1. Introduction

• SDK Details
• Resources
• Branch-integrated Xamarin Demo Apps

2. Overview of Branch links and Branch keys

• Format of Branch links
• Branch keys
• Creating a Branch link domain and Branch key for an app

3. Configuring a Xamarin app for deep linking

• Adding the Branch SDK to a Xamarin Solution

  • Adding the Branch SDK with NuGet
  • Adding the Branch SDK without NuGet

• Integrating the Branch SDK

  • Xamarin Native solutions

    • Integrating the Branch SDK with an iOS Native project
    • Integrating the Branch SDK with an Android Native project

  • Xamarin Forms solutions

    • Configuring the C# project
    • Integrating with an iOS Forms app
    • Integrating with an Android Frorms app

4. Submitting iOS Apps to the App Store

• Notifying Apple of IDFA usage

5. Branch SDK Method Reference

• Retrieve-session (install or open) parameters
• Retrieve install (install only) parameters
• Persistent identities
• Logout
• Register custom events
• Generating Branch links
• Branch Universal Objects and Link Properties
  • Overview
  • Creating a link
  • Initialize Branch
  • Register a view of the content
  • Share a link using a share sheet
• Referral rewards
  • Check a reward balance
  • Redeem all or some ofthe reward balance
  • Get credit history

6. Version Notes

• Version 3
• Version 2

7. Troubleshooting

• Android app fails to build
• Android app fails to build with linking errors
• Deploying iOS app to device fails with Provisioning Profile erros after changing entitlements

Current version: 3.0
iOS SDK compiled footprint: 180kb
Android SDK compiled footprint: 187kb

• This document - Start Here
• Branch Integration Engineering Portal
• Changelog
• Testing

There are four fully-functional demo apps included in this repository: a Xamarin Native and Xamarin Forms apps for both iOS and Android platforms. Use these apps as reference models for integrating the Branch SDK.

Testbed-Xamarin (Native apps)

• iOS
• Android

Testbed-XamarinForms (Forms apps)

• iOS
• Android

Should you run into issues with the SDK, please check that they are present in the appropriate demo app before submitting any issue as a bug.

Branch links consist of an app-specific base domain (testbed-xamarin.app.link, for example) followed by an alphanumeric suffix. This suffix, referred to as the alias, can be either randomly generated (FCIWxFeBGx, for example) or manually-defined (testlink, for example). The app-specific base domain used to create the links is termed the Branch link domain.

A Branch-integrated app called TestBed-Xamarin and assigned the dafult Branch link domain testbed-xamarin.app.link has the following Branch links:

• https://testbed-xamarin.app.link/FCIWxFeBGx
• https://testbed-xamarin.app.link/testlink

Note that when using the 'app.link' default link domain there is a second, alternate, form of the link domain that comes into play when displaying Branch Deepviews - the alternate link domain. This alternate link domain sees the domain's '.app.link' string replaced by '-alternate.app.link'. If you are using a default app.link link domain, both the regular and alternate domains will be needed when configuring a project to support deep linking.

Branch keys consist of a prefix (key_live_ or key_test_) followed by a string of 32 aphanumeric characters (key_live_kdzhBMBYt5Pi4g4DVRfQbdkbqDlm5rIv, for example). Branch keys are used to associate apps with Branch links. An app's Branch key is required to initialize the Branch SDK. Data associated with Branch links can only be read by apps that use the same Branch key.

Note that the Live and Test apps on the Branch dashboard are completely separate; each has its own Branch key. Even when Live and Test sections of the dashboard have been configured identically and links from both are able to open up a particular app, the app will only receive link data for which it has the matching Branch key.

Register the app on the Branch dashboard, here: https://dashboard.branch.io

The Branch key can be found on the General Settings page. The app's Branch link domain will be listed at the very bottom of the Link Settings page.

The Branch Xamarin SDK is available as a NuGet package. The Branch NuGet package must be added to each of the Xamarin projects that will use Branch methods.

To add the Branch NuGet package to a project:

1. Right-click on each project and select Add > Add NuGet Packages
2. If not already present, find the Microsoft BCL Build Components package version 1.0.21 and add it to the project
3. Find the Branch Xamarin SDK package version 3.0 and add it to the project

If, instead of using NuGet, you would rather build and reference the Branch assemblies directly:

1. Clone this repository to the local machine: https://github.com/BranchMetrics/xamarin-branch-deep-linking.git
2. Add the Branch-Xamarin-SDK project to the solution and reference it from the Android, iOS and Forms (if applicable) projects
3. Add the Branch-Xamarin-SDK.Droid project to the solution and reference it from the Android project, if any
4. Add the Branch-Xamarin-SDK.iOS project and reference it from the iOS project, if any

The steps for integrating the Branch SDK with a project differ depending on whether or not the project is creating a Xamarin Forms application and on which mobile platform the project is intended, iOS or Android. Instructions for each of the four scenarios are provided below.

I. Create an Apple device Provisioning Profile for the app

1. Open Xcode and create a new project with the same name as your Xamarin iOS project
2. On the Xcode project's General tab, verify the app's case-sensitive Bundle Identifier is correct and select the appropriate Team (be sure to resolve any errors here)
3. Select the Capabilities tab and enable the Associated Domains entitlement
4. Create 'applinks:' entries for the Branch link domain and the alternate link domain (the link domain can be found at the bottom of the Branch dashboard's Link Settings page). For example, the entries for an app with the default link domain 'testiosapp.app.link' would be:
         applinks:testiosapp.app.link
      applinks:testiosapp-alternate.app.link
5. Use Xcode to run this newly-created app on an iOS device. This will create and install a Provisioning Profile with the proper entitlements on that device.
6. Close Xcode

II. Enter the app's settings on the Branch dashboard

1. On the Link Settings page, check the I have an iOS App checkbox
2. Enter the app's URI Scheme in the iOS URI Scheme field (for an app with the URI Scheme testbed-xamarin, for example, the entry would be: testbed-xamarin://)
3. Enter the app's Apple Store name in the Apple Store Search field (if the app is not yet available on the App Store select Custom URL and enter as a placeholder the URL of an appropriate web site - the exact site does not matter)
4. Check the Enable Universal Links checkbox
5. Enter the app's case-sensitive Bundle Identifier and Apple App Prefix as shown on the Apple Developer Portal

III. Configure the Xamarin project's Info.plist file

1. Open the Info.plist file
2. Enter the app's Bundle Identifier from the Apple Developer Portal in the Bundle Identifier field. IMPORTANT: this field will automatically be populated with an all-lowercase value by Xamarin. The value is in fact case sensitive and must match the value in the Apple Developer Portal precisely.
3. Click on the Advanced tab
4. In the URL Types section, click the Add URL Type button
         Identifier: Branch Scheme
         URL Schemes: {the app's URI Scheme - 'testiosapp', for example}
         Role: Editor

IV. Configure the Xamarin project's Associated Domains entitlement

1. Open the Entitlements.plist file and browse to Associated Domains
2. Create entries for both the app's link domain and its alternate link domain. The entries for the TestBed-Xamarin app would be:
         applinks:testiosapp.app.link
      applinks:testiosapp-alternate.app.link

V. Add Branch calls to the AppDelegate.cs file

Branch initialization occurs within the FinishedLaunching method of the AppDelegate.cs file. Branch calls are also required in the OpenUrl, ContinueUserActivity, and ReceiveRemoteNotification methods to ensure that Branch link information is handled properly whenever the app becomes active.

Whenever the app becomes active, the Branch SDK will reach out to the Branch back end to retrieve any available link parameters. If the app became active due to a click on a Branch link, the link data will be returned in the InitSessionComplete method. This is where any deep link routing logic should reside. Any error in retrieving Branch link data from the back end will returned in the SessionRequestError method.

using Foundation;
using UIKit;
using BranchXamarinSDK;
using BranchXamarinSDK.iOS;
using System;

namespace TestiOSApp.iOS
{
	[Register("AppDelegate")]
	public class AppDelegate : UIApplicationDelegate, IBranchBUOSessionInterface
	{
		public override UIWindow Window
		{
			get;
			set;
		}

		public override bool FinishedLaunching(UIApplication application, NSDictionary launchOptions)
		{
			// Debug mode - set to 'false' before releasing to production
			BranchIOS.Debug = true; 
			BranchIOS.Init("key_live_cgEguO4UiDJSL4HIyTu85dkkDAdz38ER", launchOptions, this);

			return true;
		}

		// Called when the app is opened via URI scheme
		public override bool OpenUrl(UIApplication application, NSUrl url, string sourceApplication, NSObject annotation)
		{
			return BranchIOS.getInstance().OpenUrl(url);
		}

		// Called when the app is opened from a Universal Link
		public override bool ContinueUserActivity(UIApplication application, NSUserActivity userActivity,
					  UIApplicationRestorationHandler completionHandler)
		{
			return BranchIOS.getInstance().ContinueUserActivity(userActivity);
		}

		// Called when the app receives a push notification
		public override void ReceivedRemoteNotification(UIApplication application, NSDictionary userInfo)
		{
			BranchIOS.getInstance().HandlePushNotification(userInfo);
		}
		
		// Called when the Branch initialization is completed
		// Put deep-linking logic in this method
		public void InitSessionComplete(BranchUniversalObject buo, BranchLinkProperties blp)
		{
			NSObject[] keys = {
				NSObject.FromObject("+is_first_session")
			};

			NSObject[] values = { NSObject.FromObject(0) };
			if (buo.metadata.ContainsKey("+is_first_session"))
			{
				values[0] = NSObject.FromObject(buo.metadata["+is_first_session"]);
			}

			NSDictionary nsData = NSDictionary.FromObjectsAndKeys(values, keys);
		}
		
		// Called when there is an error initializing Branch
		public void SessionRequestError(BranchError error)
		{
			Console.WriteLine("Branch error: " + error.ErrorCode);
			Console.WriteLine(error.ErrorMessage);
		}

	}
}

VI. Update the project's Signing Identity and Provisioning Profile

1. Right-click on the iOS project and select Options
2. Select iOS Bundle Signing
3. Set the Signing Identity and Provisioning Profile values to the values used when deploying the Provisioning Profile to the device above

I. Ensure that the Android project is not using the Shared Mono Runtime

1. Right-click on the Android project and select: Options
2. Select: Android Build
3. On the General tab, un-check: Use Shared Mono Runtime

II. Add app capabilities in the app's Manifest file

In the Required permissions section of AndroidManifest.xml, configure the following permissions:

• AccessNetworkState
• Internet

Additional reading on the Android manifest

• Working with android manifest.xml
• Add permissions to android manifest

III. Add the app's Branch key to the Strings.xml file

Add the Branch key to the Android project's Resources/values/Strings.xml file. This file contains values that can be accessed by the app's Application class.

<?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-8"?>
<resources>
	<string name="app_name">TestXamarinFormsApp</string>
	<string name="branch_key">key_live_liAnF8k7gZUEZv76Rt9a4bffAzlC5zVW</string>
</resources>

IV. Create the project's Application class

Create an Application.cs file

1. Right-click on the .Droid project and select Add > New File...
2. Select: General > Empty File
3. Name the file: Application.cs
4. Enter the following code (replace 'TestAndroidApp' with the actual name of the app):

using System;
using Android.App;
using Android.Content;
using Android.Runtime;
using BranchXamarinSDK;

namespace TestAndroidApp.Droid
{
	[Application(AllowBackup = true, Icon = "@mipmap/icon", Label = "@string/app_name")]
	[MetaData("io.branch.sdk.auto_link_disable", Value = "false")]
	[MetaData("io.branch.sdk.TestMode", Value = "true")]
	[MetaData("io.branch.sdk.BranchKey", Value = "@string/branch_key")]

	public class TestAndroidApp : Application
	{
		public TestAndroidApp(IntPtr javaReference, JniHandleOwnership transfer) : base(javaReference, transfer)
		{
		}

		public override void OnCreate()
		{
			base.OnCreate();
			BranchAndroid.GetAutoInstance(this.ApplicationContext);
		}
	}
}

V. Create an activity to handle Branch events: BranchActivity

1. Right-click on the .Droid project and select Add > New File...
2. Select: Android > Activity
3. Rename the file: BranchActivity.cs
4. Enter the following code (replace 'TestAndroidApp' with the actual name of the app):

using System;
using System.Collections.Generic;
using System.Linq;
using System.Text;
using Newtonsoft.Json;
using BranchXamarinSDK;

using Android.App;
using Android.Content;
using Android.OS;
using Android.Runtime;
using Android.Views;
using Android.Widget;

namespace TestAndroidApp.Droid
{
	[Activity(Label = "BranchActivity")]
	public class BranchActivity : Activity

	{
		private string logString = "";

		protected override void OnCreate(Bundle savedInstanceState)
		{
			base.OnCreate(savedInstanceState);

			LogMessage("Branch initialization completed: ");

			Dictionary<string, object> data = JsonConvert.DeserializeObject<Dictionary<string, object>>(Intent.GetStringExtra("BranchData"));
			foreach (var key in data.Keys)
			{
				LogMessage(key + " : " + data[key].ToString());
			}
		}

		#region Utils

		void LogMessage(string message)
		{
			Console.WriteLine(message);
			logString += DateTime.Now.ToLongTimeString() + "> " + message + "\n";
		}

		#endregion
	}
}

VI. Create an activity to handle Branch errors: BranchErrorActivity

1. Right-click on the .Droid project and select Add > New File...
2. Select: Android > Activity
3. Rename the file: BranchErrorActivity.cs
4. Enter the following code (replace 'TestAndroidApp' with the actual name of the app):

using System;
using System.Collections.Generic;
using System.Linq;
using System.Text;

using Android.App;
using Android.Content;
using Android.OS;
using Android.Runtime;
using Android.Views;
using Android.Widget;

namespace TestAndroidApp.Droid
{
	[Activity(Label = "BranchErrorActivity")]
	public class BranchErrorActivity : Activity
	{
		private string logString = "";

		protected override void OnCreate(Bundle savedInstanceState)
		{
			base.OnCreate(savedInstanceState);

			LogMessage("Branch initialization failed");
			LogMessage("Error code: " + Intent.Extras.GetInt("ErrorCode").ToString());
			LogMessage(Intent.Extras.GetString("ErrorMessage"));
		}

		#region Utils

		void LogMessage(string message)
		{
			Console.WriteLine(message);
			logString += DateTime.Now.ToLongTimeString() + "> " + message + "\n";
		}

		#endregion
	}
}

VII. Initialize Branch and configure Branch session management

Branch must be initilialized in the OnCreate method of either the Application class or the first Activity launched by the app. The OnNewIntent method must be added to retrieve the latest link identifier when the app becomes active due to a Branch link click.

Branch initializes asynchronously, with Branch link parameters being returned following a network call to Branch. If initialization is successful, the InitSessionComplete method will be invoked. If initialization is unsuccessful, the SessionRequestError method will be invoked. Deep link routing logic should be located in the InitSessionComplete method.

In the code example below the following Branch initialization and session management steps have been added to MainActivity.cs:

• An Activity to respond to the app's URI Scheme
• An Activity is launched in singleTask mode
• Override the OnCreate method and initialize the Branch SDK
• Override the OnNewIntent method
• Add an InitSessionComplete method for processing Branch link information (this is where deep link routing code should be located)
• Add a SessionRequestError method to handle situations where Branch fails to initialize

using Android.App;
using Android.Widget;
using Android.OS;
using BranchXamarinSDK;
using System;
using System.Collections.Generic;
using Android.Content;
using Newtonsoft.Json;

namespace TestAndroidApp.Droid
{
	[Activity(Label = "TestAndroidApp", MainLauncher = true, Icon = "@mipmap/icon", LaunchMode = Android.Content.PM.LaunchMode.SingleTask)]

	[IntentFilter(new[] { "android.intent.action.VIEW" },
	Categories = new[] { "android.intent.category.DEFAULT", "android.intent.category.BROWSABLE" },
	DataScheme = "testandroidapp",
	DataHost = "open")]

	[IntentFilter(new[] { "android.intent.action.VIEW" },
	Categories = new[] { "android.intent.category.DEFAULT", "android.intent.category.BROWSABLE" },
	DataScheme = "https",
	DataHost = "testandroidapp.app.link")]

	public class MainActivity : Activity, IBranchSessionInterface
	{

		protected override void OnCreate(Bundle savedInstanceState)
		{
			base.OnCreate(savedInstanceState);

			BranchAndroid.Init(this, Resources.GetString(Resource.String.branch_key), this);
		}

		// Ensure we get the updated link identifier when the app becomes active
		// due to a Branch link click after having been in the background
		protected override void OnNewIntent(Intent intent)
		{
			this.Intent = intent;
		}

		public void InitSessionComplete(Dictionary<string, object> data)
		{
			var intent = new Intent(this, typeof(BranchActivity));
			intent.PutExtra("BranchData", JsonConvert.SerializeObject(data));

			StartActivity(intent);
		}

		public void SessionRequestError(BranchError error)
		{
			Console.WriteLine("Branch session initialization error: " + error.ErrorCode);
			Console.WriteLine(error.ErrorMessage);

			var intent = new Intent(this, typeof(BranchErrorActivity));
			intent.PutExtra("ErrorCode", error.ErrorCode);
			intent.PutExtra("ErrorMessage", error.ErrorMessage);

			StartActivity(intent);
		}
	}
}

These steps are required for all Forms projects, both iOS and Android.

I. Change the C# project's profile to PCL 4.5 - Profile78

1. Right-click on the project name and select: Options
2. Browse the menu to Build > General
3. Change the Current Profile to: PCL 4.5 - Profile78

II. Add the Branch SDK with NuGet

The Branch Xamarin SDK is available as a NuGet package. The Branch NuGet package must be added to each of the Xamarin projects that will use Branch methods.

1. Right-click on each project and select Add > Add NuGet Packages
2. If not already present, find the Microsoft BCL Build Components package version 1.0.21 and add it to the project
3. Find the Branch Xamarin SDK package version 3.0 and add it to the project

III. Create a class for Branch session handling

Branch initializes asynchronously, with Branch link parameters being returned following a network call to Branch. If initialization is successful, the InitSessionComplete method will be invoked. If initialization is unsuccessful, the SessionRequestError method will be invoked. Deep link routing logic should be located in the InitSessionComplete method.

1. Right-click on the C# project and select Add > New File...
2. Select: General > Empty Class
3. Rename the file: TestXamarinFormsApp.cs
4. Enter the following code (replacing 'TestXamarinFormsApp' with the actual name of the app):

using BranchXamarinSDK;
using System.Collections.Generic;
using System.ComponentModel;
using Xamarin.Forms;

namespace TestXamarinFormsApp
{
	public class TestXamarinFormsApp : Application, IBranchSessionInterface
	{

		public TestXamarinFormsApp()
		{
		}

		#region IBranchSessionInterface implementation

		public void InitSessionComplete(Dictionary<string, object> data)
		{
		}

		public void CloseSessionComplete()
		{
		}

		public void SessionRequestError(BranchError error)
		{
		}

		#endregion
	}
}

IV. Create a class for handling link data

Branch stores link data in an object referred to as the Branch Universal Object, or BUO.

1. Right-click on the C# project and select Add > New File...
2. Select: General > Empty Class
3. Rename the file: TestXamarinFormsAppBUO.cs
4. Enter the following code (replace 'TestXamarinFormsApp' with the actual name of the app):

using BranchXamarinSDK;
using System.Collections.Generic;
using System.ComponentModel;
using Xamarin.Forms;

namespace TestXamarinFormsApp
{
	public class TestXamarinFormsAppBUO : Application, IBranchBUOSessionInterface
	{

		public TestXamarinFormsAppBUO()
		{
		}

		#region IBranchBUOSessionInterface implementation

		public void InitSessionComplete(BranchUniversalObject buo, BranchLinkProperties blp)
		{
		}

		public void SessionRequestError(BranchError error)
		{
		}

		#endregion
	}
}

I. Create an Apple device Provisioning Profile for the app

1. Open Xcode and create a new project with the same name as your Xamarin iOS project
2. On the Xcode project's General tab, enter the app's Bundle Identifier and select the appropriate Team (be sure to resolve any errors here)
3. Select the Capabilities tab and enable the Associated Domains entitlement
4. Create 'applinks:' entries for the Branch link domain assigned to the app (the link domain can be found at the bottom of the Branch dashboard's Link Settings page). For example, the entries for the app TestXamarinFormsApp would be:
       applinks:testxamarinformsapp.app.link
    applinks:testxamarinformsapp-alternate.app.link
5. Use Xcode to run this newly-created app on an iOS device. This will create and install a Provisioning Profile with the proper entitlements on that device.
6. Close Xcode

II. Enter the app's settings on the Branch dashboard

1. On the Link Settings page, check the I have an iOS App checkbox
2. Enter the app's URI Scheme in the iOS URI Scheme field (for an app with the URI Scheme testxamarinformsapp, for example, the entry would be: testxamarinformsapp://)
3. Enter the app's Apple Store name in the Apple Store Search field (if the app is not yet available on the App Store select Custom URL and enter as a placeholder the URL of an appropriate web site - the exact site does not matter)
4. Check the Enable Universal Links checkbox
5. Enter the app's Bundle Identifier and Apple App Prefix as shown on the Apple Developer Portal

III. Configure the Xamarin project's Info.plist file

1. Open the Info.plist file
2. Enter the app's Bundle Identifier from the Apple Developer Portal in the Bundle Identifier field. IMPORTANT: this field will automatically be populated with an all-lowercase value by Xamarin. The value is in fact case sensitive and must match the value in the Apple Developer Portal precisely.
3. Click on the Advanced tab
4. In the URL Types section, click the Add URL Type button
         Identifier: Branch Scheme
         URL Schemes: {the app's URI Scheme - 'testxamarinformsapp', for example}
         Role: Editor

IV. Configure the Xamarin project's Associated Domains entitlement

1. Open the Entitlements.plist file and browse to Associated Domains (if this file does not already exist, create it)
2. Create entries for both the app's link domain and its alternate link domain. The entries for the TestBed-Xamarin app would be:
         applinks:testxamarinformsapp.app.link
      applinks:testxamarinformsapp-alternate.app.link

V. Add Branch calls to the AppDelegate.cs file

To ensure that the Branch SDK initializes when the app starts and can retrieve link parameters whenever the app becomes active, Branch initialization occurs within the FinishedLaunching method of the AppDelegate.cs file. Branch calls are also required in the OpenUrl, ContinueUserActivity, and ReceiveRemoteNotification methods to ensure that Branch link information is handled properly whenever the app becomes active. The AppDelegate.cs file should look like this:

using System;
using System.Collections.Generic;
using System.Linq;

using Foundation;
using UIKit;
using BranchXamarinSDK;
using TestXamarinFormsApp;

namespace TestXamarinFormsApp.iOS
{
	[Register("AppDelegate")]
	public partial class AppDelegate : global::Xamarin.Forms.Platform.iOS.FormsApplicationDelegate
	{
		public override bool FinishedLaunching(UIApplication app, NSDictionary options)
		{
			global::Xamarin.Forms.Forms.Init();

			// Debug mode - set to 'false' before releasing to production
			BranchIOS.Debug = true;

			TestXamarinFormsAppBUO appBUO = new TestXamarinFormsAppBUO();
			BranchIOS.Init("key_live_liAnF8k7gZUEZv76Rt9a4bffAzlC5zVW", options, appBUO);
			LoadApplication(appBUO);

			return base.FinishedLaunching(app, options);
		}

		// Called when the app is opened via URI scheme
		public override bool OpenUrl(UIApplication application, NSUrl url, string sourceApplication, NSObject annotation)
		{
			return BranchIOS.getInstance().OpenUrl(url);
		}

		// Called when the app is opened from a Universal Link 
		public override bool ContinueUserActivity(UIApplication application, NSUserActivity userActivity, UIApplicationRestorationHandler completionHandler)
		{
			return BranchIOS.getInstance().ContinueUserActivity(userActivity);
		}

		// Called when the app receives a push notification
		public override void ReceivedRemoteNotification(UIApplication application, NSDictionary userInfo)
		{
			BranchIOS.getInstance().HandlePushNotification(userInfo);
		}
	}
}

I. Ensure that the Android project is not using the Shared Mono Runtime

1. Right-click on the Android project and select: Options
2. Select: Android Build
3. On the General tab, un-check: Use Shared Mono Runtime

II. Add app capabilities in the AndroidManifest.xml file

In the Required permissions section of AndroidManifest.xml, configure the following permissions:

• AccessNetworkState
• Internet

Additional reading on the Android manifest

• Working with android manifest.xml
• Add permissions to android manifest

III. Add the app's Branch key to the Strings.xml file

Create a Resources/values/Strings.xml file that can be accessed by the app's Application class for the Android project and add the Branch key to this file.

1. In the Android project, browse to Resources/values
2. Right-click on the values folder and select: Add > New File...
3. Select: XML > Empty XML File
4. Name the file: Strings
5. Enter the following values:

<?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-8"?>
<resources>
	<string name="app_name">TestXamarinFormsApp</string>
	<string name="branch_key">key_live_liAnF8k7gZUEZv76Rt9a4bffAzlC5zVW</string>
</resources>

IV. Configure the .Droid project's Application class

Within the .Droid project's Application class:

• Set the Branch SDK's initialization parameters
• Override the OnCreate() method to call BranchAndroid.GetAutoInstance

If an Appplication class does not already exist for the project, create one:

1. Right-click on the .Droid project and select: Add > New File...
2. Select: General > Empty Class
3. Name the file: {app name} ('TestXamarinFormsApp', for example)

The file should have the following contents:

using System;
using Android.App;
using Android.Content;
using Android.Runtime;
using BranchXamarinSDK;

namespace TestXamarinFormsApp.Droid
{

	[Application (AllowBackup = true, Icon = "@drawable/icon", Label = "@string/app_name")]
	[MetaData("io.branch.sdk.auto_link_disable", Value = "false")]
	[MetaData("io.branch.sdk.TestMode", Value = "true")]
	[MetaData("io.branch.sdk.BranchKey", Value = "@string/branch_key")]

	public class App : Application
	{
		public App(IntPtr javaReference, JniHandleOwnership transfer) : base(javaReference, transfer)
		{
		}

		public override void OnCreate()
		{
			base.OnCreate();
			BranchAndroid.GetAutoInstance(this.ApplicationContext);
		}
	}
}

V. Initialize Branch

Branch must be initilialized in the OnCreate method of either the Application class or the first Activity launched by the app. The OnNewIntent method must be added to retrieve the latest link identifier when the app becomes active due to a Branch link click.

In the code example below the following Branch initialization and session management steps have been added to MainActivity.cs:

• Register an Activity to respond to the app's URI Scheme
• Ensure the Activity is launched in singleTask mode
• Override the OnCreate method and initialize the Branch SDK
• Override the OnNewIntent method

using System;

using Android.App;
using Android.Content;
using Android.Content.PM;
using Android.Runtime;
using Android.Views;
using Android.Widget;
using Android.OS;

using BranchXamarinSDK;
using TestXamarinFormsApp;

namespace TestXamarinFormsApp.Droid
{
	[Activity(Label = "TestXamarinFormsApp.Droid", LaunchMode = LaunchMode.SingleTask, Icon = "@drawable/icon", Theme = "@style/MyTheme", MainLauncher = true, ConfigurationChanges = ConfigChanges.ScreenSize | ConfigChanges.Orientation)]

	[IntentFilter(new[] { "android.intent.action.VIEW" },
		Categories = new[] { "android.intent.category.DEFAULT", "android.intent.category.BROWSABLE" },
		DataScheme = "testxamarinformsapp",
		DataHost = "open")]

	[IntentFilter(new[] { "android.intent.action.VIEW" },
		Categories = new[] { "android.intent.category.DEFAULT", "android.intent.category.BROWSABLE" },
		DataScheme = "https",
		DataHost = "testxamarinformsapp.app.link")]
	
	public class MainActivity : global::Xamarin.Forms.Platform.Android.FormsApplicationActivity
	{
		protected override void OnCreate(Bundle savedInstanceState)
		{
			base.OnCreate(savedInstanceState);

			global::Xamarin.Forms.Forms.Init(this, savedInstanceState);

			TestXamarinFormsAppBUO linkData = new TestXamarinFormsAppBUO();
			BranchAndroid.Init(this, GetString(Resource.String.branch_key), linkData);
			LoadApplication(linkData);
		}

		protected override void OnNewIntent(Intent intent)
		{
			this.Intent = intent;
		}
	}
}

Branch uses the Apple Advertising Identifier, or IDFA, to identify users across our entire partner network, greatly increasing the accuracy of matching. Read more about matching accuracy on the Matching Platform page.

Be sure to let Apple know that you are using the IDFA when submitting apps to the App Store after integrating the Branch SDK.

1. Answer Yes when presented with the question: Does this app use the Advertising Identifier (IDFA)?
2. Check the following two boxes:

• Attribute this app installation to a previously served advertisement
• Attribute an action taken within this app to a previously served advertisement

These session parameters will be available at any point later on with this command. If no params, the dictionary will be empty. This refreshes with every new session (app installs AND app opens)

Dictionary<string, object> sessionParams = Branch.GetInstance().GetLatestReferringParams();

or

BranchUniversalObject buo = Branch.GetInstance().GetLastReferringBranchUniversalObject();
BranchLinkProperties blp = Branch.GetInstance().GetLastReferringBranchLinkProperties();

If you ever want to access the original session params (the parameters passed in for the first install event only), you can use this line. This is useful if you only want to reward users who newly installed the app from a referral link or something.

Branch branch = Branch.GetInstance ();
Dictionary<string, object> installParams = branch.GetFirstReferringParams();

or

BranchUniversalObject buo = Branch.GetInstance().GetFirstReferringBranchUniversalObject();
BranchLinkProperties blp = Branch.GetInstance().GetFirstReferringBranchLinkProperties();

Often, you might have the own user IDs, or want referral and event data to persist across platforms or uninstall/reinstall. It's helpful if you know the users access the service from different devices. This where we introduce the concept of an 'identity'.

To identify a user, just call:

Branch branch = Branch.GetInstance (); 
branch.SetIdentity("the user id", this);  // Where this implements IBranchIdentityInterface

If you provide a logout function in the app, be sure to clear the user when the logout completes. This will ensure that all the stored parameters get cleared and all events are properly attributed to the right identity.

Warning this call will clear the referral credits and attribution on the device.

Branch branch = Branch.GetInstance ();
branch.Logout(this); // Where this implements IBranchIdentityInterface

Branch branch = Branch.GetInstance ();
branch.UserCompletedAction("the_custom_event");

OR if you want to store some state with the event

Branch branch = Branch.GetInstance ();
Dictionary<string, object> data = new Dictionary<string, object>();
data.Add("sku", "123456789");
branch.UserCompletedAction("purchase_event", data);

Some example events you might want to track:

"complete_purchase"
"wrote_message"
"finished_level_ten"

Branch links can be created in-app (as well as in many other ways - see: Branch link creation guide. When they are, and setIdentity has been called to associate a User ID with the current user session, Branch links will be associated with that User ID.

// you can access this data from any instance that installs or opens the app from this link

BranchUniversalObject universalObject = new BranchUniversalObject();
universalObject.canonicalIdentifier = "id12345";
universalObject.title = "id12345 title";
universalObject.contentDescription = "My awesome piece of content!";
universalObject.imageUrl = "https://s3-us-west-1.amazonaws.com/branchhost/mosaic_og.png";
universalObject.metadata.Add("foo", "bar");

BranchLinkProperties linkProperties = new BranchLinkProperties();
linkProperties.tags.Add("tag1");
linkProperties.tags.Add("tag2");
linkProperties.feature = "sharing";
linkProperties.channel = "facebook";
linkProperties.controlParams.Add("$desktop_url", "http://example.com");

Branch.GetInstance().GetShortURL (callback,
		                          universalObject,
		                          linkProperties);

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 the OG tags!

Also, you do custom redirection by inserting the following optional keys in the dictionary:

You have the ability to control the direct deep linking of each link by inserting the following optional keys in the dictionary:

The Branch Universal Object is a data object representing a piece of content that is referenced by a Branch link. Together with a set of Link Properties (marketing metadata such as Campaign and Channel as well as Branch-behavior related parameters such as $eepview_path), can be combined to generate a Branch link.

BranchUniversalObject universalObject = new BranchUniversalObject();
universalObject.canonicalIdentifier = "id12345";
universalObject.title = "id12345 title";
universalObject.contentDescription = "My awesome piece of content!";
universalObject.imageUrl = "https://s3-us-west-1.amazonaws.com/branchhost/mosaic_og.png";
universalObject.metadata.Add("foo", "bar");

BranchLinkProperties linkProperties = new BranchLinkProperties();
linkProperties.tags.Add("tag1");
linkProperties.tags.Add("tag2");
linkProperties.feature = "sharing";
linkProperties.channel = "facebook";
linkProperties.controlParams.Add("$desktop_url", "http://example.com");

Branch.GetInstance().GetShortURL (callback,
		                          universalObject,
		                          linkProperties);

InitSession (IBranchBUOSessionInterface callback)

RegisterView (BranchUniversalObject universalObject)

ShareLink (IBranchLinkShareInterface callback,
		   BranchUniversalObject universalObject,
		   BranchLinkProperties linkProperties,
		   string 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. Here are a couple example scenarios:

1. Reward the original user for taking action (eg. inviting, purchasing, etc)

2. Reward the invitee for installing the app from the original user's referral link

3. 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.

Reward balances change randomly on the backend when certain actions are taken (defined by the rules), so you'll need to make an asynchronous call to retrieve the balance. Here is the syntax:

Branch branch = Branch.GetInstance ();
branch.LoadRewards(this);

#region IBranchRewardsInterface implementation

		public void RewardsLoaded ()
		{
			// Do something with the data...
		}

		public void RewardsRedeemed ()
		{
			// Do something with the data...
		}

		public void CreditHistory (List<CreditHistoryEntry> history)
		{
			// Do something with the data...
		}

		public void RewardsRequestError (BranchError error)
		{
			// Do something with the data...
		}

#endregion

We will store how many of the rewards have been deployed so that you don't have to track it on the end. In order to save that you gave the credits to the user, you can call redeem. Redemptions will reduce the balance of outstanding credits permanently.

Branch branch = Branch.GetInstance ();
branch.RedeemRewards(this, amount, bucket);

#region IBranchRewardsInterface implementation

		public void RewardsLoaded ()
		{
			// Do something with the data...
		}

		public void RewardsRedeemed ()
		{
			// Do something with the data...
		}

		public void CreditHistory (List<CreditHistoryEntry> history)
		{
			// Do something with the data...
		}

		public void RewardsRequestError (BranchError error)
		{
		 // Do something with the data...
		}

		#endregion

This call will retrieve the entire history of credits and redemptions from the individual user. It also implements the IBranchRewardsInterface(see above). To use this call, implement like so:

Branch branch = Branch.GetInstance ();
branch.GetCreditHistory(this);

The response will return an array that has been parsed from the following JSON:

[
    {
        "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"
    }
]

referrer : The id of the referring user for this credit transaction. Returns null if no referrer is involved. Note this id is the user id in developer's own system that's previously passed to Branch's identify user API call.

referree : The id of the user who was referred for this credit transaction. Returns null if no referree is involved. Note this id is the user id in developer's own system that's previously passed to Branch's identify user API call.

type : This is the type of credit transaction

1. 0 - A reward that was added automatically by the user completing an action or referral
2. 1 - A reward that was added manually
3. 2 - A redemption of credits that occurred through our API or SDKs
4. 3 - This is a very unique case where we will subtract credits automatically when we detect fraud

Changed methods Starting with version 3.0 the method of creating links:

GetShortUrl(IBranchUrlInterface callback, Dictionary<String, dynamic> ...)

has been deprecated in favor of creating links with BranchUniversalObjects and Link Properties:

GetShortUrl(IBranchUrlInterface callback, BranchUniversalObject universalObject, BranchLinkProperties linkProperties);

There are no other notable user-impacting changes.

This version of the Branch SDK is a wrapper around our native iOS and Android libraries. Some Xamarin methods that had method names that differed from native SDK method names have been updated.

To migrate to version 2.x.x:

1. Delete the old nuget package
2. Install the new Xamarin SDK nuget package

Changed Interfaces

• IBranchRewardsInterface
• IBranchUrlInterface

Changed methods

• GetShortUrlAsync -> GetShortUrl

Deleted Interfaces

• IBranchProperties
• IBranchActionsInterface
• IBranchGetDeviceInformation
• IBranchReferralInterface

Deleted methods

• LoadReferralActionCountsAsync
• GetReferralCodeAsync
• ValidateReferralCodeAsync
• ApplyReferralCodeAsync
• GetReferralCountsForAction

Adding required NuGet packages to the C# project may fail if the project has not been configured to use PCL 4.5 - Profile78

1. Right-click on the project name and select: Options
2. Browse the menu to Build > General
3. Change the Current Profile to: PCL 4.5 - Profile78

The Newtonsoft JSON NuGet package is automatically added to a project when the Branch Xamarin SDK NuGet package is added. There is a known issue with this package that results in linking errors when building a project.

error XA0009: Error while loading assembly: /Users/david/Projects/TestXamarinFormsApp/Droid/obj/Debug/android/assets/mscorlib.dll

To resolve this issue with the Newtonsoft JSON NuGet package:

1. Right-click on the project and select Options
2. Go to Android Build and select the Linker tab
3. Select: Release
4. Go to the Ignore assemblies box
5. Add: System.Core
6. Rebuild the app

Xamarin automatically populates the Bundle Identifier field in the Info.plist file with an all-lowercase value derived from the app's name. This value is in fact case sensitive and must match the value in the Apple Developer Portal precisely. The default Xamarin configuration may work when there are no entitlements configured and then suddenly begin failing after entitlements have been added.

This issue can be resolved by ensuring that the Bundle Identifier in the Info.plist matches the Bundle Identifier shown on the Apple Developer Portal.

1. Open the Info.plist file
2. Enter the app's Bundle Identifier from the Apple Developer Portal in the Bundle Identifier field