SocialComponents

Summary

This application is a pattern of social components comprising posts, likes, comments, views, and others that can be used for Android application development. It is Firebase-based and uses such Firebase features as the database, storage, and authentication. Our app has Firebase queries implemented in it, i.e. data pagination, filtering data by an author. As well, it is the example of working with Firebase transaction for counting likes, views, and comments. Our application is the great example of material design. The user-friendly animation guides a person by opening screens of details and a user profile.

Current build

The latest app version is available on Google Play

Setup steps

1. First of all you need google-services.json. Create a Firebase project in the Firebase console, if you don't already have one. Go to your project and click ‘Add Firebase to your Android app’. Follow the setup steps. At the end, you'll download a google-services.json file which you should add to your project.

1. Setup realtime database. In firebase console go to DEVELOP->Database-> Get Started -> choose tab ‘RULES’ and past this:

{ "rules": { ".read": "true", ".write": "true" } }

1. If you haven't yet specified your app's SHA-1 fingerprint, do so from the Settings page Settings page of the Firebase console. See Authenticating Your Client for details on how to get your app's SHA-1 fingerprint.

2. Enable the sign in method with google. Go to DEVELOP -> Authentication -> SIGN-IN METHODS. You will see Sign-in providers. Find Google and enable it. Here you will see Web SDK configuration. Open it and copy Web client ID and put it in the project: /app/src/main/res/values/constants.xml to “google_web_client_id” property.

1. Enable facebook sign in method.

2. On the Facebook for Developers site, add new application.

3. Get the App ID and an App Secret for your app.

4. Go to DEVELOP -> Authentication -> SIGN-IN METHODS.
   On the Sign in method tab, enable the Facebook sign-in method and specify the App ID and App Secret
   you got from Facebook. There you can fined OAuth redirect URL (e.g. my-app-12345.firebaseapp.com/__/auth/handler).
   You should use it on the next step.

5. Configure the Facebook Login on the Facebook for Developers site.
   You don't need add extra lines to the project from the instruction! All necessary data is already there.
   Define OAuth redirect URL you got from the firebase console on the previous step.

6. Finally, Put App ID from facebook to the project: /app/src/main/res/values/constants.xml to the “facebook_app_id” property.

7. Init storage. Go to Firebase console, DEVELOP->Storage. Follow instructions on this page. At the end you should see the link. It is like “gs://test-9eff4.appspot.com”. Put this link to the project /app/src/main/res/values/constants.xml to “storage_link” property.

1. Deploy cloud functions
2. Set up and initialize Firebase SDK for Cloud Functions following the
   Firebase instruction.
   Important! During initialization CLI firebase ask you to override package.json and index.js files. Do not override index.js file! All cloud functions code from this repository are already there. Subsequently you can add new functions to this file.
3. Deploy the function by running the command:
   $ firebase deploy --only functions

Now you can install app, login and create a post.

Blog posts

Getting Started — Opening the App

Implemented elements and features:

• Hiding Toolbar when the post list is scrolling down and showing it again when it’s scrolling up.
• RecyclerView with CardViews
• Float Action Button
• Snack Bar for messages
• Refresh a screen
• Loading posts by parts (Progress bar in the bottom of the screen for loading the next portion of posts)

Registration screen

Implemented elements and effects:

• Facebook Sign-In
• Google Sign-In

Create profile

Implemented elements and features:

• Feeling in fields with data from social network
• Text Input Layout
• Pick image or take photo
• Manage App Permissions on Android 6.0

Create post

Implemented elements and features:

• Text Input Layout
• Pick image or take photo
• Manage App Permissions on Android 6.0

Post Details

Implemented elements and features:

• Clickable link in description
• Like button animation
• Add comments
• Scroll to the first comment by press on Comments Counter
• Collapse/expand text in the long comments
• Add complain for the post
• Page is updated in real time

Image Details

Implemented elements and features:

• Zooming image

Post Details. Comments

Implemented elements and features:

• Comments counter
• Collapse / expand text of large comment
• Date of a comment

Profile

Implemented elements and features:

• Posts and likes counters
• Refresh list of posts
• Update profile information (photo and name) in real time
• RecyclerView with CardViews
• My profile options:
  • sign in
  • edit profile
  • create a post

Panel of Counters

Implemented elements and features:

• Counters of watches, likes and comments
• Created date
• Possibility to add like by click on “like” button
• Animation of like button

Edit profile

Implemented elements and features:

• Feeling in fields with personal info of current user
• Text Input Layout
• Pick image or take photo
• Manage App Permissions on Android 6.0

The Social App is a Minimum Viable Product intended for building social features for an Android application. It is free to use for other developers. Though, our team is ready to create a mobile application for you implementing any social features you need, along with GPS-navigation functions, and an offline mode. Contact us to know more.