The document discusses using Firebase Realtime Database and Remote Config in a pattern-based mobile app for food ordering. Firebase Remote Config allows modifying app configuration like colors, text and features without an app update. Firebase Realtime Database provides real-time synchronization of data like menus across client and server to avoid out of sync issues during intermittent connectivity. Both services help reduce developer workload and speed up new feature deployment and A/B testing.

2. Firebase Realtime Database
and Remote Config in Practice
Sergey Smetanin

3. RuBeacon
Pattern-based white-label mobile apps for order-ahead and food delivery
services. Presented as Android, iOS and Web apps.
• Complete food service use-case, from the menu display and order
creation, up to the order registration and monitoring in the restaurant
POS system.
• Integration with the most common restaurant management systems.
• Pattern-based development using Product Flavors on Android and
Targets on iOS.

4. FIREBASE REMOTE CONFIG

6. <resources>
<string name=«appName»>Кофе на вынос</string>
<string name="invite">Мы ждем Вас в кофейне-пекарне</string>
<bool name="showWalletBalance">false</bool>
<bool name="showDividers">true</bool>
<integer name="menuRepresentaUonType">0</integer>
<integer name="itemRepresentaUonType">3</integer>
<color name="colorPrimary">#3F51B5</color>
<color name="colorPrimaryDark">#303F9F</color>
<color name="colorAccent">#FF4081</color>
<string-array name="emailsList">
<item>sismetanin@gmail.ru</item>
<item>nikita.remnev@gmail.ru</item>
</string-array>
…

7. Configuration Problem Statement
1. Developers waste their time maintaining configuration.
2. Process of new apps launching is slow.
3. Both UI and behavior logic update requires an app update.
4. Strings localization.

8. Configuration Problem Solving
1. Hardcoded configuration parameters in client-side app.
• Cannot be changed without an app update.
• Cannot be changed without developers.
• Boring for developers to edit.
2. Server-side configuration parameters.
• Cannot be changed without developers.
• Client-side download, update and storage logic should be implemented.
• Server-side strings localization.
• Boring for developers to edit.
3. Firebase Remote Config.
✓Perfecto!

9. Firebase Remote Config Key Capabilities
• Quickly roll out changes to
your app's userbase.
• Customize your app for
segments of your user base.
• Run A/B tests to improve
your app.

10. FRC Parameters

11. FRC Conditions

12. FRC Conditions
Rule Type Operation(s) Value(s)
User in random percentile <=, > 0-100
OS type == iOS, Android
Device in region/country ==
Select one or more regions or
countries
App ID ==
Select from a list of App IDs for
apps associated with your
Firebase project.
App version
exactly matches, contains, does
not contain, regular expression
Enter a value to specify a specific
version of your app.
Device language == Select one or more languages.
User in audience ==
Select from a list of Firebase
Analytics audiences that you have
set up for your project.

13. FRС Simple Case: App Coloring
100+apps in GooglePlay
+5 new apps
per week

14. FRС Implementation Path
1. Add Firebase to your Android project
2. Add RC dependency to your app’s module build.gradle:
compile 'com.google.firebase:firebase-config:9.4.0'
3. Get a Remote Config object instance and sets in-app default values
from an XML file
mFirebaseRemoteConfig = FirebaseRemoteConfig.getInstance();
FirebaseRemoteConfigSepngs configSepngs = new FirebaseRemoteConfigSepngs.Builder()
.setDeveloperModeEnabled(BuildConfig.DEBUG)
.build();
mFirebaseRemoteConfig.setConfigSepngs(configSepngs);
mFirebaseRemoteConfig.setDefaults(R.xml.remote_config_defaults);

15. 4. Fetch configuration
mFirebaseRemoteConfig.fetch(cacheExpiraUon) // The default expiraUon duraUon is 43200 (12 hours)
.addOnCompleteListener(new OnCompleteListener<Void>() {
@Override
public void onComplete(@NonNull Task<Void> task) {
if (task.isSuccessful()) {
Log.d(TAG, "Fetch Succeeded");
// Once the config is successfully fetched it must be acUvated before newly fetched
// values are returned.
mFirebaseRemoteConfig.acUvateFetched();
} else {
Log.d(TAG, "Fetch Failed");
}
updateColors();
}
});

16. 5. Add client logic
private void updateColors() {
mToolbar.setBackgroundColor(Color.parseColor(mFirebaseRemoteConfig.getString(TOOLBAR_BACKGROUND_COLOR_KEY)));
mToolbar.setTitleTextColor(Color.parseColor(mFirebaseRemoteConfig.getString(TOOLBAR_TITLE_TEXT_COLOR_KEY)));
if (Build.VERSION.SDK_INT >= Build.VERSION_CODES.LOLLIPOP) {
Window window = getWindow();
window.setStatusBarColor(Color.parseColor(mFirebaseRemoteConfig.getString(STATUS_BAR_COLOR_KEY)));
window.setNavigaUonBarColor(Color.parseColor(mFirebaseRemoteConfig.getString(NAVIGATION_BAR_COLOR_KEY)));
}
}

18. Results
1. Developers are free from configuration maintaining.
2. Account managers are able to maintain configuration by themselves.
3. UI and behavior logic can be updated without an app update.
4. Embedded approach to string localization.
5. Ready-to-start platform for A/B testing.

19. FIREBASE REALTIME DATABASE

20. Menu Replication Problem Statement
1. Menu should be the same at all stages.
2. Its common for a restaurant to update menu at least one time per week.
3. Weak point in communication between client app and RuBeacon server
due to mobile internet.
Restaurant
Management
System
Client App
RuBeacon
Server

21. History of Menu Replication Problem Solving
1. Synchronous downloading on splash screen.
• Bad UX due to wasting of time on the splash screen.
• Client-side storage logic should be implemented.
2. Asynchronous downloading on the splash screen.
• Lack of synchronization.
• Client-side storage logic should be implemented.
3. Async downloading & silent push.
• Client-side storage logic should be implemented.
• Silent push should be implemented on both server and client sides.
4. Firebase Realtime Database.
✓Perfecto!.

22. FRD Key Capabilities
• Realtime
synchronization
• Accessible from
client Devices
• Offline Capabilities

23. FRD Structure Your Database
1. Avoid nesting data
2. Flatten data structures
3. Create data that scales
FRD Rules
1. .write
2. .read
3. .validate
4. .indexOn

24. FRD Available data types
• String
• Long
• Double
• Boolean
• Map<String, Object>
• List<Object>
• Custom Java object
public class User {
public String username;
public String email;
public String getEmail() {
return email;
}
public String getUsername() {
return username;
}
public User() {
}
public User(String username, String email) {
this.username = username;
this.email = email;
}
}

25. FRD Save Data
1. Get an instance of database
FirebaseDatabase database = FirebaseDatabase.getInstance();
DatabaseReference myRef = database.getReference();
private void writeNewUser(String userId, String name, String email) {
User user = new User(name, email);
mDatabase.child("users").child(userId).setValue(user);
}
2. Basic write operations

26. FRD Retrieve Data
1. Get an instance of database
2. Add listeners for events
Listener Event Callback
ValueEventListener onDataChange()
ChildEventListener onChildAdded()
onChildChanged()
onChildRemoved()
onChildMoved()

27. FRD Offline Capabilities
1. Disk persistence
DatabaseReference scoresRef = FirebaseDatabase.getInstance().getReference("items");
scoresRef.keepSynced(true);
2. Keeping data fresh
FirebaseDatabase.getInstance().setPersistenceEnabled(true);
3. Querying data offline
DatabaseReference scoresRef = FirebaseDatabase.getInstance().getReference("items");
scoresRef.orderByValue().limitToLast(4).addChildEventListener(new ChildEventListener() {
@Override
public void onChildAdded(DataSnapshot snapshot, String previousChild) { }
});
// СonnecUon error
scoresRef.orderByValue().limitToLast(2).addChildEventListener(new ChildEventListener() {
@Override
public void onChildAdded(DataSnapshot snapshot, String previousChild) { }
});

28. FRD Case: Menu Synchronization

31. Results
1. Reducing the residence time at the splash screen for 3 seconds in
average
2. Realtime synchronization instead of request/response model
3. Embedded tools for storing, queuing, caching and updating data.
Restaurant
Management
System
FirebaseClient App
RuBeacon
Server

32. References
1. "Have you met the Realtime Database?", The Firebase Blog, 2016. [Online]. Available: https://
firebase.googleblog.com/2016/07/have-you-met-realtime-database.html. [Accessed: 18- Sep- 2016].
2. "Firebase Realtime Database | Firebase", Google Developers, 2016. [Online]. Available: https://
firebase.google.com/docs/database/. [Accessed: 18- Sep- 2016].
3. "Firebase Remote Config | Firebase", Google Developers, 2016. [Online]. Available: https://
firebase.google.com/docs/remote-config/. [Accessed: 18- Sep- 2016].
4. "Firebase: Now with more querying!", The Firebase Blog, 2016. [Online]. Available: https://
firebase.googleblog.com/2014/11/firebase-now-with-more-querying.html. [Accessed: 18- Sep- 2016].
5. "Queries, Part 1: Common SQL Queries Converted for Firebase", The Firebase Blog, 2016. [Online].
Available: https://firebase.googleblog.com/2013/10/queries-part-1-common-sql-queries.html.
[Accessed: 18- Sep- 2016].
6. "Queries, Part 2: Advanced Searches with Firebase, made Plug-and-Play Simple", The Firebase Blog,
2016. [Online]. Available: https://firebase.googleblog.com/2014/01/queries-part-2-advanced-
searches-with.html. [Accessed: 18- Sep- 2016].

33. THANK YOU FOR ATTENTION
Q&A
sismetanin@gmail.com