iOS In-App Automation Customization

Import In-App Automation

In-app messaging services are available as part of the Airship framework as well as a standalone framework called AirshipAutomation.

To access the in-app messaging from the Airship framework, simply import Airship where necessary.

@import AirshipKit;

import AirshipKit

To access in-app messaging from the AirshipAutomation standalone framework, you must add a separate import statement in your code, as shown below:

@import AirshipAutomation;

import AirshipAutomation

Listening for Events

A listener can be added to the in-app messaging manager to listen for when a message is displayed and finished displaying. This is useful for adding analytics events outside of Airship as well as for further processing of the in-app message.

// Setting the delegate
UAInAppAutomation.shared.inAppMessageManager.delegate = automationDelegate;

- (UAInAppMessage *)extendMessage:(UAInAppMessage *)message { 
  // Can be used to modify the message before it is displayed
  return message;
}

-(void)messageWillBeDisplayed:(UAInAppMessage \*)message scheduleID:(NSString \*)scheduleID {
  // Message displayed
}

-(void)messageFinishedDisplaying:(UAInAppMessage \*)message scheduleID:(NSString \*)scheduleID resolution:(UAInAppMessageResolution \*)resolution {
  // Message finished
}

- (UIWindowScene *)sceneForMessage:(UAInAppMessage *)message defaultScene:(nullable UIWindowScene *)defaultScene) {
  // Allows overriding choice of message scene
}

// Setting the delegate
InAppAutomation.shared.inAppMessageManager.delegate = automationDelegate

func extend(_ message: InAppMessage) -> InAppMessage {
    // Can be used to modify the message before it is displayed
    return message
}

func messageWillBeDisplayed(_ message: InAppMessage, scheduleID: String) {
    // Message displayed
}

func messageFinishedDisplaying(_ message: InAppMessage, scheduleID: String, resolution: UAInAppMessageResolution) {
    // Message finished
}

func scene(for message: InAppMessage, defaultScene: UIWindowScene?) -> UIWindowScene {
    // Allows overriding choice of message scene
}

Fonts

Custom Fonts

Fonts added to the app bundle are available for use with in-app messaging. To add fonts, please read the The UIKit Custom Fonts Guide .

Dynamic fonts With HTML in-app messages

Most In-App message styles support automatically scaling fonts through the use of Dynamic Type. However, automatically scaling fonts in HTML In-App messages requires you to use the following Apple system fonts when specifying the CSS font property:

• -apple-system-body
• -apple-system-headline
• -apple-system-subheadline
• -apple-system-caption1
• -apple-system-caption2
• -apple-system-footnote
• -apple-system-short-body
• -apple-system-short-headline
• -apple-system-short-subheadline
• -apple-system-short-caption1
• -apple-system-short-footnote
• -apple-system-tall-body

For example, to have the HTML body default to the Apple system font body style:

body {
    font: -apple-system-body; // available on Apple devices only
}

For more information about dynamic type, please see this WWDC video .

Styles

Plists can be used to modify any of the default message styles that the SDK provides. Each message type can be customized with a different plist:

• Banner: UAInAppMessageBannerStyle.plist
• HTML: UAInAppMessageHTMLStyle.plist
• FullScreen: UAInAppMessageFullScreenStyle.plist
• Modal: UAInAppMessageModalStyle.plist

Individual messages can be customized by setting a custom factory block on the in-app message which configures a display adapter with the appropriate style:

[UAInAppAutomation.shared.inAppMessageManager setFactoryBlock:^id<UAInAppMessageAdapterProtocol> (UAInAppMessage *message) {
  UAInAppMessageHTMLAdapter *adapter = [UAInAppMessageHTMLAdapter adapterForMessage:message];
  adapter.style = [UAInAppMessageHTMLStyle style];
  adapter.style.additionalPadding = [UAPadding paddingWithTop:20 bottom:20 leading:0 trailing:0];
  return adapter;
} forDisplayType:UAInAppMessageDisplayTypeHTML];

InAppAutomation.shared.inAppMessageManager.setFactoryBlock({ (message) -> InAppMessageAdapterProtocol in
    let adapter = InAppMessageHTMLAdapter.adapter(for:message)
    let style = InAppMessageHTMLStyle()
    style.additionalPadding = Padding(20, 20, 0, 0)
    adapter.style = style
    return adapter
}, for: .HTML)

Plist values:

Custom adapters

Providing an adapter allows defining the behavior of the custom type or overriding any of the default message types. The adapter will be created by the in-app messaging manager when a message’s schedule is triggered. Once created, the adapter will be called to first prepare the in-app message, giving the adapter time to download any resources such as images. After the adapter prepares the message, the adapter will be called to display the message.

After the message is displayed, the caller of the display method must be notified that the message is finished displaying by passing a UAInAppMessageResolution into the display method’s completion handler. This will allow for subsequent in-app messages to be displayed.

@implementation CustomInAppMessageAdapter

+(instancetype)adapterForMessage:(UAInAppMessage *)message {
  return [[CustomInAppMessageAdapter alloc] initWithMessage:message];
}

-(instancetype)initWithMessage:(UAInAppMessage *)message {
  self = [super init];

  if (self) {
    self.message = message;
  }

  return self;
}

- (void)prepareWithAssets:(nonnull UAInAppMessageAssets *)assets 
  completionHandler:(nonnull void (^)(UAInAppMessagePrepareResult))completionHandler {

  // Download any resources for the in-app message before displaying

  // Call the completion handler with the correct result
  completionHandler(UAInAppMessagePrepareResultSuccess)
}

-(BOOL)isReadyToDisplay {
  // Return ready state
  return true
}

-(void)display:(void (^)(UAInAppMessageResolution *))completionHandler {
  // Display the in-app message

  // Create a message resolution object corresponding to the correct resolution type
  UAInAppMessageResolution *messageResolution = [UAInAppMessageResolution messageClickResolution];

  // Call the completion handler with the correct resolution
  completionHandler(messageResolution)
}

@end

// Set the factory block on the UAInAppMessageManager instance to provide the new adapter
[UAInAppAutomation.shared.inAppMessageManager setFactoryBlock:^id<UAInAppMessageAdapterProtocol> (UAInAppMessage *message) {
    return [CustomInAppMessageAdapter adapterForMessage:message];
} forDisplayType:UAInAppMessageDisplayTypeCustom];

final class CustomAdapter : NSObject, InAppMessageAdapterProtocol {

    var message: InAppMessage

    init(message: InAppMessage) {
        self.message = message
    }

    static func adapter(for message: InAppMessage) -> CustomAdapter {
        return CustomAdapter(message: message)
    }

    func prepare(with assets: InAppMessageAssets, completionHandler: @escaping (InAppMessagePrepareResult) -> Void) {
        // Download any resources for the in-app message before displaying

        // Call the completion handler with the correct result
        completionHandler(.success)
    }

    func isReadyToDisplay() -> Bool {
        // Return ready state
        return true
    }

    func display(_ completionHandler: @escaping (InAppMessageResolution) -> Void) {
        // Display the in-app message

        // When the display is finished, notify the completion handler with the result
        completionHandler(InAppMessageResolution.messageClick())
    }
}

// Set the factory block on the UAInAppMessageManager instance to provide the new adapter
InAppAutomation.shared.inAppMessageManager.setFactoryBlock({ (message) -> InAppMessageAdapterProtocol in
    return CustomAdapter(message: message)
}, for: .custom)

Overriding the Scene

The UAInAppMessageSceneDelegate facilitates overriding the UIWindowScene on which a given in-app message is displayed.

UAInAppMessageSceneManager.shared.delegate = exampleInAppMessagerSceneDelegate;

- (nullable UIWindowScene *)sceneForMessage:(UAInAppMessage *)message defaultScene:(nullable UIWindowScene *)defaultScene API_AVAILABLE(ios(13.0)) {
  // Can be used to return the scene on which the message should display
  return myScene;
}

InAppMessageSceneManager.shared.delegate = exampleInAppMessagerSceneDelegate

@available(iOS 13.0, *)
func scene(for message: InAppMessage, defaultScene: UIWindowScene?) -> UIWindowScene? {
    // Can be used to return the scene on which the message should display
    return myScene
}

Standard In-App Messages

Standard in-app messages delivered through push messages are managed by the legacy in-app message manager. The UALegacyInAppMessageBuilderExtender allows customizing both the schedule and message when the legacy message is being mapped to an in-app automation banner message.

UALegacyInAppMessaging.shared.builderExtender = builderExtender;

- (void)extendScheduleBuilder:(UAScheduleBuilder *)builder message:(UALegacyInAppMessage *)message {
  builder.limit = 2;
}

- (void)extendMessageBuilder:(UAInAppMessageBuilder *)builder message:(UALegacyInAppMessage *)message {
  UAInAppMessageBannerDisplayContent *bannerDisplayContent = (UAInAppMessageBannerDisplayContent *) builder.displayContent;
  [bannerDisplayContent extend:^(UAInAppMessageBannerDisplayContentBuilder * _Nonnull builder) {
    builder.borderRadiusPoints = 10;
  }];

  builder.displayContent = bannerDisplayContent;
}

LegacyInAppMessaging.shared.builderExtender = builderExtender

func extend(_ builder: ScheduleBuilder, message: LegacyInAppMessage) {
    // Apply any schedule info changes to the builder
    builder.limit = 2
}

func extend(_ builder: InAppMessageBuilder, message: LegacyInAppMessage) {
    // Apply any message changes to the builder
    let bannerDisplayContent = builder.displayContent as! InAppMessageBannerDisplayContent
    bannerDisplayContent.extend { (builder) in
        builder.borderRadiusPoints = 10;
    }

    builder.displayContent = bannerDisplayContent
}

Customizing HTML In-App Messages

HTML in-app messages provide a way to display custom content inside a native web view. These types of in-app messages display with a dismiss button built in, but can also be customized to provide their own buttons capable of dismissing the view. Dismissing a view requires calling the dismiss function on the UAirship JavaScript interface with a button resolution object passed in as a parameter. The button resolution object is a JSON object containing information about the interaction type and the button performing the dismissal. It should match the following format:

{
    "type" : "button_click",
    "button_info" : {
        "id" : "button identifier",
        "label" : {"text": "foo"}
    }
}

The button resolution requires each of the key fields shown above. These include:

• type — The type key with the value of resolution type button_click
• button_info — The button info object containing required id and label fields
  • id — The button identifier
  • label — Label object containing the required text key
    • text — The text key with a string value representing the label text

Providing a basic dismiss button in HTML:

<button onclick="UAirship.dismiss({
    'type' : 'button_click',
    'button_info' : {
        'id' : 'button identifier',
        'label' : {'text' : 'foo'}
    }
}
);">Dismiss with resolution</button>