Branch Metrics React Native SDK Reference

This is a repository of our open source React Native SDK. The information presented here serves as a reference manual for the SDK. See the table of contents below for a complete list of the content featured in this document.

React Native Reference

1. External resources

• Full integration guide
• Change log
• Support portal

2. Getting started

• Installation using react-native link
• Installation in a native iOS app using the React pod
• Updating from an earlier SDK version
• Register for Branch key
• Project setup
• Example apps

3. Branch general methods

• Register a subscriber
• Unregister a subscriber
• Skip cached initial launch event
• Retrieve latest deep linking params
• Retrieve the user's first deep linking params
• Setting the user id for tracking influencers
• Logging a user out
• Tracking user actions and events
• Programmatic deep linking
• Debug mode and Apple Search Ads attribution
• Enable or Disable User Tracking

4. Branch Universal Objects

• Instantiate a Branch Universal Object
• Register user actions on an object
• List content on Spotlight
• Configuring link properties
• Configuring control parameters
• Creating a short link referencing the object
• Triggering a share sheet to share a link
• Releasing native resources

5. Referral rewards methods

• Get reward balance
• Redeem rewards
• Get credit history

6. General support

• Troubleshooting

Installation

Note that the react-native-branch module requires react-native >= 0.40.

Pure React Native app (using react-native link)

1. yarn add react-native-branch or npm install --save react-native-branch
2. (Optional) Add a branch.json file to the root of your app project. See https://rnbranch.app.link/branch-json.
3. react-native link react-native-branch
4. Follow the setup instructions.

Native iOS app using the React pod

Only follow these instructions if you are already using the React pod from node_modules. This is usually done in native apps that integrate a React Native components.

1. Add the following to your Podfile:

   pod "react-native-branch", path: "../node_modules/react-native-branch"
   pod "Branch-SDK", path: "../node_modules/react-native-branch/ios"

   Adjust the path if necessary to indicate the location of your node_modules subdirectory.
2. Run pod install to regenerate the Pods project with these new dependencies.
3. (Optional) Add a branch.json file to your app project. See https://rnbranch.app.link/branch-json.
4. Follow the setup instructions.

Updating from an earlier version

As of version 2.0.0, the native Branch SDKs are included in the module and must not be installed from elsewhere (CocoaPods, Carthage or manually). When updating from an earlier version of react-native-branch, you must remove the Branch SDK that was previously taken from elsewhere.

Android

Open the android/app/build.gradle file in your project. Remove:

compile 'io.branch.sdk.android:library:2.+'

And add this line if not already present:

compile fileTree(dir: 'libs', include: ['*.jar'])

The result should be something like

dependencies {
    compile project(':react-native-branch')
    compile fileTree(dir: 'libs', include: ['*.jar'])
    compile "com.android.support:appcompat-v7:23.0.1"
    compile "com.facebook.react:react-native:+"  // From node_modules
}

iOS

Remove the external Branch SDK from your project depending on how you originally integrated it.

CocoaPods

Apps built using react-native link

Remove "Branch" from your Podfile. Run pod install after updating the Podfile. This is necessary to regenerate the Pods project without the Branch pod.

If you added CocoaPods to your project just for the Branch pod, you can remove CocoaPods entirely from your app using the pod deintegrate command.

Using the React pod

Replace pod "Branch" in your Podfile with pod "Branch-SDK", path: "../node_modules/react-native-branch/ios".

pod "React", path: "../node_modules/react-native"
# The following line is necessary with use_frameworks! or RN >= 0.42.
pod "Yoga", path: "../node_modules/react-native/ReactCommon/yoga"
pod "react-native-branch", path: "../node_modules/react-native-branch"
pod "Branch-SDK", path: "../node_modules/react-native-branch/ios"

The location of node_modules relative to your Podfile may vary.

Run pod install after making this change.

Carthage

Remove Branch.framework from your app's dependencies. Also remove Branch.framework from your carthage copy-frameworks build phase.

Manually installed

Remove Branch.framework from your app's dependencies.

Register Your App

You can sign up for your own app id at https://dashboard.branch.io.

Setup

• iOS Setup
• Android Setup

iOS Setup

Modify your AppDelegate as follows:

Objective-C

In AppDelegate.m

#import <react-native-branch/RNBranch.h> // at the top

// Initialize the Branch Session at the top of existing application:didFinishLaunchingWithOptions:
- (BOOL)application:(UIApplication *)application didFinishLaunchingWithOptions:(NSDictionary *)launchOptions
{
    // Uncomment this line to use the test key instead of the live one.
    // [RNBranch useTestInstance]
    [RNBranch initSessionWithLaunchOptions:launchOptions isReferrable:YES]; // <-- add this

    NSURL *jsCodeLocation;
    //...
}

// Add the openURL and continueUserActivity functions
- (BOOL)application:(UIApplication *)app openURL:(NSURL *)url options:(NSDictionary<UIApplicationOpenURLOptionsKey,id> *)options {
    if (![RNBranch.branch application:app openURL:url options:options]) {
        // do other deep link routing for the Facebook SDK, Pinterest SDK, etc
    }
    return YES;
}

- (BOOL)application:(UIApplication *)application continueUserActivity:(NSUserActivity *)userActivity restorationHandler:(void (^)(NSArray *restorableObjects))restorationHandler {
    return [RNBranch continueUserActivity:userActivity];
}

Note: Some applications may use application:openURL:sourceApplication:annotiation: instead of application:openURL:options:.

- (BOOL)application:(UIApplication *)application openURL:(NSURL *)url sourceApplication:(NSString *)sourceApplication annotation:(id)annotation {
    if (![RNBranch.branch application:application openURL:url sourceApplication:sourceApplication annotation:annotation]) {
        // do other deep link routing for the Facebook SDK, Pinterest SDK, etc
    }
    return YES;
}

If you do not yet have either method in your app, prefer the first (application:openURL:options:), which will be supplied by autocompletion in Xcode.

Swift

If you are using react-native link, your AppDelegate is probably written in Objective-C. When you use react-native link, the Branch dependency is added to your project as a static library. If instead you are using Swift in a pure React Native app with react-native link, you will require a bridging header in order to use any React Native plugin in Swift.

Add #import <react-native-branch/RNBranch.h> to your Bridging header if you have one.

If you are using the React pod in a native app with use_frameworks!, you may simply use a Swift import:

import react_native_branch

In AppDelegate.swift:

// Initialize the Branch Session at the top of existing application:didFinishLaunchingWithOptions:
func application(_ application: UIApplication, didFinishLaunchingWithOptions: [UIApplicationLaunchOptionsKey: Any]?) -> Bool {
    // Uncomment this line to use the test key instead of the live one.
    // RNBranch.useTestInstance()
    RNBranch.initSession(launchOptions: launchOptions, isReferrable: true) // <-- add this

    //...
}

// Add the openURL and continueUserActivity functions
func application(_ app: UIApplication, open url: URL, options: [UIApplicationOpenURLOptionsKey : Any] = [:]) -> Bool {
    return RNBranch.branch.application(app, open: url, options: options)
}

func application(_ application: UIApplication, continue userActivity: NSUserActivity, restorationHandler: @escaping ([Any]?) -> Void) -> Bool {
    return RNBranch.continue(userActivity)
}

These instructions are for Swift 3 and 4.

iOS Project Configuration

After modifying your AppDelegate:

1. Add a Dictionary or String entry branch_key with your Branch key to your info.plist

2. Configure for Universal Linking

3. If using a custom domain in the Branch Dashboard or one or more non-Branch domains, add the branch_universal_link_domains key to your Info.plist.

Android Setup

Add RNBranchPackage to packages list in getPackages() MainApplication.java (android/app/src/[...]/MainApplication.java). Note that this is automatically done if you used react-native link.

Also add a call to Branch.getAutoinstance() in onCreate() in the same source file. This has to be done even if you used react-native link.

// ...

// import Branch and RNBranch
import io.branch.rnbranch.RNBranchPackage;
import io.branch.referral.Branch;

//...

    // add RNBranchPackage to react-native package list
    @Override
    protected List<ReactPackage> getPackages() {
        return Arrays.<ReactPackage>asList(
                new MainReactPackage(),
                new RNBranchPackage(), // <-- add this

    // ...

    // add onCreate() override
    @Override
    public void onCreate() {
      super.onCreate();
      Branch.getAutoInstance(this);
    }

Override onStart and onNewIntent in MainActivity.java to handle Branch links (android/app/src/[...]/MainActivity.java). This has to be done regardless whether you used react-native link.

import io.branch.rnbranch.*; // <-- add this
import android.content.Intent; // <-- and this

public class MainActivity extends ReactActivity {

    @Override
    protected String getMainComponentName() {
        return "base";
    }

    // Override onStart, onNewIntent:
    @Override
    protected void onStart() {
        super.onStart();
        RNBranchModule.initSession(getIntent().getData(), this);
    }

    @Override
    public void onNewIntent(Intent intent) {
        super.onNewIntent(intent);
        setIntent(intent);
    }
    // ...
}

Android Project Configuration

1. Configure AndroidManifest.xml. Be sure to set android:launchMode="singleTask" on your main activity.

2. Register for Google Play Install Referrer. The "receiver" element needs to be added to the "application" node in AndroidManifest.xml

3. Register a URI scheme

• The "intent-filter" element needs to be added to the activity node, whose android:name is "com.yourAppName.MainActivity". This node is in the "application" node.
• If you already have an intent-filter tag, this has to be added as an additional one.
• Make sure to replace "yourApp" with the scheme you specified in the Branch dashboard.

4. Enable Auto Session Management. Simply add the "android:name" attribute to your "application" node in your AndroidManifest.xml

5. Enable App Links for Android M and above (optional but recommended)

6. Add your Branch key to AndroidManifest: Inside of application node add <meta-data android:name="io.branch.sdk.BranchKey" android:value="your_branch_key" />

7. Add the following to your android/app/proguard-rules.pro file:

-dontwarn io.branch.**

Please see the Branch SDK Integration Guide for complete setup instructions.

Example apps

There are six example apps in this repo, including a tutorial app. See the examples subdirectory for more details.

SDK Documentation

Register a subscriber

To be called back when a link is opened, register a subscriber callback function using the branch.subscribe method. Note that unlike the underlying native SDKs, you do not have to initialize the Branch session from JavaScript. This is done in native code at app launch, before the JavaScript initializes. If the app was opened from a link, the initial link is cached by the native layer and returned to the JavaScript subscriber afterward. This method may be called repeatedly in different app components. To route links in a pure React Native app, call this method in componentDidMount in a component that is mounted at app launch.

In a native app that includes a React Native component, link routing will usually be done at the native level. This method may still be called from JavaScript for purposes other than link routing (e.g. custom analytics). Other Branch SDK methods may be called in this case without calling branch.subscribe at all in JavaScript.

The callback function you supply to the branch.subscribe method is called whenever a link is opened and at certain other times, such as successful SDK initialization without a deferred deep link.

Method

branch.subscribe(listener)

Parameters

listener: A function taking an object argument with the shape { error, params }. The error argument is a string. The params argument is an object. See Params object for details on the contents.

Return

The return value of branch.subscribe is a function that cancels the subscription when called.

Example

import branch from 'react-native-branch'

branch.subscribe(({ error, params }) => {
  if (error) {
    console.error('Error from Branch: ' + error)
    return
  }

  // params will never be null if error is null

  if (params['+non_branch_link']) {
    const nonBranchUrl = params['+non_branch_link']
    // Route non-Branch URL if appropriate.
    return
  }

  if (!params['+clicked_branch_link']) {
    // Indicates initialization success and some other conditions.
    // No link was opened.
    return
  }

  // A Branch link was opened.
  // Route link based on data in params.
})

Unregister a subscriber

The return value of branch.subscribe is a function that cancels the subscription when called. Call this in componentWillUnmount.

Example

import branch from 'react-native-branch'

class MyApp extends Component {
  _unsubscribeFromBranch = null

  componentDidMount() {
    _unsubscribeFromBranch = branch.subscribe({ error, params } => {
      // ...
    })
  }

  componentWillUnmount() {
    if (_unsubscribeFromBranch) {
      _unsubscribeFromBranch()
      _unsubscribeFromBranch = null
    }
  }
}

Skip cached initial launch event

Any initial link cached by the native layer will be returned to the callback supplied to branch.subscribe immediately if the JavaScript method is called for the first time after app launch. In case, app does not need to receive the cached initial app launch link event, call branch.skipCachedEvents() before branch.subscribe to skip returning it.

Method

branch.skipCachedEvents()

Also, if a cached initial app launch link event is returned, params will contain a key cached_initial_event, set to true.

Example

import branch from 'react-native-branch'

branch.skipCachedEvents()
branch.subscribe({ error, params } => {
  // ...
})

import branch from 'react-native-branch'

branch.subscribe({ error, params } => {
  if ('cached_initial_event' in params) {
    // ...
  }
})

Retrieve session (install or open) params

These session parameters will be available at any point later on with this command. If no parameters are available then Branch will return an empty dictionary. This refreshes with every new session (app installs AND app opens).

Method

branch.getLatestReferringParams()

Return

A promise. On resolution, the promise returns an object containing the parameters from the latest link open or install. See Params object for details on the contents.

Example

import branch from 'react-native-branch'

const latestParams = await branch.getLatestReferringParams()

Retrieve Install (Install Only) Parameters

If you ever want to access the original session params (the parameters passed in for the first install event only), you can use this line. This is useful if you only want to reward users who newly installed the app from a referral link. Note that these parameters can be updated when setIdentity: is called and identity merging occurs.

Method

branch.getFirstReferringParams()

Return

A promise. On resolution, the promise returns an object containing the referring parameters from the initial app installation. See Params object for details on the contents.

Example

import branch from 'react-native-branch'

const latestParams = await branch.getFirstReferringParams()

Persistent Identities

Often, you might have your own user IDs, or want referral and event data to persist across platforms or uninstall/reinstall. It's helpful if you know your users access your service from different devices. This where we introduce the concept of an 'identity'.

Method

branch.setIdentity(userIdentity)

Parameters

userIdentity: A string specifying the user identity to use.

Example

import branch from 'react-native-branch'

branch.setIdentity('theUserId')

Logout

If you provide a logout function in your app, be sure to clear the user when the logout completes. This will ensure that all the stored parameters get cleared and all events are properly attributed to the right identity.

Warning: This call will clear the promo credits and attribution on the device.

Method

branch.logout()

Example

import branch from 'react-native-branch'

branch.logout()

Programmatic deep linking

The Branch SDK automatically triggers the branch.subscribe callback whenever a link is received in the app via App Links, Universal Links or custom URI schemes. There may be other cases where you want to trigger a link open programmatically, e.g. from a push notification or a QR reader. Use the branch.openURL method to trigger an open of a Branch link from anywhere in your app. In the case of native apps integrating an RN component, this will also trigger the native deep link handler callback.

Note: This method does nothing if passed a link that is not recognized by the SDK. Non-Branch links may be passed for any domain that is configured for the app. This method does not pass the URL to the operating system or a browser.

Android note: If not using the newActivity option, it is necessary to move the call to the RNBranch.initSession method to the main activity's onResume method instead of onStart:

@Override
protected void onResume() {
  super.onResume();
  RNBranch.initSession(getIntent().getData(), this);
}

Method

branch.openURL(url, options)

Parameters

url: A String containing a Branch link
options: (Optional) An object with keys to supply option values (see below)

Options

newActivity: (Android) Finish the current activity before opening the link. Results in a new activity window. Ignored on iOS.

Example

import branch from 'react-native-branch'

branch.openURL("https://myapp.app.link/xyz")
branch.openURL("https://myapp.app.link/xyz", {newActivity: true})

Tracking User Actions and Events

Use the BranchEvent interface to track special user actions or application specific events beyond app installs, opens, and sharing. You can track events such as when a user adds an item to an on-line shopping cart, or searches for a keyword, among others.

The BranchEvent interface provides an interface to add contents represented by BranchUniversalObject in order to associate app contents with events.

Analytics about your app's BranchEvents can be found on the Branch dashboard, and BranchEvents also provide tight integration with many third party analytics providers.

Note: The BranchEvent class supersedes the userCompletedAction method on the Branch Universal Object and the branch.sendCommerceEvent method, both of which should be considered deprecated.

Constructor

new BranchEvent(name, contentItems = null, params = {})

Parameters

name: String indicating the name of the event to log. Pass a standard event constant, such as BranchEvent.ViewItem or a custom event name.
contentItems: Zero or more Branch Universal Objects associated with this event. Pass null, a single Branch Universal Object or an array of them.
params: Optional Object with properties to be set on the BranchEvent (see below).

Properties

The following properties may be passed as arguments to the constructor or set directly on the object after construction.

name: A string indicating the name of the event, as passed to the constructor. May be set after construction.
contentItems: An array of Branch Universal Objects associated with this event. May be empty. Contents may be adjusted after construction.

The following properties may be passed to the constructor in the params or set directly on the object after construction.

transactionID: String indicating a transaction ID
currency: An ISO currency code (e.g. USD, JPY, EUR)
revenue: Revenue associated with this event as a string or number
shipping: Shipping cost associated with this event as a string or number
tax: Tax associated with this event as a string or number
coupon: String indicating a coupon code for this event
affiliation: String indicating an affiliation for this event
description: String indicating a description for this event
searchQuery: String indicating a search query for this event
customData: Object containing arbitrary key-value pairs for this event. Values must be strings.

logEvent method

branchEvent.logEvent()

Logs a BranchEvent with all associated parameters.

Examples

Log a view on a single Branch Universal Object.

new BranchEvent(BranchEvent.ViewItem, buo).logEvent()

Log a view on a multiple Branch Universal Objects.

new BranchEvent(BranchEvent.ViewItems, [buo1, buo2]).logEvent()

Log a Purchase event on a Branch Universal Object.

new BranchEvent(BranchEvent.Purchase, buo, {
  revenue: 20,
  shipping: 2,
  tax: 1.6,
  currency: 'USD'}).logEvent()

Log a Search event.

let event = new BranchEvent(BranchEvent.Search)
event.searchQuery = "tennis rackets"
event.logEvent()

Log a custom event.

new BranchEvent("UserScannedItem", buo).logEvent()

When logging an event on a single Branch Universal Object, the logEvent method may be called on the Branch Universal Object.

buo.logEvent(BranchEvent.Purchase, { revenue: 20 })

This is equivalent to

new BranchEvent(BranchEvent.Purchase, buo, { revenue: 20 }).logEvent()

Standard events

|Event constant|Description| |--------------|-----------| |BranchEvent.AddToCart|Standard Add to Cart event| |BranchEvent.AddToWishlist|Standard Add to Wishlist event| |BranchEvent.ViewCart|Standard View Cart event| |BranchEvent.InitiatePurchase|Standard Initiate Purchase event| |BranchEvent.AddPaymentInfo|Standard Add Payment Info event| |BranchEvent.Purchase|Standard Purchase event| |BranchEvent.SpendCredits|Standard Spend Credits event| |BranchEvent.Search|Standard Search event| |BranchEvent.ViewItem|Standard View Item event for a single Branch Universal Object| |BranchEvent.ViewItems|Standard View Items event for multiple Branch Universal Objects| |BranchEvent.Rate|Standard Rate event| |BranchEvent.Share|Standard Share event| |BranchEvent.CompleteRegistration|Standard Complete Registration event| |BranchEvent.CompleteTutorial|Standard Complete Tutorial event| |BranchEvent.AchieveLevel|Standard Achieve Level event| |BranchEvent.AchievementUnlocked|Standard Unlock Achievement event|

Debug mode and Apple Search Ads attribution

Certain methods in the native SDKs cannot be easily exposed to JavaScript, because they must be called before the native SDKs initialize, which happens well before JavaScript finishes loading. To use these methods, two options are available.

• Add a branch.json file to your project.

  This allows you to enable debug mode (to simulate install events on both Android and iOS), Apple Search Ads attribution and Apple Search Ads debug mode from a configuration file.

• Add native iOS and Android method calls to your project.

  • Debug mode (simulated install events)
  • Apple Search Ads attribution

Enable or Disable User Tracking

In order to comply with tracking requirements, you can disable tracking at the SDK level. Simply call:

branch.disableTracking(true)

This will prevent any Branch requests from being sent across the network, except for the case of deep linking. If someone clicks a Branch link, but has expressed not to be tracked, we will return deep linking data back to the client but without tracking information captured.

In do-not-track mode, you will still be able to create and share links. They will not have identifiable information. Event tracking won’t pass data back to the server if a user has expressed to not be tracked. You can change this behavior at any time, but calling the above function. This information will be saved and persisted.

Referral System Rewarding Functionality

Get Reward Balance

Reward balances change randomly on the backend when certain actions are taken (defined by your rules), so you will need to make an asynchronous call to retrieve the balance.

Method

branch.loadRewards(bucket)

Parameters

bucket: (Optional) The bucket to get the credit balance for

Return

Example

import branch from 'react-native-branch'

let rewards = await branch.loadRewards(bucket)

Redeem All or Some of the Reward Balance (Store State)

Redeeming credits allows users to cash in the credits they've earned. Upon successful redemption, the user's balance will be updated reflecting the deduction.

Method

branch.redeemRewards(amount, bucket)

Parameters

amount: The amount to redeem
bucket: (Optional) The bucket to redeem from

Example

import branch from 'react-native-branch'

let redeemResult = await branch.redeemRewards(amount, bucket)

Get Credit History

This call will retrieve the entire history of credits and redemptions from the individual user.

Method

branch.getCreditHistory()

Return

A promise. On resolution, the promise returns an array containing the current user's credit history.

Example

let creditHistory = await branch.getCreditHistory()

Branch Universal Object (for deep links, content analytics and indexing)

The Branch Universal Object represents an item of content in your app, e.g. an article, a video, a user profile or a post.

Branch Universal Object best practices

Here are a set of best practices to ensure that your analytics are correct, and your content is ranking on Spotlight effectively.

1. Set the canonicalIdentifier to a unique, de-duped value across instances of the app.
2. Ensure that the title, contentDescription and contentImageUrl properly represent the object.
3. Initialize the Branch Universal Object and call logEvent(BranchEvent.ViewItem) on page load (in componentDidMount).
4. Call showShareSheet and generateShortLink later in the life cycle, when the user takes an action that needs a link.
5. Call the additional object events (purchase, share completed, etc) when the corresponding user action is taken.

Practices to avoid:

1. Don't set the same title, contentDescription and contentImageUrl across all objects.
2. Don't wait to initialize the object and register views until the user goes to share.
3. Don't wait to initialize the object until you conveniently need a link.
4. Don't create many objects at once and register views in a loop.

Create Branch Universal Object

To create a Branch Universal Object, use the branch.createBranchUniversalObject method. Note that unlike the underlying SDKs, all parameters to the Branch Universal Object must be supplied at creation. These parameters are not represented as properties on the JavaScript object returned by this method. They are stored on the underlying native Branch Universal Object.

Method

branch.createBranchUniversalObject(canonicalIdentifier, properties)

Parameters

canonicalIdentifier: A string that uniquely identifies this item of content
properties: An object containing properties defining the Branch Universal Object. See Branch Universal Object Properties for a list of available properties.

Return

A promise. On resolution, the promise returns an object with a number of methods, documented below.

Example

import branch from 'react-native-branch'

let branchUniversalObject = await branch.createBranchUniversalObject('canonicalIdentifier', {
  locallyIndex: true,
  title: 'Cool Content!',
  contentDescription: 'Cool Content Description'}),
  contentMetadata: {
    ratingAverage: 4.2,
    ratingCount: 100,
    ratingMax: 5.0,
    customMetadata: {
      prop1: 'test',
      prop2: 'abc'
    }
  }
})

Register user actions on an object

The logEvent method on the Branch Universal Object is a convenient shortcut for logging a BranchEvent on a single Branch Universal Object. See Tracking user actions and events for more details on BranchEvent.

Method

branchUniversalObject.logEvent(name, params = {})

Parameters

name: A string indicating the name of the event. May be a standard event defined on BranchEvent or a custom event name.
params: An optional Object containing parameters for the BranchEvent

Examples

branchUniversalObject.logEvent(BranchEvent.ViewItem)

branchUniversalObject.logEvent(BranchEvent.Purchase, {
  revenue: 20,
  shipping: 2,
  tax: 1.6,
  currency: 'USD'
})

List content on Spotlight

To list content on Spotlight, set the locallyIndex property to true and log a BranchEvent.ViewItem or BranchEvent.ViewItems event.

Note: Listing on Spotlight requires adding CoreSpotlight.framework to your Xcode project.

Note that the automaticallyListOnSpotlight property and the listOnSpotlight() method are deprecated in favor of this mechanism.

Example

import branch, { RegisterViewEvent } from 'react-native-branch'

let branchUniversalObject = await branch.createBranchUniversalObject('canonicalIdentifier', {
  locallyIndex: true,
  // other properties
})

branchUniversalObject.logEvent(BranchEvent.ViewItem)

Shortened Links

Once you've created your Branch Universal Object, which is the reference to the content you're interested in, you can then get a link back to it with the mechanisms described below.

Method

branchUniversalObject.generateShortUrl(linkProperties, controlParams)

Parameters

linkProperties: An object containing properties to define the link. See Link Properties Parameters for available properties.
controlParams: (Optional) An object containing control parameters to override redirects specified in the Branch Dashboard. See Control Parameters for a list of available parameters.

Return

A promise. On resolution, the promise returns an object with the shape { url }. The url property is a string containing the generated short URL.

Example

import branch from `react-native-branch`

let branchUniversalObject = await branch.createBranchUniversalObject(...)

let linkProperties = { feature: 'share', channel: 'RNApp' }
let controlParams = { $desktop_url: 'http://example.com/home', $ios_url: 'http://example.com/ios' }

let {url} = await branchUniversalObject.generateShortUrl(linkProperties, controlParams)

Share sheet

Once you've created your Branch Universal Object, which is the reference to the content you're interested in, you can then automatically share it without having to create a link using the mechanism below.

The Branch SDK includes a wrapper around the system share sheet that will generate a Branch short URL and automatically tag it with the channel the user selects (Facebook, Twitter, etc.). Note that certain channels restrict access to certain fields. For example, Facebook prohibits you from pre-populating a message.

Method

branchUniversalObject.showShareSheet(shareOptions, linkProperties, controlParams)

Parameters

*shareOptions: An object containing any of the following properties:

| KEY | TYPE | MEANING | ------------------ | -------- | -------------------- | messageHeader | string | The header text | messageBody | string | The body text | emailSubject | string | The subject of the email channel if selected

linkProperties: An object containing properties to define the link. See Link Properties Parameters for available properties.
controlParams: (Optional) An object containing control parameters to override redirects specified in the Branch Dashboard. See Control Parameters for a list of available parameters.

Return

A promise. On resolution, the promise returns an object with the shape { channel, completed, error }. The completed property is a boolean specifying whether the operation was completed by the user. The channel property is a string specifying the share channel selected by the user. The error property is a string. If non-null, it specifies any error that occurred.

Example

import branch from `react-native-branch`

let branchUniversalObject = await branch.createBranchUniversalObject(...)

let linkProperties = { feature: 'share', channel: 'RNApp' }
let controlParams = { $desktop_url: 'http://example.com/home', $ios_url: 'http://example.com/ios' }

let shareOptions = { messageHeader: 'Check this out', messageBody: 'No really, check this out!' }

let {channel, completed, error} = await branchUniversalObject.showShareSheet(shareOptions, linkProperties, controlParams)

Releasing native resources

The Branch Universal Object is a construct in the underlying native SDK that is exposed using a JavaScript object that is returned by the createBranchUniversalObject method. For best performance, call the release() method on the Branch UniversalObject when the Branch Universal Object is no longer in use. Native resources will eventually be reclaimed without calling this method. Calling it ensures that the resources are reclaimed promptly.

Method

branchUniversalObject.release()

Example

import branch, { BranchEvent } from `react-native-branch`

class CustomComponent extends Component {
  buo = null

  componentDidMount() {
    this.buo = await branch.createBranchUniversalObject(...)
    this.buo.logeEvent(BranchEvent.ViewItem)
  }

  componentWillUnmount() {
    if (this.buo) {
      this.buo.release()
      this.buo = null
    }
  }
}

Branch Universal Object Properties

| Key | TYPE | DESCRIPTION | | ---------------------------- | ------ | ------------------------------------------------------ | | automaticallyListOnSpotlight (deprecated) | Bool | List this item on Spotlight (iOS). Ignored on Android. Deprecated. Please use locallyIndex instead. | | canonicalIdentifier | String | The object identifier | | contentDescription | String | Object Description | | contentImageUrl | String | The Image URL | | contentIndexingMode (deprecated) | String | Indexing Mode 'private' or 'public' Deprecated. Please use locallyIndex and publiclyIndex instead. | | contentMetadata | Object | See Branch Universal Object Content Metadata | | currency (deprecated) | String | A 3-letter ISO currency code (used with price) Deprecated. Please use contentMetadata.currency instead. | | expirationDate | String | A UTC expiration date, e.g. 2018-02-01T00:00:00 | | keywords | Array | An array of keyword strings | | locallyIndex | Bool | List this item on Spotlight (iOS). No current Android implementation. | | metadata (deprecated) | Object | Custom key/value. Deprecated. Please use contentMetadata.customMetadata instead. | | price (deprecated) | Float | A floating-point price (used with currency) Deprecated. Please use contentMetadata.price instead. | | publiclyIndex | Bool | List in a public search index. | | title | String | The object title | | type (deprecated) | String | MIME type for this content Deprecated. Please use contentMetadata.contentSchema instead.|

Branch Universal Object Content Metadata

| Key | TYPE | DESCRIPTION | | --- | ---- | ----------- | | contentSchema | String | See Content Schema | | quantity | Number | Item quantity | | price | String/Number | Used with currency | | currency | String | An ISO currency code. Must also specify price. | | sku | String | Product SKU | | productName | String | Product name | | productBrand | String | Product brand | | productCategory | String | See Product Category | | productVariant | String | Product variant | | condition | String | See Condition | | ratingAverage | Number | Average rating | | ratingCount | Number | Rating count | | ratingMax | Number | Maximum rating | | addressStreet | String | Address street | | addressCity | String | Address city | | addressRegion | String | Address region | | addressCountry | String | Address country | | addressPostalCode | String | Address postal code | | latitude | Number | Location latitude | | longitude | Number | Location longitude | | imageCaptions | Array | Array of strings | | customMetadata | Object | Values must be strings |

Content Schema

Allowed string values for Branch Universal Object contentSchema property.

| Value | | ----- | | 'COMMERCE_AUCTION' | | 'COMMERCE_BUSINESS' | | 'COMMERCE_OTHER' | | 'COMMERCE_PRODUCT' | | 'COMMERCE_RESTAURANT' | | 'COMMERCE_SERVICE' | | 'COMMERCE_TRAVEL_FLIGHT' | | 'COMMERCE_TRAVEL_HOTEL' | | 'COMMERCE_TRAVEL_OTHER' | | 'GAME_STATE' | | 'MEDIA_IMAGE' | | 'MEDIA_MIXED' | | 'MEDIA_MUSIC' | | 'MEDIA_OTHER' | | 'MEDIA_VIDEO' | | 'OTHER' | | 'TEXT_ARTICLE' | | 'TEXT_BLOG' | | 'TEXT_OTHER' | | 'TEXT_RECIPE' | | 'TEXT_REVIEW' | | 'TEXT_SEARCH_RESULTS' | | 'TEXT_STORY' | | 'TEXT_TECHNICAL_DOC' |

Condition

Allowed string values for Branch Universal Object condition property.

| Value | | ----- | | 'OTHER' | | 'EXCELLENT' | | 'NEW' | | 'GOOD' | | 'FAIR' | | 'POOR' | | 'USED' | | 'REFURBISHED' |

Product Category

Allowed string values for Branch Universal Object productCategory property.

| Value | | ----- | | 'Animals & Pet Supplies' | | 'Apparel & Accessories' | | 'Arts & Entertainment' | | 'Baby & Toddler' | | 'Business & Industrial' | | 'Cameras & Optics' | | 'Electronics' | | 'Food, Beverages & Tobacco' | | 'Furniture' | | 'Hardware' | | 'Health & Beauty' | | 'Home & Garden' | | 'Luggage & Bags' | | 'Mature' | | 'Media' | | 'Office Supplies' | | 'Religious & Ceremonial' | | 'Software' | | 'Sporting Goods' | | 'Toys & Games' | | 'Vehicles & Parts' |

Link Properties Parameters

| KEY | TYPE | MEANING | -------- | -------- |------------------------ | alias | string | Specify a link alias in place of the standard encoded short URL (e.g., [branchsubdomain]/youralias or yourdomain.co/youralias). Link aliases are unique, immutable objects that cannot be deleted. Aliases on the legacy bnc.lt domain are incompatible with Universal Links and Spotlight | campaign | string | Use this field to organize the links by actual campaign. For example, if you launched a new feature or product and want to run a campaign around that | channel | string | Use channel to tag the route that your link reaches users. For example, tag links with ‘Facebook’ or ‘LinkedIn’ to help track clicks and installs through those paths separately | feature | string | This is the feature of your app that the link might be associated with. eg: if you had built a referral program, you would label links with the feature referral | stage | string | Use this to categorize the progress or category of a user when the link was generated. For example, if you had an invite system accessible on level 1, level 3 and 5, you could differentiate links generated at each level with this parameter | tags | array | This is a free form entry with unlimited values. Use it to organize your link data with labels that don’t fit within the bounds of the above

Control parameters

Specify control parameters in calls to generateShortUrl and showShareSheet.

All Branch control parameters are supported. See here for a complete list. In particular, these control parameters determine where the link redirects.

| KEY | TYPE | MEANING | ------------------ | -------- | -------------------- | $fallback_url | string | Change the redirect endpoint for all platforms - so you don’t have to enable it by platform | $desktop_url | string | Change the redirect endpoint on desktops
| $android_url | string | Change the redirect endpoint for Android | $ios_url | string | Change the redirect endpoint for iOS | $ipad_url | string | Change the redirect endpoint for iPads | $fire_url | string | Change the redirect endpoint for Amazon Fire OS | $blackberry_url | string | Change the redirect endpoint for Blackberry OS | $windows_phone_url | string | Change the redirect endpoint for Windows OS

Params object

The params object is returned by various linking methods including subscribe, getLatestReferringParams, and getFirstReferringParams. Params will contain any data associated with the Branch link that was clicked before the app session began.

Branch returns explicit parameters every time. Here is a list, and a description of what each represents.

• ~ denotes analytics
• + denotes information added by Branch

| Parameter | Meaning | --- | --- | ~channel | The channel on which the link was shared, specified at link creation time | ~feature | The feature, such as invite or share, specified at link creation time | ~tags | Any tags, specified at link creation time | ~campaign | The campaign the link is associated with, specified at link creation time | ~stage | The stage, specified at link creation time | ~creation_source | Where the link was created ('API', 'Dashboard', 'SDK', 'iOS SDK', 'Android SDK', or 'Web SDK') | ~referring_link | The referring link that drove the install/open, if present | ~id | Automatically generated 18 digit ID number for the link that drove the install/open, if present | +match_guaranteed | True or false as to whether the match was made with 100% accuracy | +referrer | The referrer for the link click, if a link was clicked | +phone_number | The phone number of the user, if the user texted himself/herself the app | +is_first_session | Denotes whether this is the first session (install) or any other session (open) | +clicked_branch_link | Denotes whether or not the user clicked a Branch link that triggered this session | +click_timestamp | Epoch timestamp of when the click occurred | +url | The full URL of the link that drove the install/open, if present (e.g. bnc.lt/m/abcde12345)

See also Deep Link Routing on the Branch documentation site for more information.

Any additional data attached to the Branch link will be available unprefixed.

Troubleshooting

Example apps for testing

See the examples folder for a number of example apps that demonstrate usage of the SDK and can be used for testing. There is also a tutorial app that walks you through integrating the Branch SDK step by step.

Simulate an install

Do not test in production.

This requires a native method call that must be made before JS has loaded. There are two options.

1. Use a branch.json file with your project. See https://rnbranch.app.link/branch-json for full details. Add "debugMode": true to branch.debug.json:

   {
     "appleSearchAdsDebugMode": true,
     "debugMode": true,
     "delayInitToCheckForSearchAds": true
   }

   Do not add this setting to branch.json, or it will be enabled for release builds.

2. Modify your native app code.

   Android

   Simulated installs may be enabled on Android by adding <meta-data android:name="io.branch.sdk.TestMode" android:value="true"/> to the application element of your Android manifest. Use this in a build type such as debug or a product flavor, or be sure to remove it from your manifest before releasing to prod. See https://docs.branch.io/pages/apps/android/#simulate-an-install for full details.

   Alternately, add RNBranchModule.setDebug(); in your MainActivity before the call to initSession. Be sure to remove it before releasing to prod.

   // Remove before prod release
   RNBranchModule.setDebug();
   RNBranchModule.initSession(getIntent().getData(), this);

   iOS

   Add [RNBranch setDebug]; or RNBranch.setDebug() in your AppDelegate before the call to initSession. Use conditional compilation or remove before releasing to prod.

   Swift

   #if DEBUG
       RNBranch.setDebug()
   #endif
   RNBranch.initSession(launchOptions: launchOptions, isReferrable: true)

   Objective-C

   #ifdef DEBUG
       [RNBranch setDebug];
   #endif
   [RNBranch initSessionWithLaunchOptions:launchOptions isReferrable:YES];

Using getLatestReferringParams to handle link opens

The getLatestReferringParams method is essentially a synchronous method that retrieves the latest referring link parameters stored by the native SDK. However, React Native does not support synchronous calls to native code from JavaScript, so the method returns a promise. You must await the response or use then to receive the result. The same remarks apply to the getFirstReferringParams method. However, this is only a restriction of React Native. The purpose of getLatestReferringParams is to retrieve those parameters one time. The promise will only return one result. It will not continue to return results when links are opened or wait for a link to be opened. This method is not intended to notify the app when a link has been opened.

To receive notification whenever a link is opened, including at app launch, call branch.subscribe. The callback to this method will return any initial link that launched the app and all subsequent link opens. There is no need to call getLatestReferringParams at app launch to check for an initial link. Use branch.subscribe to handle all link opens.

General troubleshooting

See the troubleshooting guide for each native SDK:

• iOS
• Android