Use Places Service without active region monitoring

Use cases for your application might not require active region monitoring. Places Service can still be used to get your users’ location data integrated with other Experience Platform products.

Prerequisite

The developer will collect the device’s location using the APIs provided by the target platform’s operating system.

To use Places Service without active region monitoring:

1. Collect the user’s location

The app developer must collect the current location of the device by using the CoreLocation.framework (iOS) or the Location APIs provided by Google Play Services (Android).

For more information, see the following documentation:

• CoreLocation (Apple)
• Location APIs in Google Play Services (Google)

2. Retrieve nearby points of interest from the SDK

After you obtain the user’s location, you can pass it to the SDK to get back a list of the nearby POIs.

Android

Here is a sample implementation in Android that uses a BroadcastReceiver:

public class LocationBroadcastReceiver extends BroadcastReceiver {
    static final String ACTION_LOCATION_UPDATE = "locationUpdate";
    @Override
    public void onReceive(Context context, Intent intent) {
        if (intent == null || context == null) {
            return;
        }

        final String action = intent.getAction();
        if (!ACTION_LOCATION_UPDATE.equals(action)) {
            return;
        }

        LocationResult result = LocationResult.extractResult(intent);
        if (result == null) {
            return;
        }

        Location currentLocation = result.getLastLocation();
        if (currentLocation == null) {
            return;
        }

        // ask the Places SDK for the 10 nearest Points of Interest based on the user's location
        Places.getNearbyPointsOfInterest(currentLocation, 10,
            new AdobeCallback<List<PlacesPOI>>() {
                @Override
                public void call(List<PlacesPOI> pois) {
                    // pois is the 10 nearest POIs based on the location
                }
            }, new AdobeCallback<PlacesRequestError>() {
                @Override
                public void call(PlacesRequestError placesRequestError) {
                    // Look for the placesRequestError and handle the error accordingly
                }
            }
        );
    }
}

Objective-C

Here is a sample implementation for iOS. The code is showing implementation of the locationManager:didUpdateLocations: method in the CLLocationManagerDelegate:

- (void) locationManager:(CLLocationManager*)manager didUpdateLocations:(NSArray<CLLocation*>*)locations {
    // ask the Places SDK for the 10 nearest Points of Interest based on the user's location
    [ACPPlaces getNearbyPointsOfInterest:[locations lastObject] limit:10 callback:^(NSArray<ACPPlacesPoi *> * _Nullable nearbyPoi) {
        // nearbyPoi is the 10 nearest POIs based on the location
    } errorCallback:^(ACPPlacesRequestError result) {
        // log the error if we got one
        NSLog(@"error: %lu", (unsigned long)result);
    }];
}

Swift

Here is a sample implementation for iOS. The code is showing implementation of the locationManager(_:didUpdateLocations:) method in the CLLocationManagerDelegate:

func locationManager(_ manager: CLLocationManager, didUpdateLocations locations: [CLLocation]) {
    // ask the Places SDK for the 10 nearest Points of Interest based on the user's location
    ACPPlaces.getNearbyPoints(ofInterest: locations.last!, limit: 10, callback: { (nearbyPoi) in
        // nearbyPoi is the 10 nearest POIs based on the location
    }) { (error) in
        // log the error if we have one
        print("error: \(error)")
    }
}

3. Attach Places data to your Analytics requests

By calling the getNearbyPointsOfInterest API, the Places SDK will make all POI data relevant for the device available via data elements in Launch. By using an Attach Data rule, Places data can be automatically be added to future requests to Analytics. This eliminates the need for a one-off call to Analytics at the time the location of the device is collected.

See Add Location Context to Analytics Requests to learn more about this topic.

Optional - Trigger entry events when the user is in a POI

The list returned by the getNearbyPointsOfInterest API contains custom objects that indicate if the user is currently within a POI. If the user is in a POI, you can have the SDK trigger an entry event for that region.

Android

The following code sample shows the handling of the result that was provided in the callback of getNearbyPointsOfInterest, a List<PlacesPOI>:

void handleUpdatedPOIs(final List<PlacesPOI> nearbyPois) {
    // get the list of regions we know the user is already within from SharedPreferences
    SharedPreferences preferences = getApplicationContext().getSharedPreferences("places", 0);
    Set<String> regionsUserIsAlreadyIn = preferences.getStringSet("regionsUserIsAlreadyIn", new HashSet<String>());

    // loop through new placesPOIS and post entry events for pois that aren't already in our list
    // also create the new list of regions that the user is in
    Set<String> updatedRegionsUserIsIn = new HashSet<String>();
    for (PlacesPOI poi : nearbyPois) {
        // check if the user is in this poi
        if (poi.containsUser()) {
            // the user is in the poi, now we need to make sure we haven't already recorded this entry event
            if (!regionsUserIsAlreadyIn.contains(poi.getIdentifier())) {
                Geofence poiGeofence = new Geofence.Builder()
                    .setRequestId(poi.getIdentifier())
                    .setTransitionTypes(Geofence.GEOFENCE_TRANSITION_ENTER)
                    .setCircularRegion(poi.getLatitude(), poi.getLongitude(), poi.getRadius())
                    .setExpirationDuration(Geofence.NEVER_EXPIRE)
                    .build();
                Places.processGeofence(poiGeofence, Geofence.GEOFENCE_TRANSITION_ENTER);
            }

            // add the region to our new list of regions
            updatedRegionsUserIsIn.add(poi.getIdentifier());
        }
    }

    // update SharedPreferences with our new list of regions
    SharedPreferences.Editor editor = getApplicationContext().getSharedPreferences("places", 0).edit();
    editor.putStringSet("regionsUserIsAlreadyIn", updatedRegionsUserIsIn).apply();
}

Objective-C

The following code sample shows the handling of the result that was provided in the callback of getNearbyPointsOfInterest:limit:callback:errorCallback:, an NSArray<ACPPlacesPoi *> *:

- (void) handleUpdatedPOIs:(NSArray<ACPPlacesPoi *> *)nearbyPois {
   // get the list of regions we know the user is already within from user defaults
   NSArray *regionsUserIsCurrentlyWithin = [[NSUserDefaults standardUserDefaults]
                                            arrayForKey:@"regionsUserIsAlreadyIn"];

   // loop through new nearbyPoi and post entry events for pois that aren't already in our list
   // also creating the new list of known regions that the user is in
   NSMutableArray *updatedRegionsUserIsCurrentlyWithin = [@[] mutableCopy];
   for (ACPPlacesPoi *poi in nearbyPois) {
       // check if the user is in this poi
       if (poi.userIsWithin) {
           // the user is in the poi, now we need to make sure we haven't already recorded the entry event
           if (![regionsUserIsCurrentlyWithin containsObject:poi.identifier]) {
               CLCircularRegion *region = [[CLCircularRegion alloc] initWithCenter:CLLocationCoordinate2DMake(poi.latitude, poi.longitude)
                                                                            radius:poi.radius
                                                                        identifier:poi.identifier];
               [ACPPlaces processRegionEvent:region forRegionEventType:ACPRegionEventTypeEntry];
           }

           // add the region to our updated list
           [updatedRegionsUserIsCurrentlyWithin addObject:poi.identifier];
       }
   }

   // update user defaults with the new list
   [[NSUserDefaults standardUserDefaults] setObject:updatedRegionsUserIsCurrentlyWithin forKey:@"regionsUserIsAlreadyIn"];
}

Swift

The following code sample shows the handling of the result that was provided in the callback of getNearbyPoints(_ ofInterest: CLLocation, limit: UInt, callback: (([ACPPlacesPoi]?) -> Void)?, errorCallback: ((ACPPlacesRequestError) -> Void)?), an [ACPPlacesPoi]:

func handleUpdatedPOIs(_ nearbyPois:[ACPPlacesPoi]) {
    // get the list of regions we know the user is already within from user defaults
    let regionsUserIsCurrentlyWithin : [String] = UserDefaults.standard.array(forKey: "regionsUserIsAlreadyIn") as! [String]

    // loop through new nearbyPoi and post entry events for pois that aren't already in our list
    // also creating the new list of known regions that the user is in
    var updatedRegionsUserIsCurrentlyWithin: [String] = []
    for poi in nearbyPois {
        // check if the user is in this poi
        if poi.userIsWithin {
            // the user is in the poi, now we need to make sure we haven't already recorded the entry event
            if !regionsUserIsCurrentlyWithin.contains(poi.identifier!) {
                let region = CLCircularRegion.init(center: CLLocationCoordinate2D.init(latitude: poi.latitude, longitude: poi.longitude), radius: CLLocationDistance(poi.radius), identifier: poi.identifier!)
                ACPPlaces.processRegionEvent(region, for: .entry)
            }

            // add the region to our updated list
            updatedRegionsUserIsCurrentlyWithin.append(poi.identifier!)
        }
    }

    // update user defaults with the new list
    UserDefaults.standard.set(updatedRegionsUserIsCurrentlyWithin, forKey: "regionsUserIsAlreadyIn")
}

Complete sample implementation

The code samples below show you how to retrieve the current location of the device, trigger necessary entry events, and ensure that you do not get multiple entries for the same location on one visit.

This code sample includes the optional step of triggering an entry events when the user is in a POI.

Android

public class LocationBroadcastReceiver extends BroadcastReceiver {
    static final String ACTION_LOCATION_UPDATE = "locationUpdate";
    @Override
    public void onReceive(Context context, Intent intent) {
        if (intent == null || context == null) {
            return;
        }

        final String action = intent.getAction();
        if (!ACTION_LOCATION_UPDATE.equals(action)) {
            return;
        }

        LocationResult result = LocationResult.extractResult(intent);
        if (result == null) {
            return;
        }

        Location currentLocation = result.getLastLocation();
        if (currentLocation == null) {
            return;
        }

        // ask the Places SDK for the 10 nearest Points of Interest based on the user's location
        Places.getNearbyPointsOfInterest(currentLocation, 10,
            new AdobeCallback<List<PlacesPOI>>() {
                @Override
                public void call(List<PlacesPOI> pois) {
                    // pois is the 10 nearest POIs based on the location
                    handleUpdatedPOIs(pois);
                }
            }, new AdobeCallback<PlacesRequestError>() {
                @Override
                public void call(PlacesRequestError placesRequestError) {
                    // Look for the placesRequestError and handle the error accordingly
                }
            }
        );
    }

    void handleUpdatedPOIs(final List<PlacesPOI> nearbyPois) {
        // get the list of regions we know the user is already within from SharedPreferences
        SharedPreferences preferences = getApplicationContext().getSharedPreferences("places", 0);
        Set<String> regionsUserIsAlreadyIn = preferences.getStringSet("regionsUserIsAlreadyIn", new HashSet<String>());

        // loop through new placesPOIS and post entry events for pois that aren't already in our list
        // also create the new list of regions that the user is in
        Set<String> updatedRegionsUserIsIn = new HashSet<String>();
        for (PlacesPOI poi : nearbyPois) {
            // check if the user is in this poi
            if (poi.containsUser()) {
                // the user is in the poi, now we need to make sure we haven't already recorded this entry event
                if (!regionsUserIsAlreadyIn.contains(poi.getIdentifier())) {
                    Geofence poiGeofence = new Geofence.Builder()
                        .setRequestId(poi.getIdentifier())
                        .setTransitionTypes(Geofence.GEOFENCE_TRANSITION_ENTER)
                        .setCircularRegion(poi.getLatitude(), poi.getLongitude(), poi.getRadius())
                        .setExpirationDuration(Geofence.NEVER_EXPIRE)
                        .build();
                    Places.processGeofence(poiGeofence, Geofence.GEOFENCE_TRANSITION_ENTER);
                }

                // add the region to our new list of regions
                updatedRegionsUserIsIn.add(poi.getIdentifier());
            }
        }

        // update SharedPreferences with our new list of regions
        SharedPreferences.Editor editor = getApplicationContext().getSharedPreferences("places", 0).edit();
        editor.putStringSet("regionsUserIsAlreadyIn", updatedRegionsUserIsIn).apply();
    }
}

Objective-C

- (void) locationManager:(CLLocationManager*)manager didUpdateLocations:(NSArray<CLLocation*>*)locations {
    // ask the Places SDK for the 10 nearest Points of Interest based on the user's location
    [ACPPlaces getNearbyPointsOfInterest:[locations lastObject] limit:10 callback:^(NSArray<ACPPlacesPoi *> * _Nullable nearbyPoi) {
        // nearbyPoi is the 10 nearest POIs based on the location
        [self handleUpdatedPOIs:nearbyPoi];
    } errorCallback:^(ACPPlacesRequestError result) {
        // log the error if we got one
        NSLog(@"error: %lu", (unsigned long)result);
    }];
}

- (void) handleUpdatedPOIs:(NSArray<ACPPlacesPoi *> *)nearbyPois {
   // get the list of regions we know the user is already within from user defaults
   NSArray *regionsUserIsCurrentlyWithin = [[NSUserDefaults standardUserDefaults]
                                            arrayForKey:@"regionsUserIsAlreadyIn"];

   // loop through new nearbyPoi and post entry events for pois that aren't already in our list
   // also creating the new list of known regions that the user is in
   NSMutableArray *updatedRegionsUserIsCurrentlyWithin = [@[] mutableCopy];
   for (ACPPlacesPoi *poi in nearbyPois) {
       // check if the user is in this poi
       if (poi.userIsWithin) {
           // the user is in the poi, now we need to make sure we haven't already recorded the entry event
           if (![regionsUserIsCurrentlyWithin containsObject:poi.identifier]) {
               CLCircularRegion *region = [[CLCircularRegion alloc] initWithCenter:CLLocationCoordinate2DMake(poi.latitude, poi.longitude)
                                                                            radius:poi.radius
                                                                        identifier:poi.identifier];
               [ACPPlaces processRegionEvent:region forRegionEventType:ACPRegionEventTypeEntry];
           }

           // add the region to our updated list
           [updatedRegionsUserIsCurrentlyWithin addObject:poi.identifier];
       }
   }

   // update user defaults with the new list
   [[NSUserDefaults standardUserDefaults] setObject:updatedRegionsUserIsCurrentlyWithin forKey:@"regionsUserIsAlreadyIn"];
}

Swift

func locationManager(_ manager: CLLocationManager, didUpdateLocations locations: [CLLocation]) {
    // ask the Places SDK for the 10 nearest Points of Interest based on the user's location
    ACPPlaces.getNearbyPoints(ofInterest: locations.last!, limit: 10, callback: { (nearbyPoi) in
        // nearbyPoi is the 10 nearest POIs based on the location
        self.handleUpdatedPOIs(nearbyPoi!)
    }) { (error) in
        // log the error if we have one
        print("error: \(error)")
    }
}

func handleUpdatedPOIs(_ nearbyPois:[ACPPlacesPoi]) {
    // get the list of regions we know the user is already within from user defaults
    let regionsUserIsCurrentlyWithin : [String] = UserDefaults.standard.array(forKey: "regionsUserIsAlreadyIn") as! [String]

    // loop through new nearbyPoi and post entry events for pois that aren't already in our list
    // also creating the new list of known regions that the user is in
    var updatedRegionsUserIsCurrentlyWithin: [String] = []
    for poi in nearbyPois {
        // check if the user is in this poi
        if poi.userIsWithin {
            // the user is in the poi, now we need to make sure we haven't already recorded the entry event
            if !regionsUserIsCurrentlyWithin.contains(poi.identifier!) {
                let region = CLCircularRegion.init(center: CLLocationCoordinate2D.init(latitude: poi.latitude, longitude: poi.longitude), radius: CLLocationDistance(poi.radius), identifier: poi.identifier!)
                ACPPlaces.processRegionEvent(region, for: .entry)
            }

            // add the region to our updated list
            updatedRegionsUserIsCurrentlyWithin.append(poi.identifier!)
        }
    }

    // update user defaults with the new list
    UserDefaults.standard.set(updatedRegionsUserIsCurrentlyWithin, forKey: "regionsUserIsAlreadyIn")
}

In addition to triggering Places Service entry events in the SDK, because of the triggering entry events, all of the data that defines your POIs can be used by the rest of the SDK via data elements in Experience Platform Launch. With Experience Platform Launch rules, you can dynamically attach the Places Service data to incoming events that are processed by the SDK. For example, you can attach the meta data of a POI in which the user is located and send the data to Analytics as context data.

For more information, see Using Places Service with other Adobe solutions.

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