Get Started with Firebase Dynamic Links for C++

To write your cross-platform Firebase Dynamic Links client app with C++, use the Firebase Invites C++ API.

The C++ SDK works for both Android and iOS, with some additional setup required for each platform.

Before you begin

Receiving a Dynamic Link

Create and initialize App

Before you can check for received Dynamic Links, you'll need to create and initialize a firebase::App object.

Include the header file for firebase::App:

#include "firebase/app.h"

The next part varies depending on your platform:

app = ::firebase::App::Create(::firebase::AppOptions("APPLICATION NAME"), jni_env, activity);

app = ::firebase::App::Create(::firebase::AppOptions("APPLICATION NAME"));

Use InvitesReceiver to check for Dynamic Links

The Firebase Invites C++ library is also used for receiving Dynamic Links. To check for a received Dynamic Link, use the firebase::invites::InvitesReceiver class.

Include the header file for receiving Invites:

#include "firebase/invites/receiver.h"

Create an new instance of firebase::invites::InvitesReceiver, and fetch incoming invitations.

receiver = new firebase::invites::InvitesReceiver(*app);
receiver->Fetch();

Fetch() returns immediately and checks for the invitation asynchronously. It returns its results via firebase::Future, which you can query to find out whether an invitation (or Dynamic Link) was received.

You can also obtain the most recent firebase::Future by calling FetchLastResult(). This returns the same result as the most recent call to Fetch().

auto future_result = receiver->FetchLastResult();
if (future_result.Status() == firebase::kFutureStatusComplete) {
    if (future_result.Error() == 0) {
        // Fetch succeeded, let's find out what we received.
        auto result = *future_result.Result();
        if (result.deep_link != "") {
            // We received a Dynamic Link. This may have come from an invitation (if
            // result.invitation_id is set), or it might have been sent using
            // Firebase Dynamic Links.
            // In any event, you can now act on this link as your app sees fit.
        }
        if (result.invitation_id != "") {
            // We received an invitation ID. See the Firebase Invites documentation
            // for more information.
        }
        if (result.invitation_id == "" && result.deep_link == "") {
            // We did not receive any invitation or Dynamic Link, so carry on as normal.
        }
    } else {
        // Error() is nonzero, which means an error occurred. You can check
        // future_result.ErrorMessage() for more information.
    }
} else {
    // The Fetch() operation has not completed yet, so the Invites library is
    // still checking for an incoming invitation. Check FetchLastResult()'s Status()
    // again soon.
}

You can also use an OnCompletion callback to determine when the Fetch() is completed, instead of polling FetchLastResult()'s Status(). See the firebase::Future documentation for more details.

Creating a Dynamic Link

The easiest way to create a Dynamic Link is by using the Firebase console. You can also create a Dynamic Link programmatically by constructing a URL that includes the Dynamic Link parameters.

Create a Dynamic Link in the Firebase console

1. Open the Firebase console.
2. Open the Dynamic Links page by clicking Dynamic Links on the sidebar menu. On this page, you can see a list of your Dynamic Links and their click rates.
3. Click New Dynamic Link and ensure that Generate Dynamic Link is selected.
4. Provide basic information for the Dynamic Link:

   Basic Dynamic Link parameters
   Link Name	A name for the Dynamic Link
   Link URL	The link your app will open. You can specify any URL your app can handle, such as a link to your app's content, or a URL that initiates some app-specific logic such as crediting the user with a coupon, or displaying a specific welcome screen. This link must be a well-formatted URL, be properly URL-encoded, and use the HTTP or HTTPS scheme.
   Android App	The package name of the Android app to use to open the link. The app must be connected to your project from the Overview page of the Firebase console. Required for the Dynamic Link to open an Android app.
   iOS App	The bundle ID of the iOS app to use to open the link. The app must be connected to your project from the Overview page of the Firebase console. Required for the Dynamic Link to open an iOS app.

   Specifying these parameters creates a Dynamic Link with basic functionality: the link will be opened with the specified app, possibly after prompting the user to install the app first.
5. Optional: you can also fine-tune the behavior of the Dynamic Link by specifying advanced options:

   Advanced Android parameters
   Fallback link	The link to open when the app isn't installed. Specify this to do something other than install your app from the Play Store when the app isn't installed, such as open the mobile web version of the content, or display a promotional page for your app.
   Minimum version code	The versionCode of the minimum version of your app that can open the link. If the installed app is an older version, the user is taken to the Play Store to upgrade the app.
   Custom app location	The link to open on Android. This link can use any scheme, and, if specified, takes priority over the link parameter on Android.

   Advanced iOS parameters
   Fallback Link	The link to open when the app isn't installed. Specify this to do something other than install your app from the App Store when the app isn't installed, such as open the mobile web version of the content, or display a promotional page for your app.
   iOS Custom Scheme	Your app's custom URL scheme, if defined to be something other than your app's bundle ID
   iPad App	The bundle ID of the iOS app to use on iPads to open the link. The app must be connected to your project from the Overview page of the Firebase console.
   iPad Fallback Link	The link to open on iPads when the app isn't installed. Specify this to do something other than install your app from the App Store when the app isn't installed, such as open the web version of the content, or display a promotional page for your app.

Create a Dynamic Link programmatically

You can also create a Dynamic Link programmatically by constructing a URL with the following form:

https://app_code.app.goo.gl/?link=your_deep_link&apn=package_name[&amv=minimum_version][&ad=1][&al=android_link][&afl=fallback_link]

For example:

https://example.app.goo.gl/?link=https://www.example.com/someresource&apn=com.example.android&amv=3&ad=1

Debug your Dynamic Links

To help you debug your Dynamic Links, you can preview your Dynamic Links' behavior on different platforms and configurations with an automatically-generated flowchart. Generate the flowchart by adding the d=1 parameter to any long Dynamic Link.

View Analytics data

To help you gauge the effectiveness of your promotions and campaigns, the following Analytics events are automatically logged when you open a short Dynamic Link in your app. You can create short Dynamic Links in the Firebase console.

You can then view the logged data in the Analytics section of the Firebase console.