Dynamic Link Handler

Pre-release Notice

This function dependent on Appwrite 1.4. Please note, as of the writing of this document, this version of Appwrite is not publicly available.

Overview

Dynamic links are links that redirect users to different locations based on their device, operating system, or other factors. For example, a link to a mobile app can redirect users to the Google Play Store or Apple App Store depending on their device. Dynamic links can also be used to redirect users to Deep Links - a specific page within a Mobile app, such as a user profile page.

Web

Google_Chrome.mp4

iOS

iphone.mp4

Android

AndroidShort.mp4

Configuration

The service can be configured through the CONFIG environment variable in a JSON string format. Each object in the CONFIG array is expected to have a path and targets.

To illustrate, here are example settings for the CONFIG environment variable with respective use cases:

1. Mobile vs. Desktop Redirection

[
  {
    "path": "/test",
    "targets": {
      "mobile": "https://m.example.com/test",
      "desktop": "https://www.example.com/test",
      "default": "https://www.example.com/test"
    }
  }
]

In this example, requests to the /test path will redirect mobile users to https://m.example.com/test, while desktop users are redirected to https://www.example.com/test. Users with unrecognized or non-classified user-agents will be directed to the default URL https://www.example.com/test.

2. Operating System-Specific Redirection

[
  {
    "path": "/app",
    "targets": {
      "android": "https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.example",
      "ios": "https://apps.apple.com/app/example/id123456",
      "default": "https://www.example.com/app"
    }
  }
]

In this scenario, requests to the /app path will redirect Android users to the Google Play store and iOS users to the Apple App Store, while all other users are directed to the general application page.

3. Deep Link Redirection with Fallback Option

[
  {
    "path": "/deeplink",
    "targets": {
      "android": {
        "appName": "twitter",
        "appPackage": "com.twitter.android",
        "appPath": "user?screen_name=appwrite",
        "fallback": "https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.twitter.android"
      },
      "ios": {
        "appName": "twitter",
        "appPath": "user?screen_name=appwrite",
        "fallback": "https://apps.apple.com/us/app/twitter/id333903271"
      },
      "default": "https://twitter.com/appwrite"
    }
  }
]

In this case, requests to the /deeplink path will redirect Android and iOS users to a specific part of an app, if installed. If the app is not installed (the deep link fails), they will be directed to their respective app stores. All other users will be redirected to a webpage containing similar information.

Setting Up Deep Links

Android

For Android, add the following to your AndroidManifest.xml:

<activity
    android:name="com.example.MainActivity"
    android:label="@string/app_name"
    android:launchMode="singleTask"
    android:theme="@style/AppTheme.NoActionBar">
    <intent-filter android:label="@string/app_name">
        <action android:name="android.intent.action.VIEW" />
        <category android:name="android.intent.category.DEFAULT" />
        <category android:name="android.intent.category.BROWSABLE" />

        <!-- Accepts URIs that begin with YOUR_SCHEME://YOUR_HOST -->
        <data
            android:host="YOUR_HOST"
            android:scheme="YOUR_SCHEME" />
    </intent-filter>
</activity>

Also, add the following to your MainActivity.java:

@Override
protected void onCreate(Bundle savedInstanceState) {
    super.onCreate(savedInstanceState);
    setContentView(R.layout.activity_main);

    // Get the intent that started this activity
    Intent intent = getIntent();
    Uri data = intent.getData();

    // Verify that the intent has the correct action and data
    if (Intent.ACTION_VIEW.equals(intent.getAction()) && data != null) {
        String path = data.getPath();
        String query = data.getQuery();
        String screenName = query.substring(query.indexOf("=") + 1);
        String url = "https://twitter.com/" + screenName;

        // Redirect to the correct screen
        Intent redirect = new Intent(Intent.ACTION_VIEW, Uri.parse(url));
        startActivity(redirect);
    }
}

More information on deep linking for Android can be found on the Android Developers website.

iOS

For iOS, add the following to your Info.plist file:

<array>
    <dict>
        <key>CFBundleURLSchemes</key>
        <array>
            <string>YOUR_SCHEME</string>
        </array>
        <key>CFBundleURLName</key>
        <string>YOUR_HOST</string>
    </dict>
</array>

Also, in your AppDelegate.swift file, add the following to handle deep links:

func application(_ application: UIApplication, continue userActivity: NSUserActivity, restorationHandler: @escaping ([UIUserActivityRestoring]?) -> Void) -> Bool {
    guard userActivity.activityType == NSUserActivityTypeBrowsingWeb,
        let url = userActivity.webpageURL,
        let components = NSURLComponents(url: url, resolvingAgainstBaseURL: true) else {
        return false
    }

    let path = components.path,
    let query = components.query,
    let screenName = query.substring(from: query.index(query.startIndex, offsetBy: query.index(of: "=")! + 1))
    let url = "https://twitter.com/\(screenName)"

    // Redirect to the correct screen
    if let url = URL(string: url) {
        let svc = SFSafariViewController(url: url)
        self.window?.rootViewController?.present(svc, animated: true, completion: nil)
    }
    return true
}

For further details on deep linking in iOS, refer to Apple's official documentation.

License

This project is licensed under The MIT License (MIT). For more information, visit http://www.opensource.org/licenses/mit-license.php.