IBM Cloud Mobile Service - AppLaunch Android Client SDK

This Android SDK for App Launch on IBM Cloud services, provides a library for developers to build mobile applications on Android devices.

App Launch on IBM Cloud services enables the developers to build engaging apps by controlling reach and roll out of App features while measuring the defined metrics.

Ensure that you go through IBM Cloud App Launch service documentation before you start.

Build Status

Master	Development

Contents

• Setup App Launch Service
  • Creating the service
  • Creating a feature
  • Creating an audience
  • Creating an engagement
• Prerequisites
• Installation
• Enabling Android applications to use IBM App Launch
  • Import the App launch SDK in your code
  • Initializing the AppLaunch SDK
• Feature Toggle
  • Check if feature is enabled
  • Get variable for feature
• Metrics
  • Send Metrics
• InApp Messages
  • Display InApp Messages
• Destroy
• Samples and videos

##Setup App Launch Service

Creating the service

Creating a feature

Creating an audience

Creating an engagement

Prerequisites

• Android API level 14 or later
• Android 4.0 or later
• Android Studio
• Gradle
• Android HelloAppLaunch sample app
• BMSCore SDKs installed by using either Android Studio or Gradle

Installation

The Android SDKs for IBM Cloud Mobile services is available via JitPack.

JitPack

To install Applaunch Android SDK using jitpack

1. In the projects build.gradle file include:

   allprojects {
       repositories {
   	jcenter()
   	maven { url 'https://jitpack.io' }
       }
   }
   

2. Add Bluemix App Launch Android SDK dependency and BMS Core dependency to your app module build.gradle file.

   dependencies {
       ........
       compile 'com.github.ibm-bluemix-mobile-services:bms-clientsdk-android-applaunch:0.0.5'
       compile 'com.ibm.mobilefirstplatform.clientsdk.android:core:[2.0.0,3.0.0)'
       .......
   }
   

3. Add the following permissions inside application's AndroidManifest.xml file.

   <uses-permission android:name="android.permission.INTERNET"/>
   <uses-permission android:name="android.permission.ACCESS_WIFI_STATE"/>
   

Enabling Android applications to use IBM App Launch

Initializing the AppLaunch SDK

A common place to put the initialization code is theonCreate() method of your Android application:

1. Build Configuration Object

AppLaunchConfig appLaunchConfig = new AppLaunchConfig.Builder().eventFlushInterval(10).cacheExpiration(10).fetchPolicy(RefreshPolicy.REFRESH_ON_EVERY_START).deviceId("454dfidif0e-3r3434-3434343").build();

The AppLaunchConfig builder is used to customize the following:

• eventFlushInterval : Sets/Decide the time interval on when the events should be sent to the server. The default value is 30 minutes.

• cacheExpiration : Sets/Decide the time interval until when the actions should be valid for. The default value is 30 minutes.

  Note This parameter is effective only if the fetch policy is set to RefreshPolicy.REFRESH_ON_EXPIRY or RefreshPolicy.BACKGROUND_REFRESH

• fetchPolicy : This parameter decides on how frequently the actions should be fetched from the server. The values can be one of the following:

  -RefreshPolicy.REFRESH_ON_EVERY_START

  -RefreshPolicy.REFRESH_ON_EXPIRY

  -RefreshPolicy.BACKGROUND_REFRESH

  To enable BACKGROUND_REFRESH include the following in the applications AndroidManifest.xml.

    <service
        android:name="com.ibm.mobile.applaunch.android.background.AppLaunchBackgroundService"
     android:exported="false"/>
  

  The default value is RefreshPolicy.REFRESH_ON_EVERY_START.

• deviceId: This parameter must be unique. If not specified, default deviceID generation mechanism is used by SDK.

  Note: Do not rely on the default implementation of the deviceID generation mechanism as it is not guarenteed to be unique.

2. Build User Object

AppLaunchUser appLaunchUser = new AppLaunchUser.Builder().userId("norton").custom("type","premium").build();

The AppLaunchUser builder is used to provide the following information:

• userId: The user to be registered

• custom: This can be used to pass any optional custom user attributes.

3. Initialize App Launch SDK

AppLaunch.getInstance().initialize(getApplication(), "bluemixRegionSuffix","appGUID","clientSecret",appLaunchConfig,appLaunchUser,AppLaunchListener);

Where region parameter specifies the location where the app is hosted. You can use any of the following values:

• ICRegion.US_SOUTH
• ICRegion.UNITED_KINGDOM
• ICRegion.SYDNEY
• ICRegion.US_SOUTH_STAGING
• ICRegion.UNITED_KINGDOM_STAGING

The appGUID is the app launch app GUID value, while clientSecret is the appLaunch client secret value which can be obtained from the service console.

AppLaunchListener is the call back listener which will be used to notify in case of success and failure events. Pass the instance of the class implementing the AppLaunchListener interface.

Feature toggle

• Use the AppLaunch.sharedInstance.isFeatureEnabled(featureCode: "feature code") to check if the feature is enabled for the app.

• Use the AppLaunch.sharedInstance.getPropertyofFeature(featureCode: "feature code", propertyCode: "property code") to get the value of the particular property in a feature.

Note :The above two APIs throws AppLaunchException exception if isFeatureEnabled or getPropertyofFeature is invoked before init API.

Metrics

To send metrics to the server use the AppLaunch.sharedInstance.sendMetrics() API. This API call sends the metrics information to the server.

 AppLaunch.getInstance().sendMetrics(ArrayList<String> metrics);

Note : The above API throws AppLaunchException error if sendMetrics is invoked before init API.

InApp Messages

To display InApp messages invoke the following api

 AppLaunch.getInstance().displayInAppMessages(context);

Note : Here the context is the Activities context.

Destroy

This method unregisters the user from AppLaunch Service and clears the cache

AppLaunch.getInstance().destroy(AppLaunchListener)

Samples and Videos

• For samples, visit - Github Sample

Learn More

• Visit the IBM Cloud Developers Community.

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======================= Copyright 2016-17 IBM Corp.

Licensed under the Apache License, Version 2.0 (the "License"); you may not use this file except in compliance with the License. You may obtain a copy of the License at

http://www.apache.org/licenses/LICENSE-2.0

Unless required by applicable law or agreed to in writing, software distributed under the License is distributed on an "AS IS" BASIS, WITHOUT WARRANTIES OR CONDITIONS OF ANY KIND, either express or implied. See the License for the specific language governing permissions and limitations under the License.