This documentation outlines the functionality of the Branch Metrics Titanium SDK, and how to easily incorporate it into a Titanium app. The Titanium SDK shares the same code base as the Branch Web SDK, and enables you to call all the same functions from your Titanium app.
To use the Titanium SDK, you'll need to first initialize it with your Branch Key found in your Branch dashboard. You'll also need to register when your users login with setIdentity
, and when they logout with logout
.
You can sign up for your own Branch Key at https://dashboard.branch.io
The SDK can be initialized by calling branch.init()
, just as with the Web SDK. A sample app can be found in testbeds/Titanium
, that demonstrates this.
branch.init('BRANCH KEY', function(err, data) {
if (err) { console.log("Init error: " + err); }
else { console.log("Init successful: " + data); }
});
Close session must be called whenever the app goes into the background, as it tells the native library that on the next app open, it should check if a new link had been clicked. If you don't call it, you'll notice that the deep link parameters will not be delivered reliably.
branch.close(function(err) {
if (err) { console.log(err); }
});
Titanium life cycle events and callbacks differ between Android and iOS. Since we want to initialize the branch session anytime the app starts up (either on open or when resuming from background) and close the session when the app goes into the background, init and close need to be handled differently for Android and iOS.
Titanium generates a 'pause' and 'resume' event for iOS when the app goes into and returns from the background. For iOS you can init the session and set event handlers on app startup. This can be done in alloy.js for an Alloy app. See the sample code below.
// In the Android case, we get the URL used to open the app here
// but we wait for the Titanium Window, which corresponds to an
// activity, to open to start the session.
if (Ti.Platform.osname === "android") {
Alloy.Globals.open_url = Ti.Android.currentActivity.intent.data;
}
// If this is not Android, we want to initialize the branch session
// at app startup. Close it when we go into the background and
// open it again when the app comes back to the foreground.
else if (Ti.Platform.osname.match(/i(os|p(hone|od|ad))/i)) {
var url = Ti.App.getArguments().url;
branch.init(BranchKey, { "isReferrable" : true, "url": url }, initDone);
Ti.App.addEventListener('resume', function(e) {
console.log("Resume");
branch.init(BranchKey, { isReferrable : true }, initDone);
});
Ti.App.addEventListener('pause', function(e) {
console.log("Pause");
branch.close(function(err) {
if (err) { console.log("Error with close: " + err.message); }
else { console.log("Close complete"); }
});
});
}
In Android Titanium gives you access to the onStart and onStop Activity life cycle callbacks which are part of the Android environment. In the Javascript for each Titanium Window, before the window is opened, you can set a callback for these. You can init the session in onStart and close it in onStop. The code below is an example from the testbed app. Note that the SDK will handle detecting the case where these are called in an activity transition and ensure that the session stays open.
// In Android, we start the branch session in onStart and close it
// in onStop. This should be done in every Window used in the app
// since a Window corresponds to an Android Activity. The
// SDK will "smartly" handle the case where we are transitioning from
// one activity to another and not send excess inits or close the session
// accidentally.
if (Ti.Platform.osname === "android") {
$.index.activity.onStart = function() {
branch.init('BRANCH KEY',
{ "isReferrable" : true, "url": Alloy.Globals.open_url },
function(err, data) {
if (err != null) {
console.log("Init error: " + JSON.stringify(err));
Alloy.Globals.status = err.message;
} else {
console.log("Init successful: " + JSON.stringify(data));
Alloy.Globals.status = "Ok";
}
Ti.App.fireEvent("branch_init");
});
};
$.index.activity.onStop = function() {
branch.close(function(err) {
if (err) {
console.log("Error on close: " + err);
}
});
};
}
This tutorial assumes you are already familiar with the Titanium API, and Titanium modules
The iOS and Android Branch SDK Titanium modules can be built from their respective src/
directories:
src/titanium/BranchSDK/iphone
src/titanium/BranchSDK/android
To build the modules in Appcelerator Studio, they must first be imported into your project, or into a new project.
- Open the App Explorer view on the left (Window -> Show View -> App Explorer), then click "Import Project".
- Appcelerator Studio will show a variety of import options. Open the "General" folder, and select "Existing Folder as New Project".
- Select the Branch Titanium SDK folder by clicking "Browse", and choose
src/titanium/BranchSDK/
, then click "Finish". - Select the desired module (iOS or Android) in top left of the Appcelerator Studio, above the App Explorer, and click the green play button.
- Titanium modules can be built to 3 different output locations. The first option (Titanium SDK), publishes the module to your specific Titanium SDK location. Either wise, you can publish the module to an existing Mobile App project, or a specific location. Publishing the module to a specific location will produce a .zip file.
- Import the testbed app as an existing mobile project: File -> Import, then in the dialog open the "Appcelerator" folder and chose "Existing Mobile Project".
- The Branch Titanium testbed:
testbeds/titanium/Branch-Sdk-Testbed/
, requires the built Branch SDK modules prior to running. If you would like to add these to the testbed app, simply chose the testbed app or your local Titanium SDK as the output location (see above for building instructions). - Browse to the testbed app directory:
testbeds/titanium/Branch-Sdk-Testbed/
, leave the default settings, and chose "Finish". - To launch the testbed app simply select the Android or iOS simulator in the top left of Appcelerator studio, above the App Explorer, then click the green play button.
This will build and launch the testbed app in the respective simulator, and log output to the Appcelerator console.
Initializing the SDK is an asynchronous method with a callback, so it may seem as though you would need to place any method calls that will execute immediately inside the branch.init()
callback. We've made it even easier than that, by building in a queue to the SDK! The only thing that is required is that branch.init()
is called prior to any other methods. All SDK methods called are guaranteed to: 1. be executed in the order that they were called, and 2. wait to execute until the previous SDK method finishes. Therefore, it is 100% allowable to do something like:
branch.init(...);
branch.banner(...);
If branch.init()
fails, all subsequent branch methods will fail.
- Branch Session
- Event Tracking
- Deep Linking
- Referrals and Credits
Parameters
debug: boolean
, required - Set the SDK debug flag.
Setting the SDK debug flag will generate a new device ID each time the app is installed instead of possibly using the same device id. This is useful when testing.
This needs to be set before the Branch.init call!!!
Parameters
branch_key: string
, required - Your Branch live key, or (depreciated) your app id.
options: Object
, optional - { isReferrable: Is this a referrable session }.
callback: function
, optional - callback to read the session data.
THE "isReferrable" OPTION IS ONLY USED IN THE CORDOVA/PHONEGAP PLUGIN AND THE TITANIUM MODULE
Adding the Branch script to your page automatically creates a window.branch
object with all the external methods described below. All calls made to
Branch methods are stored in a queue, so even if the SDK is not fully
instantiated, calls made to it will be queued in the order they were
originally called.
If the session was opened from a referring link, data()
will also return the referring link click as referring_link
, which gives you the ability to continue the click flow.
The init function on the Branch object initiates the Branch session and
creates a new user session, if it doesn't already exist, in
sessionStorage
.
Useful Tip: The init function returns a data object where you can read the link the user was referred by.
branch.init(
branch_key,
options
callback (err, data),
);
callback(
"Error message",
{
data_parsed: { }, // If the user was referred from a link, and the link has associated data, the data is passed in here.
referring_identity: '12345', // If the user was referred from a link, and the link was created by a user with an identity, that identity is here.
has_app: true, // Does the user have the app installed already?
identity: 'BranchUser', // Unique string that identifies the user
referring_link: 'https://bnc.lt/c/jgg75-Gjd3' // The referring link click, if available.
}
);
Note: Branch.init
must be called prior to calling any other Branch functions.
Parameters
callback: function
, optional - callback to read the session data.
Returns the same session information and any referring data, as
Branch.init
, but does not require the app_id
. This is meant to be called
after Branch.init
has been called if you need the session information at a
later point.
If the Branch session has already been initialized, the callback will return
immediately, otherwise, it will return once Branch has been initialized.
Parameters
callback: function
, optional - callback to read the session data.
Returns the same session information and any referring data, as
Branch.init
did when the app was first installed. This is meant to be called
after Branch.init
has been called if you need the first session information at a
later point.
If the Branch session has already been initialized, the callback will return
immediately, otherwise, it will return once Branch has been initialized.
Parameters
identity: string
, required - a string uniquely identifying the user – often a user ID or email address.
callback: function
, optional - callback that returns the user's Branch identity id and unique link.
Sets the identity of a user and returns the data. To use this function, pass a unique string that identifies the user - this could be an email address, UUID, Facebook ID, etc.
branch.setIdentity(
identity,
callback (err, data)
);
callback(
"Error message",
{
identity_id: '12345', // Server-generated ID of the user identity, stored in `sessionStorage`.
link: 'url', // New link to use (replaces old stored link), stored in `sessionStorage`.
referring_data_parsed: { }, // Returns the initial referring data for this identity, if exists, as a parsed object.
referring_identity: '12345' // Returns the initial referring identity for this identity, if exists.
}
);
Parameters
callback: function
, optional
Logs out the current session, replaces session IDs and identity IDs.
branch.logout(
callback (err)
);
callback(
"Error message"
);
Parameters
callback: function
, optional
Close the current session.
branch.close(
callback (err)
);
callback(
"Error message"
);
Parameters
event: string
, required - name of the event to be tracked.
metadata: Object
, optional - object of event metadata.
callback: function
, optional
This function allows you to track any event with supporting metadata. Use the events you track to create funnels in the Branch dashboard.
The metadata
parameter is a formatted JSON object that can contain any data and has limitless hierarchy.
branch.track(
event,
metadata,
callback (err)
);
callback("Error message");
Parameters
data: Object
, required - link data and metadata.
callback: function
, required - returns a string of the Branch deep linking URL.
Creates and returns a deep linking URL. The data
parameter can include an
object with optional data you would like to store, including Facebook
Open Graph data.
data The dictionary to embed with the link. Accessed as session or install parameters from the SDK.
Note You can customize the Facebook OG tags of each URL if you want to dynamically share content by using the following optional keys in the data dictionary. Please use this Facebook tool to debug your OG tags!
Key | Value |
---|---|
"$og_title" | The title you'd like to appear for the link in social media |
"$og_description" | The description you'd like to appear for the link in social media |
"$og_image_url" | The URL for the image you'd like to appear for the link in social media |
"$og_video" | The URL for the video |
"$og_url" | The URL you'd like to appear |
"$og_redirect" | If you want to bypass our OG tags and use your own, use this key with the URL that contains your site's metadata. |
Also, you can set custom redirection by inserting the following optional keys in the dictionary:
Key | Value |
---|---|
"$desktop_url" | Where to send the user on a desktop or laptop. By default it is the Branch-hosted text-me service |
"$android_url" | The replacement URL for the Play Store to send the user if they don't have the app. Only necessary if you want a mobile web splash |
"$ios_url" | The replacement URL for the App Store to send the user if they don't have the app. Only necessary if you want a mobile web splash |
"$ipad_url" | Same as above but for iPad Store |
"$fire_url" | Same as above but for Amazon Fire Store |
"$blackberry_url" | Same as above but for Blackberry Store |
"$windows_phone_url" | Same as above but for Windows Store |
"$after_click_url" | When a user returns to the browser after going to the app, take them to this URL. iOS only; Android coming soon |
You have the ability to control the direct deep linking of each link as well:
Key | Value |
---|---|
"$deeplink_path" | The value of the deep link path that you'd like us to append to your URI. For example, you could specify "$deeplink_path": "radio/station/456" and we'll open the app with the URI "yourapp://radio/station/456?link_click_id=branch-identifier". This is primarily for supporting legacy deep linking infrastructure. |
"$always_deeplink" | true or false. (default is not to deep link first) This key can be specified to have our linking service force try to open the app, even if we're not sure the user has the app installed. If the app is not installed, we fall back to the respective app store or $platform_url key. By default, we only open the app if we've seen a user initiate a session in your app from a Branch link (has been cookied and deep linked by Branch). |
branch.link(
data,
callback (err, link)
);
branch.link({
tags: [ 'tag1', 'tag2' ],
channel: 'facebook',
feature: 'dashboard',
stage: 'new user',
data: {
mydata: 'something',
foo: 'bar',
'$desktop_url': 'http://myappwebsite.com',
'$ios_url': 'http://myappwebsite.com/ios',
'$ipad_url': 'http://myappwebsite.com/ipad',
'$android_url': 'http://myappwebsite.com/android',
'$og_app_id': '12345',
'$og_title': 'My App',
'$og_description': 'My app\'s description.',
'$og_image_url': 'http://myappwebsite.com/image.png'
}
}, function(err, link) {
console.log(err, link);
});
callback(
"Error message",
'https://bnc.lt/l/3HZMytU-BW' // Branch deep linking URL
);
Parameters
phone: string
, required - phone number to send SMS to
linkData: Object
, required - object of link data
options: Object
, optional - options: make_new_link, which forces the creation of a new link even if one already exists
callback: function
, optional - Returns an error if unsuccessful
A robust function to give your users the ability to share links via SMS. If
the user navigated to this page via a Branch link, sendSMS
will send that
same link. Otherwise, it will create a new link with the data provided in
the params
argument. sendSMS
also registers a click event with the
channel
pre-filled with 'sms'
before sending an sms to the provided
phone
parameter. This way the entire link click event is recorded starting
with the user sending an sms.
Note: sendSMS
will automatically send a previously generated link click,
along with the data
object in the original link. Therefore, it is unneccessary for the
data()
method to be called to check for an already existing link. If a link already
exists, sendSMS
will simply ignore the data
object passed to it, and send the existing link.
If this behaivior is not desired, set make_new_link: true
in the options
object argument
of sendSMS
, and sendSMS
will always make a new link.
Supports international SMS.
branch.sendSMS(
phone,
linkData,
options,
callback (err, data)
);
branch.sendSMS(
phone: '9999999999',
{
tags: ['tag1', 'tag2'],
channel: 'facebook',
feature: 'dashboard',
stage: 'new user',
data: {
mydata: 'something',
foo: 'bar',
'$desktop_url': 'http://myappwebsite.com',
'$ios_url': 'http://myappwebsite.com/ios',
'$ipad_url': 'http://myappwebsite.com/ipad',
'$android_url': 'http://myappwebsite.com/android',
'$og_app_id': '12345',
'$og_title': 'My App',
'$og_description': 'My app\'s description.',
'$og_image_url': 'http://myappwebsite.com/image.png'
}
},
{ make_new_link: true }, // Default: false. If set to true, sendSMS will generate a new link even if one already exists.
function(err) { console.log(err); }
});
callback("Error message");
In a standard referral system, you have 2 parties: the original user and the invitee. Our system is flexible enough to handle rewards for all users for any actions. Here are a couple example scenarios:
- Reward the original user for taking action (eg. inviting, purchasing, etc)
- Reward the invitee for installing the app from the original user's referral link
- Reward the original user when the invitee takes action (eg. give the original user credit when their the invitee buys something)
These reward definitions are created on the dashboard, under the 'Reward Rules' section in the 'Referrals' tab on the dashboard.
Warning: For a referral program, you should not use unique awards for custom events and redeem pre-identify call. This can allow users to cheat the system.
Parameters
callback: function
, required - returns an object with referral data.
Retrieves a complete summary of the referrals the current user has made.
branch.referrals(
callback (err, data)
);
callback(
"Error message",
{
'install': {
total: 5,
unique: 2
},
'open': {
total: 4,
unique: 3
},
'buy': {
total: 7,
unique: 3
}
}
);
Parameters
options: Object
, required - contins options for referral code creation.
callback: function
, optional - returns an error if unsuccessful
Create a referral code using the supplied parameters. The code can be given to other users to enter. Applying the code will add credits to the referrer, referree or both.
The options
object can containt the following properties:
Key | Value |
---|---|
amount | reqruied - An integer specifying the number of credits added when the code is applied. |
calculation_type | required - An integer of 1 for unlimited uses, or 0 for one use. |
location | required - An integer that determines who get's the credits: 0 for the referree, 2 for the referring user or 3 for both. |
bucket | optional - The bucket to apply the credits to. Defaults to "default". |
prefix | optional - A string to be prepended to the code. |
expiration | optional - A date string that if present, determines the date on which the code expires. |
branch.getCode( options, callback(err,data) );
branch.getCode(
{
"amount":10,
"bucket":"party",
"calculation_type":1,
"location":2
},
callback (err, data)
);
callback(
"Error message",
{
"referral_code":"AB12CD"
}
);
Parameters
code: string
, required - the code string to validate.
callback: function
, optional - returns an error if unsuccessful
Validate a referral code before using.
branch.validateCode(
code, // The code to validate
callback (err)
);
branch.validateCode(
"AB12CD",
function(err) {
if (err) {
console.log(err);
} else {
console.log("Code is valid");
}
}
);
callback(
"Error message",
callback(err)
);
Parameters
code: string
, required - the code string to apply.
callback: function
, optional - returns an error if unsuccessful
Apply a referral code.
branch.applyCode(
code, // The code to apply
callback (err)
);
branch.applyCode(
"AB12CD",
function(err) {
if (err) {
console.log(err);
} else {
console.log("Code applied");
}
}
);
callback(
"Error message",
callback(err)
);
Parameters
callback: function
, required - returns an object with credit data.
This call will retrieve the entire history of credits and redemptions from the individual user.
branch.credits(
callback (err, data)
);
callback(
"Error message",
{
'default': 15,
'other bucket': 9
}
);
Parameters
options: Object
, optional - options controlling the returned history.
callback: function
, required - returns an array with credit history data.
This call will retrieve the entire history of credits and redemptions from the individual user.
Properties available in the options
object:
Key | Value |
---|---|
bucket | optional (max 63 characters) - The bucket from which to retrieve credit transactions. |
begin_after_id | optional - The credit transaction id of the last item in the previous retrieval. Retrieval will start from the transaction next to it. If none is specified, retrieval starts from the very beginning in the transaction history, depending on the order. |
length | optional - The number of credit transactions to retrieve. If none is specified, up to 100 credit transactions will be retrieved. |
direction | optional - The order of credit transactions to retrieve. If direction is 1 , retrieval is in least recent first order; If direction is 0 , or if none is specified, retrieval is in most recent first order. |
branch.creditHistory(
options,
callback(err, data)
);
branch.creditHistory(
{
"length":50,
"direction":0,
"begin_after_id":"123456789012345",
"bucket":"default"
}
callback (err, data)
);
callback(
"Error message",
[
{
"transaction": {
"date": "2014-10-14T01:54:40.425Z",
"id": "50388077461373184",
"bucket": "default",
"type": 0,
"amount": 5
},
"referrer": "12345678",
"referree": null
},
{
"transaction": {
"date": "2014-10-14T01:55:09.474Z",
"id": "50388199301710081",
"bucket": "default",
"type": 2,
"amount": -3
},
"referrer": null,
"referree": "12345678"
}
]
);
Parameters
amount: number
, required - an amount
(int) of number of credits to redeem
bucket: string
, required - the name of the bucket
(string) of which bucket to redeem the credits from
callback: function
, optional - returns an error if unsuccessful
Credits are stored in buckets
, which you can define as points, currency, whatever makes sense for your app. When you want to redeem credits, call this method with the number of points to be redeemed, and the bucket to redeem them from.
branch.redeem(
amount, // Amount of credits to be redeemed
bucket, // String of bucket name to redeem credits from
callback (err)
);
branch.redeem(
5,
"Rubies",
function(err) {
console.log(err);
}
);
callback("Error message");
Feel free to report any bugs you might encounter in the repo's issues. Any support inquiries outside of bugs please send to support@branch.io.