wherein the first application is a third-party application separate from and external to the online social network;
• determine, from the query, a first entity-identifier of the first entity and an application-identifier of a second application of a second content provider;
• access a deep-link index stored on one or more servers of the online social network comprising a plurality of records of indexed deep links to a plurality of mobile applications, each record comprising
• an entity-identifier of a respective entity of the online social network,
• an application-identifier of a respective application associated with the respective entity, and
• a deep link to the respective application comprising instructions for accessing a display state of the respective application associated with the respective entity;
• identify one or more records of the deep-link index, wherein each identified record has
• a respective entity-identifier matching the determined first entity-identifier of the first entity of the query,
• a respective application-identifier matching the determined application-identifier of the second application of the second content provider, and
• a deep link to a display state of the second application associated with the first entity of the query;
• send, responsive to the query, to the client device of the first user, instructions for presenting a second user interface associated with the second application, the second user interface overlapping the first user interface, wherein the second user interface comprises one or more search results, wherein one or more of the search results comprise deep links corresponding to one or more of the identified records, each deep link being selectable by the first user to access a respective display state of the second application associated with the first entity of the query, wherein the one or more search results are isolated from the first application;
• receive, from the client device of the first user, a selection of one of the deep links of one the of search results via the second user interface of the second application;
• and
• send, to the client device of the first user, instructions for displaying content from the second content provider in the second user interface, wherein the displayed content corresponds to a display state of the second application corresponding to the selected deep link, and wherein the displayed content is isolated from the first application.

A system comprising:

• one or more processors;
• and a memory coupled to the processors comprising instructions executable by the processors, the processors operable when executing the instructions to:
• receive, from a first user interface of a first application of a first content provider and running on a client device of a first user of the online social network, a query inputted via the first user interface identifying a first entity of the online social network, wherein the first application is a third-party application separate from and external to the online social network;
• determine, from the query, a first entity-identifier of the first entity and an application-identifier of a second application of a second content provider;
• access a deep-link index stored on one or more servers of the online social network comprising a plurality of records of indexed deep links to a plurality of mobile applications, each record comprising
• an entity-identifier of a respective entity of the online social network,
• an application-identifier of a respective application associated with the respective entity, and
• a deep link to the respective application comprising instructions for accessing
• a display state of the respective application associated with the respective entity;
• identify one or more records of the deep-link index, wherein each identified record has
• a respective entity-identifier matching the determined first entity-identifier of the first entity of the query,
• a respective application-identifier matching the determined application-identifier of the second application of the second content provider, and
• a deep link to a display state of the second application associated with the first entity of the query;
• send, responsive to the query, to the client device of the first user, instructions for presenting a second user interface associated with the second application, the second user interface overlapping the first user interface, wherein the second user interface comprises one or more search results, wherein one or more of the search results comprise deep links corresponding to one or more of the identified records, each deep link being selectable by the first user to access a respective display state of the second application associated with the first entity of the query, wherein the one or more search results are isolated from the first application;
• receive, from the client device of the first user, a selection of one of the deep links of one the of search results via the second user interface of the second application;
• and
• send, to the client device of the first user, instructions for displaying content from the second content provider in the second user interface, wherein the displayed content corresponds to a display state of the second application corresponding to the selected deep link, and wherein the displayed content is isolated from the first application.