Overview

The App Linking service allows you to create links that work across multiple platforms including Android, iOS, and web. You can send promotion information to users with links of App Linking, or users can share links of App Linking dynamically generated in your app. Anyone who receives a link can tap it to access the linked content.
When a user taps a link of App Linking:

• If the user has installed your app, they will be redirected to your app content directly. If the user has not installed your app, they will be prompted to install your app first, and then view the in-app content specified by the link.
• In a desktop browser, the user will see the web version of your content.

What You Will Create

In this codelab, you will build an Android app that integrates App Linking. Your app will allow you to:

• Create a link of App Linking.
• Create a long link or short link using an API.
• Share a created link on an Android device.

What You Will Learn

• Integrate the App Linking SDK.
• Call the App Linking SDK to create a link of App Linking.
• Configure your app to receive a link of App Linking.

Development Environment and Skill Requirements

• A computer with Android Studio installed for app development
• Skills in Java and Android Studio
• A HUAWEI ID, whose identity has been verified

Device Requirements

• A device running Android 4.4 or a later version

To integrate App Linking, you must complete the following preparations:

• Create an app in AppGallery Connect.
• Create an Android Studio project.
• Add the app package name.
• Add the AppGallery Connect plugin and Maven repository address.
• Synchronize the project.

Enabling App Linking

1. Sign in to AppGallery Connect, click My projects, click your project card, and select your app from the drop-down list on the top. On the page that is displayed, go to Grow > App Linking. If it is the first time that you use the service, click Use now.
   
2. If the data processing location is not set, set it for your app.

Integrating SDKs

If you are using Android Studio, you can integrate SDKs by using the Maven repository into your Android Studio project before development.

1. Click My projects in AppGallery Connect, click your project card, and select your app for which you want to enable App Linking from the drop-down list on the top.
2. Go to Project settings > General information, and click agconnect-services.json to download it.
3. Copy the agconnect-services.json file to your app's module directory.
   
4. Open the app-level build.gradle file in Android Studio and configure the App Linking SDK. To collect statistics on App Linking events, you need to enable HUAWEI Analytics and integrate the Analytics SDK.

   // Configure the following address: 
   apply plugin: 'com.huawei.agconnect' 
    
   dependencies { 
       // Configure the following addresses: 
       implementation 'com.huawei.agconnect:agconnect-applinking:1.6.2.300' 
       implementation 'com.huawei.hms:hianalytics:6.3.2.300' 
   }
   
   

5. Click Sync Now to synchronize the configurations.
   

In this codelab, you can create a page in your Android Studio project and design the UI according to the following figure, with buttons to create and share a link of App Linking.

<?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-8"?> 
<?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-8"?> 
<androidx.constraintlayout.widget.ConstraintLayout xmlns:android="http://schemas.android.com/apk/res/android" 
    xmlns:app="http://schemas.android.com/apk/res-auto" 
    xmlns:tools="http://schemas.android.com/tools" 
    android:layout_width="match_parent" 
    android:layout_height="match_parent" 
    tools:context=".MainActivity"> 
 
    <TextView 
        android:layout_width="wrap_content" 
        android:layout_height="wrap_content" 
        android:text="Welcome to the Codelab" 
        android:textSize="24dp" 
        android:textAlignment="center" 
        app:layout_constraintBottom_toBottomOf="parent" 
        app:layout_constraintLeft_toLeftOf="parent" 
        app:layout_constraintRight_toRightOf="parent" 
        app:layout_constraintTop_toTopOf="parent" 
        app:layout_constraintVertical_bias="0.1" /> 
 
    <Button 
        android:id="@+id/create" 
        android:layout_width="wrap_content" 
        android:layout_height="wrap_content" 
        android:text="Create App Linking" 
        android:textAllCaps="false" 
        android:textSize="20sp" 
        app:layout_constraintBottom_toBottomOf="parent" 
        app:layout_constraintLeft_toLeftOf="parent" 
        app:layout_constraintRight_toRightOf="parent" 
        app:layout_constraintTop_toTopOf="parent" 
        app:layout_constraintVertical_bias="0.2" /> 
 
    <TextView 
        android:layout_width="match_parent" 
        android:layout_height="wrap_content" 
        android:text="Long App Linking:" 
        android:textSize="18sp" 
        android:textStyle="bold" 
        app:layout_constraintBottom_toBottomOf="parent" 
        app:layout_constraintTop_toTopOf="parent" 
        app:layout_constraintVertical_bias="0.3" /> 
 
    <TextView 
        android:id="@+id/longLinkText" 
        android:layout_width="match_parent" 
        android:layout_height="80dp" 
        app:layout_constraintBottom_toBottomOf="parent" 
        app:layout_constraintTop_toTopOf="parent" 
        app:layout_constraintVertical_bias="0.4" /> 
 
    <TextView 
        android:layout_width="match_parent" 
        android:layout_height="wrap_content" 
        android:text="Short App Linking:" 
        android:textSize="18sp" 
        android:textStyle="bold" 
        app:layout_constraintBottom_toBottomOf="parent" 
        app:layout_constraintTop_toTopOf="parent" 
        app:layout_constraintVertical_bias="0.5" /> 
 
    <TextView 
        android:id="@+id/shortLinkText" 
        android:layout_width="match_parent" 
        android:layout_height="60dp" 
        app:layout_constraintBottom_toBottomOf="parent" 
        app:layout_constraintLeft_toLeftOf="parent" 
        app:layout_constraintRight_toRightOf="parent" 
        app:layout_constraintTop_toTopOf="parent" 
        app:layout_constraintVertical_bias="0.6" /> 
 
    <Button 
        android:id="@+id/shareShort" 
        android:layout_width="wrap_content" 
        android:layout_height="wrap_content" 
        android:text="Share short App Linking" 
        android:textAllCaps="false" 
        android:textSize="20sp" 
        app:layout_constraintBottom_toBottomOf="parent" 
        app:layout_constraintLeft_toLeftOf="parent" 
        app:layout_constraintRight_toRightOf="parent" 
        app:layout_constraintTop_toTopOf="parent" 
        app:layout_constraintVertical_bias="0.7" /> 
 
    <TextView 
        android:layout_width="match_parent" 
        android:layout_height="wrap_content" 
        android:text="getLinkingResult:" 
        android:textSize="20sp" 
        android:textAllCaps="false" 
        android:textStyle="bold" 
        app:layout_constraintBottom_toBottomOf="parent" 
        app:layout_constraintTop_toTopOf="parent" 
        app:layout_constraintVertical_bias="0.75" /> 
 
    <TextView 
        android:id="@+id/result_text" 
        android:layout_width="match_parent" 
        android:layout_height="40dp" 
        android:textSize="15dp" 
        android:hint="Result" 
        android:textAlignment="center" 
        app:layout_constraintBottom_toBottomOf="parent" 
        app:layout_constraintTop_toTopOf="parent" 
        app:layout_constraintVertical_bias="0.85" /> 
 
</androidx.constraintlayout.widget.ConstraintLayout>

1. In AppGallery Connect, click My projects.
2. Click your project card and select an app from the app drop-down list on the top.
3. Go to Grow > App Linking. Click the URL prefixes tab and click New URL prefix. In the Set domain name area, enter the URL prefix used in this codelab.
   
4. Click Next. The system automatically checks whether the URL prefix is available.
   

When creating links of App Linking in your app, you need to specify the URL prefix and deep link. In this codelab, the URL prefix and deep link have been configured.
Open the MainActivity file under app/src/main/java/PACKAGE_NAME of your Android Studio project, and configure the following parameters in Class:

private static final String DOMAIN_URI_PREFIX = "https://codelabhard.drcn.agconnect.link"; 
private static final String DEEP_LINK = "https://developer.huawei.com/consumer/cn"; 
private static final String ANDROID_DEEP_LINK = "codelabhard://applinking.codelab/testid=123"; 
private static String App_LinkingUrl;

1. Open the MainActivity file under app/src/main/java/PACKAGE_NAME of your Android Studio project, and import the following classes:

   import android.content.Intent; 
   import android.net.Uri; 
   import android.os.Bundle; 
   import android.util.Log; 
   import android.widget.TextView; 
   import androidx.appcompat.app.AppCompatActivity; 
   import com.huawei.agconnect.applinking.AGConnectAppLinking; 
   import com.huawei.agconnect.applinking.AppLinking;
   

2. Define UI elements in the onCreate method, which includes two buttons for creating and sharing links of App Linking.

   // create Button 
   findViewById(R.id.create).setOnClickListener(view -> { 
       createAppLinking(); 
   }); 
   // share Button 
   findViewById(R.id.shareShort).setOnClickListener(view -> { 
       shareLink(App_LinkingUrl); 
   });
   

3. Call the API for creating a link of App Linking.

   private void createAppLinking() { 
   	AppLinking.Builder builder = new AppLinking.Builder() 
   			.setUriPrefix(DOMAIN_URI_PREFIX) 
   			.setDeepLink(Uri.parse(DEEP_LINK)) 
   			.setAndroidLinkInfo(new AppLinking.AndroidLinkInfo.Builder() 
   					.setAndroidDeepLink(ANDROID_DEEP_LINK) 
   					.build()); 
    
   	TextView longTextView = findViewById(R.id.longLinkText); 
   	longTextView.setText(builder.buildAppLinking().getUri().toString()); 
    
   	builder.buildShortAppLinking().addOnSuccessListener(shortAppLinking -> { 
   		Log.i("AppLinkingCodeLab", "buildShortAppLinking success"); 
   		TextView shortTextView = findViewById(R.id.shortLinkText); 
   		App_LinkingUrl = shortAppLinking.getShortUrl().toString(); 
   		shortTextView.setText(App_LinkingUrl); 
   	}).addOnFailureListener(e -> { 
   		Log.i("AppLinkingCodeLab", "buildShortAppLinking failed: " + e.toString()); 
   	}); 
   }
   
   

4. Share the created link of App Linking.

   private void shareLink(String LinkingUrl) { 
   	if (LinkingUrl != null) { 
   		Intent intent = new Intent(Intent.ACTION_SEND); 
   		intent.setType("text/plain"); 
   		intent.putExtra(Intent.EXTRA_TEXT, LinkingUrl); 
   		startActivity(intent); 
   	} 
   }
   
   

1. Open the AndroidManifest file under app/src/main of your Android Studio project, and add an intent filter in to receive the link of App Linking.

   <intent-filter> 
       <action android:name="android.intent.action.VIEW" /> 
       <category android:name="android.intent.category.DEFAULT" /> 
       <category android:name="android.intent.category.BROWSABLE" /> 
       <!-- Add the custom scheme of deep link. --> 
       <data android:host="applinking.codelab" android:scheme="codelabhard" /> 
   </intent-filter> 
   <intent-filter android:autoVerify="true"> 
       <action android:name="android.intent.action.VIEW" /> 
       <category android:name="android.intent.category.DEFAULT" /> 
       <category android:name="android.intent.category.BROWSABLE" /> 
       <!-- Add the URL prefix of App Linking. --> 
       <data android:host="photoplaza.drcn.agconnect.link" android:scheme="http"/> 
       <data android:host="photoplaza.drcn.agconnect.link" android:scheme="https"/> 
   </intent-filter>
   

2. Configure the signing certificate in Android Studio.
3. Open the app-level build.gradle file, and configure the signing information for your project.

   signingConfigs {  
        release {  
            storeFile file('HmsDemo.jks')  
            keyAlias 'hmsdemo'  
            keyPassword '123456'  
            storePassword '123456'  
            v1SigningEnabled true  
            v2SigningEnabled true  
        }  
   }  
    
   buildTypes {  
        release {  
            signingConfig signingConfigs.release  
            minifyEnabled false  
            proguardFiles getDefaultProguardFile('proguard-android-optimize.txt'), 'proguard-rules.pro'  
        }  
        debug {  
            signingConfig signingConfigs.release  
            debuggable true  
        }  
   }
   
   

4. Run the keytool -list -v -keystore <keystore-file> command, perform operations as prompted, and obtain the SHA-256 fingerprint. indicates the absolute path to the app's signing certificate.
   
5. In AppGallery Connect, go to Project settings > General information. In the App information area, click Add next to SHA-256 certificate fingerprint, and enter the obtained SHA-256 certificate fingerprint. Click Save.
   
6. Open the MainActivity file under app/src/main/java/PACKAGE_NAME of your Android Studio project, and add the following method for receiving links of App Linking in onCreate.

   AGConnectAppLinking.getInstance().getAppLinking(this).addOnSuccessListener(resolvedLinkData -> { 
   	Uri deepLink = null; 
   	if (resolvedLinkData!= null) { 
   		deepLink = resolvedLinkData.getDeepLink(); 
   		Log.i("AppLinkingCodeLab", "Open From App Linking: " + deepLink.toString()); 
   		TextView resultText = findViewById(R.id.result_text); 
   		resultText.setText(deepLink.toString()); 
                       // Perform the following processing code for the deep link. 
   	} 
   });
   
   

1. Run your Android Studio project and generate the APK. Then, install the APK on your mobile phone for testing.
2. Tap the Create App Linking button to generate a long link and a short link.
   
3. Tap Share short App Linking button and copy the generated short link to Notepad.
4. Tap the short link in the notepad and check whether your app is launched and whether the deep link is displayed in your app.
   

Well done. You have successfully built an app that integrates App Linking of AppGallery Connect and learned how to:

• Use the App Linking SDK to create a sharing link in your app.
• Use an App Linking API to create a long or short link.

• Development Guide
• API Reference
• Sample code