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DeploymentGuide.md

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Invasive Plants App Deployment Guide

Note: This is the deployment guide for the Mobile App of the Invasive Plants Project. Please ensure you have deployed the AWS backend before proceeding with this guide.

Index Description
Dependencies Required services and tools for deployment
Clone the Repository How to clone this repository
Connect the App to the Backend Connect the app to the backend of this project
Deploy to TestFlight Deploy your app to TestFlight for testers to use
Deploy to Android Deploy your app to the Android platform

Dependencies

The full list of steps to create and deploy a new Flutter application from scratch can be found here.

Below are the required tools and services to deploy the existing project from the GitHub repository:

Clone the Repository

First, clone the github repository onto your machine. To do this:

  1. Create an empty folder to contain the code.
  2. Open terminal and cd into the newly created folder.
  3. Clone the github repository by running the following command:
git clone https://github.com/UBC-CIC/InvasivePlantsFlutter.git

The code will now be copied into the new folder.

In terminal, cd into root directory of the project folder by running the following command from the newly created folder's directory:

cd InvasivePlantsFlutter/

And to open the project in VS Code, run:

code .

Connect the App to the Backend

Set up Environment variables

Create a file called .env at the root level:

BASE_API_URL="..."
COGNITO_REGION="..."
COGNITO_POOL_ID="..."
COGNITO_IDENTITY_POOL_ID="..."
COGNITO_APP_CLIENT_ID="..."
PLANTNET_API_KEY="..."

After backend deployment is completed, look for the values here:

API Gateway Console API Gateway Screen

To get "BASE_API_URL":

  1. Go to API Gateway in the AWS Console and click on the project's API.
  2. Go to Stages and look for Invoke URL.
  3. Make sure you add a / at the end of your URL.

Cognito Console API Gateway Screen

For "COGNITO_REGION", enter ca-central-1, or whatever is at the start of your User Pool ID.

To get "COGNITO_POOL_ID":

  1. Copy the User Pool ID of your user pool.

To get "COGNITO_IDENTITY_POOL_ID":

  1. Go to Identity Pools.
  2. Copy the Identity Pool ID of your identity pool.

To get "COGNITO_APP_CLIENT_ID":

  1. Click into your user pool.
  2. Navigate to the App Integration tab.
  3. Scroll to the bottom and the client ID will be on the right.

Pl@ntNet API Console

To get "PLANTNET_API_KEY":

  1. Log in to your Pl@ntNet account here.
  2. Navigate to the "Settings" section of your dashboard.
  3. Find the "Private API key" and enter that as your "PLANTNET_API_KEY".

To run the app, use the command below:

flutter run

Deploy to TestFlight

To deploy your app to TestFlight, you must first register your app on App Store Connect.

The official guide to register your app can be found here.

Register a Bundle ID

  1. To get started, sign in to App Store Connect with your Apple Developer account and open the Identifiers Page.
  2. Click + to create a new Bundle ID.
  3. Select App ID > App.
  4. Enter a description (name for the Bundle ID) and an Explicit unique Bundle ID (e.g. com.[organization name].InvasivePlantsApp).
  5. Leave the App Services as default and click Continue>Register.

Create an application record on App Store Connect

  1. Now, in the My Apps page of App Store Connect, click + in the top left corner and select New App.
  2. Select iOS under Platforms.
  3. Enter a name for the app (e.g. Invasive Plants App).
  4. Select the Bundle ID you have just created.
  5. Enter a unique ID for your app under SKU (e.g. com.[organization name].InvasivePlantsApp).
  6. Select Full Access for User Access and click Create.

Beta Test Information

To start testing with TestFlight, fill out the Beta App Information in the General Information > Test Information page of your app in App Store Connect.

Update Xcode project settings

For an official guide, please view the Update Xcode project settings section of the page found here.

  1. Navigate to your project settings by running the following command from the root directory of your project:
open ios/Runner.xcworkspace
  1. Select the Runner with the App Store Connect icon in the Xcode navigator.
  2. In the General tab, choose a display name for the app.
  3. Under Minimum Deployments, ensure it is set to iOS 13.0.
  4. Head to the Signing & Capabilities tab and sign in with your Apple Developer account if have not done so already.
  5. Please ENTER and VERIFY the Bundle Identifier matches with the Bundle ID created in App Store Connect.
  6. In the Signing & Capabilities tab, ensure Automatically manage signing is checked and Team is set to the account/team associated with your Apple Developer account. Under Bundle Identifier, check that the Bundle ID matches with the Bundle ID created in App Store Connect.

Create a Build

  1. In Xcode, in the General tab under Identity, check that the Version number is set to 1.0.0 and the Build number is set to 1 for your first deployment. For future deployments, increment the Version number and reset the Build number for major updates (e.g. 1.0.1+1). For minor updates, incrementing only the Build number is sufficient (e.g. 1.0.0+2).
  2. In your IDE, open the pubspec.yaml file located in the root directory of your project. Set the version and build number located near the top of the file to match with the version and build number of the current deployment and save the file:
version: 1.0.0+1
  1. In Xcode, set the Target to be: Runner > Any iOS Device.
  2. From the root directory of your project in Terminal, run:
flutter build ios --release
  1. Once the Xcode build is complete, select Product>Archive in the Xcode menu bar. Wait for the archive to complete.
  2. Once the archive has completed, a window will appear showing all of your archives. Select the most recent archive and click Distribute App.
  3. Select App Store Connect > Upload > Strip Swift Symbols + Upload your app's symbols + Manage Version and Build Number > Automatically manage signing > Upload.

Deploy to TestFlight

  1. Once the Xcode upload is complete, navigate to your app page in App Store Connect. A list of builds uploaded from Xcode can be found under Builds > iOS. Builds may take a few minutes to appear here.
  2. Once the uploaded build appears, click on it, fill in the Test Details, and add Testers by their Apple ID.
  3. Once a tester is added, the app will be automatically submitted for review. The reviewing process can take a few days to process.
  4. Once the build is processed, testers will receive a code in their email for TestFlight.
  5. Testers can then install TestFlight from the Apple App Store on an iPhone running iOS 13.0 or later and sign in with their Apple ID.
  6. In TestFlight, testers can press the Redeem button and enter the TestFlight code from their email. The app will then appear in TestFlight under Apps and testers will be able to install the build.
  7. Builds uploaded to TestFlight have a lifespan of 90 days and will expire after that. To create another build of the app for uploading to TestFlight after the 90 day period, please follow the steps above to create another build and upload to TestFlight.

Deploy to Android

Make sure you have Android Studio 2023.1 (Hedgehog) or later installed for running Android Emulators. Install the Flutter SDK if you haven’t already.

  1. Follow these steps to configure Android development, which includes:

    • Configuring the Android toolchain in Android Studio
    • Configuring your target Android device

  2. Check that you have the development setup done correctly by using the command flutter doctor. An output similar to the following will appear:

    Doctor summary (to see all details, run flutter doctor -v):
[✓] Flutter (Channel stable, 3.19.0, on macOS A.B chipset, locale en)
[✓] Android toolchain - develop for Android devices (Android SDK version 34.0.0)
[!] Chrome - develop for the web
[!] Xcode - develop for iOS and macOS (Xcode not installed)
[✓] Android Studio (version 2023.1 (Hedgehog) or later)
[✓] VS Code (version 1.86)
[✓] Connected device (1 available)
[✓] Network resources

! Doctor found issues in 2 categories.

Running The Flutter App

  • First start your emulator in Android Studio.
  • Select your emulator as the device in VS Code.
  • Use the command flutter run.
    • this also generates an APK file, which can be used for running the app on physical devices.

To Test on a Physical Android device:

First build the APK file using flutter build apk --debug. Then follow these steps to install and run that APK file on your Android device:

  1. Enable Installation from Unknown Sources
  • On your Android device, go to Settings.
  • Navigate to Security (or Biometrics and security, depending on your device).
  • Enable the "Unknown sources" option. This allows you to install applications from sources other than the Google Play Store.
  1. Transfer the APK to Your Device
  • Connect your Android device to your computer using a USB cable.
  • Transfer the APK file to your device. The previously generated APK file should be located at /build/app/outputs/flutter-apk/app-debug.apk.
  • You can place the file in the device's internal storage or an SD card.
  1. Locate the APK File on Your Device
  • Use a file manager app on your Android device to navigate to the location where you transferred the APK file.
  1. Install the APK
  • Tap on the APK file to begin the installation process.
  • You may be prompted to confirm that you want to install the application. Tap "Install" to proceed.
  1. Complete the Installation
  • After the installation is complete, you may see an "Open" button. Tap it to launch the installed application.
  • Alternatively, you can find the installed app in your device's app drawer or home screen.
  1. Grant Necessary Permissions (if prompted)
  • Depending on the permissions required by the application, you may be prompted to grant certain permissions. Review the permissions and tap "Accept" or "Allow" as needed.
  1. Enjoy Your App
  • Once installed, you can use the app just like any other app installed from the Google Play Store.

To deploy for internal testing on the Google Play Console:

  • Create a developer account

  • Set Up Internal Testing on Google Play Console:

    • Go to the Google Play Console.
    • Create a new project if you haven't already.
    • In the left sidebar, go to "Internal testing."
    • Upload the APK generated earlier.
    • Add testers by email address. Testers will receive an invitation to test the app.

  • Download on Android Device:

    • Testers can download the app on their Android devices by joining the internal testing program. They will receive an email with instructions on how to download the app from the Google Play Store.