Background Geolocation for NativeScript ·

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The most sophisticated background location-tracking & geofencing module with battery-conscious motion-detection intelligence for iOS and Android.

The plugin's Philosophy of Operation is to use motion-detection APIs (using accelerometer, gyroscope and magnetometer) to detect when the device is moving and stationary.

• When the device is detected to be moving, the plugin will automatically start recording a location according to the configured distanceFilter (meters).

• When the device is detected be stationary, the plugin will automatically turn off location-services to conserve energy.

Also available for Cordova, ReactNative and pure native apps.

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Contents

• 📚 API Documentation

  • 🔧 Configuration Options
  • ⚡ Events
  • 🔹 Methods

• Installing the Plugin

• Setup Guides

• Configure your License

• Android SDK Setup

• Using the plugin

• Example

• Debugging

• Demo Application

• Testing Server

🔷 Installing the Plugin

From npm

Install the following two plugins:

$ tns plugin add nativescript-background-geolocation-lt

From master (latest, greatest.)

In order to install from Github repo, you must first clone the repo to your local machine and compile the Javascript files (the github repo contains no compiled .js files; they're purposely .gitignored)

$ git clone https://github.com/transistorsoft/nativescript-background-geolocation-lt.git
$ cd nativescript-background-geolocation-lt
$ npm install
$ tsc

The plugin is compiled and ready to be added to your app:

$ tns plugin add /path/to/nativescript-background-geolocation-lt

🔷 Setup Guides

iOS Setup

Since iOS is more strict with apps running in the background, this plugin requires you install nativescript-background-fetch (also created by Transistor Software). This plugin automatically awakens a suspended app in the background, providing exactly 30s of running-time. Actually implementing background-fetch in your application code is optional -- background-geolocation uses it automatically under-the-hood for its own purposes. However, you must perform the plugin's setup process in your app.ts:

app.ts

import * as app from 'application';

+import {BackgroundFetch} from "nativescript-background-fetch";

+if (app.ios) {
+  class MyDelegate extends UIResponder implements UIApplicationDelegate {
+    public static ObjCProtocols = [UIApplicationDelegate];

+    public applicationPerformFetchWithCompletionHandler(application: UIApplication, completionHandler:any) {
+      BackgroundFetch.performFetchWithCompletionHandler(completionHandler, application.applicationState);
+    }
+  }
+  app.ios.delegate = MyDelegate;
+}

app.start({ moduleName: 'main-page' });

NOTE If your build fails with the following errors:

app/app.ts(6,28): error TS2304: Cannot find name 'UIResponder'.
app/app.ts(6,51): error TS2304: Cannot find name 'UIApplicationDelegate'.
app/app.ts(7,36): error TS2304: Cannot find name 'UIApplicationDelegate'.

This is because your app hasn't loaded the ios platform-declarations.

$ npm install --save-dev tns-platform-declarations

Add the following to the file references.d.ts in the root of your application (create the file if it doesn't yet exist):

/// <reference path="./node_modules/tns-platform-declarations/ios.d.ts" />
/// <reference path="./node_modules/tns-platform-declarations/android.d.ts" />

{
    "compilerOptions": {
        "module": "commonjs",
        "target": "es5",
        "sourceMap": true,
        "experimentalDecorators": true,
        "emitDecoratorMetadata": true,
        "noEmitHelpers": true,
+        "noEmitOnError": false
    },
    "exclude": [
        "node_modules",
        "platforms"
    ]
}

Android Setup

Google Play Services

Since this plugin uses Google Play Services, it's very common to have Android build conflicts with other plugins using Play Services / Android support libraries (eg: com.android.support:appcompat-v7). The key to solving build issues is to ensure that all plugins are aligned to the same play-services version (eg: 15.0.1) and support-library versions (eg: 26.1.0). Note: Firebase dependencies must also be aligned to the same play-services version).

You can specify your desired play-services version in the file: app/App_Resources/Android/app.gradle

project.ext {
  googlePlayServicesVersion = "11.8.0"
  supportVersion = "27.0.1"
}

❗ The plugin requires a minimum play-services version of 11.2.0.

🔷 Configure your license

A License) is required to unlock Android for RELEASE builds. Without a license key, the plugin will only work for DEBUG builds.

Edit the file app/App_Resources/Android/App_Resources/AndroidManifest.xml. Copy the following <meta-data /> tag containing your YOUR LICENSE KEY within the <application> element:

<manifest>
  <application>
+    <meta-data android:name="com.transistorsoft.locationmanager.license" android:value="YOUR LICENSE KEY" />
  </application>
</manifest>

🔷 Android SDK

If building from your local machine (as you should be), ensure you have the following items installed or updated in Android SDK Manager

SDK Tools

SDK Platforms

🔷 Demo Application

The plugin hosts its own demo app in the /demo folder. Install it like this:

$ git clone https://github.com/transistorsoft/nativescript-background-geolocation-lt.git
$ cd nativescript-background-geolocation-lt
$ npm install
$ npm run setup

$ cd src
$ npm run demo.android
or
$ npm run demo.ios

Simulating the location with City Drive works well:

🔷 Using the plugin

import BackgroundGeolocation from "nativescript-background-geolocation-lt";

🔷 Example

import {BackgroundGeolocation} from "nativescript-background-geolocation-lt";

export class HelloWorldModel extends observable.Observable {

  private _state: any:

  constructor() {
    super();

    // 1. Listen to events
    BackgroundGeolocation.on("location", this.onLocation.bind(this));
    BackgroundGeolocation.on("motionchange", this.onMotionChange.bind(this));
    BackgroundGeolocation.on("http", this.onHttp.bind(this));
    BackgroundGeolocation.on("heartbeat", this.onHeartbeat.bind(this));
    BackgroundGeolocation.on("schedule", this.onSchedule.bind(this));
    BackgroundGeolocation.on("error", this.onError.bind(this));

    // 2. Configure it.
    BackgroundGeolocation.ready({
      debug: true,
      desiredAccuracy: 0,
      stationaryRadius: 25,
      distanceFilter: 50,
      activityRecognitionInterval: 10000,
      url: 'http://localhost:8080/locations',
      autoSync: true
    }, (state) => {
      // 3. Plugin is now ready to use.
      if (!state.enabled) {
        BackgroundGeolocation.start();
      }
    });
    // NOTE:  Do not execute *any* method which access location-services until
    //  the callback to #configure method executes:

  }

ℹ️ NOTE: The configuration {} provided to the #ready method is applied only when your app is first booted — for every launch thereafter, the plugin will automatically load the last known configuration from persistant storage. If you wish to force the #ready method to always apply the supplied config {}, you can specify reset: true

BackgroundGeolocation.ready({
  reset: true,  // <-- true to always apply the supplied config
  distanceFilter: 10
}, (state) => {
  console.log('- BackgroundGeolocation is ready: ', state);
});

⚠️ Do not execute any API method which will require accessing location-services until the callback to **#ready* executes (eg: #getCurrentPosition, #watchPosition, #start).

Promise API

The BackgroundGeolocation Javascript API supports Promises for nearly every method (the exceptions are #watchPosition and adding event-listeners via #on method. For more information, see the API Documentation

// Traditional API still works:
BackgroundGeolocation.ready({desiredAccuracy: 0, distanceFilter: 50}).then(state => {
  console.log('- BackgroundGeolocation is ready: ', state);
}).catch(error => {
  console.log('- BackgroundGeolocation error: ', error);
});

🔷 Simple Testing Server

A simple Node-based web-application with SQLite database is available for field-testing and performance analysis. If you're familiar with Node, you can have this server up-and-running in about one minute.

Licence

nativescript-background-geolocation
Copyright (c) 2015, Transistor Software (9224-2932 Quebec Inc)
All rights reserved.
[email protected]
http://transistorsoft.com

1. Preamble: This Agreement governs the relationship between YOU OR THE ORGANIZATION ON WHOSE BEHALF YOU ARE ENTERING INTO THIS AGREEMENT (hereinafter: Licensee) and Transistor Software, a LICENSOR AFFILIATION whose principal place of business is Montreal, Quebec, Canada (Hereinafter: Licensor). This Agreement sets the terms, rights, restrictions and obligations on using [{software}] (hereinafter: The Software) created and owned by Licensor, as detailed herein

2. License Grant: Licensor hereby grants Licensee a Personal, Non-assignable & non-transferable, Commercial, Royalty free, Including the rights to create but not distribute derivative works, Non-exclusive license, all with accordance with the terms set forth and other legal restrictions set forth in 3rd party software used while running Software.

   2.1 Limited: Licensee may use Software for the purpose of: - Running Software on Licensee's Website[s] and Server[s]; - Allowing 3rd Parties to run Software on Licensee's Website[s] and Server[s]; - Publishing Software’s output to Licensee and 3rd Parties; - Distribute verbatim copies of Software's output (including compiled binaries); - Modify Software to suit Licensee’s needs and specifications.

   2.2 Binary Restricted: Licensee may sublicense Software as a part of a larger work containing more than Software, distributed solely in Object or Binary form under a personal, non-sublicensable, limited license. Such redistribution shall be limited to unlimited codebases.

3. 2.3 Non Assignable & Non-Transferable: Licensee may not assign or transfer his rights and duties under this license.

   2.4 Commercial, Royalty Free: Licensee may use Software for any purpose, including paid-services, without any royalties

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8. Liability: To the extent permitted under Law, The Software is provided under an AS-IS basis. Licensor shall never, and without any limit, be liable for any damage, cost, expense or any other payment incurred by Licensee as a result of Software’s actions, failure, bugs and/or any other interaction between The Software  and Licensee’s end-equipment, computers, other software or any 3rd party, end-equipment, computer or services. Moreover, Licensor shall never be liable for any defect in source code written by Licensee when relying on The Software or using The Software’s source code.

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