Firebase4Delphi - A new open source project

Hi all,
I have just started a new open source project on github: Firebase4Delphi. For those that don't know Firebase, it's a backend service: including data storage, user authentication, static hosting, and more. Go here for more info https://www.firebase.com/ . The purpose of this project is provide a REST wrapper (facade) to consume FIREBASE REST API. For now there is a client for basically interact with REST API and a ChatDemo example based on the official demo (https://www.firebase.com/tutorial/#session/sf2ovtgq4ko). The project use System.Net library, so is compatible from DelphiXE8. Anyone wants to enjoy this project is welcome!

How-To use AdMob Interstitial Ads with Delphi XE7-XE8

Hi guys,
as you know by using the Delphi Android JNI you can access to Native features provided by Android SDK. The RAD Studio installation includes also Google Mobile ADS library (Androidapi.JNI.AdMob unit), as built-in java library for Android.
So by using this unit we can use the new Interstitials Ads provided by AdMob.
First of all rember to set to true the AdMob Service ( Project -> Entitlement List -> AdMob Service )

Let's start with the code.
Create an instance of TJInterstitialAd, wich is present in Androidapi.JNI.AdMob.

  
    FInterstitial := TJInterstitialAd.JavaClass.init(MainActivity);
    FInterstitial.setAdUnitId(StringToJString('Your-Publisher-ID'));

For example you can put the previous code in the FormCreate event. Then you have to use this code to display an Interstitial Ad (on button-click event in my demo):

var
  LADRequestBuilder: JAdRequest_Builder;
  LadRequest: JAdRequest;
begin
  LADRequestBuilder := TJAdRequest_Builder.Create;
  LADRequestBuilder.addTestDevice(MainActivity.getDeviceID);
  LadRequest := LADRequestBuilder.build();
  LAdViewListener := TMyAdViewListener.Create(FInterStitial);
  CallInUIThread(
    procedure
    begin
      FInterStitial.setAdListener(TJAdListenerAdapter.JavaClass.init
        (LAdViewListener));
      FInterStitial.loadAd(LadRequest);
    end);
end;

I used the TJAdRequest_Builder to create a request and set my device like a test device (see AdMob guidelines).
I also created a custom AdViewListener to intercept the interstitial events:

• onAdClosed;
• onAdFailedToLoad(errorCode: Integer);
• onAdLeftApplication;
• onAdOpened;
• onAdLoaded;

TJAdListenerAdapter adapts my Listener class to Interstitial AdListener, this because I created a custom class to support interstitial events and show effectively the Ad when it was loaded.

TMyAdViewListener = class(TJavaLocal, JIAdListener)
  private
    FAD: JInterstitialAd;
  public
    constructor Create(AAD: JInterstitialAd);
    procedure onAdClosed; cdecl;
    procedure onAdFailedToLoad(errorCode: Integer); cdecl;
    procedure onAdLeftApplication; cdecl;
    procedure onAdOpened; cdecl;
    procedure onAdLoaded; cdecl;
  end;

procedure TMyAdViewListener.onAdLoaded;
begin
  FAD.show;
end;

Here the screenshot of interstitial on my phone:

This code should works also on AppMethod.
You can find the demo in my GitHub repository.

RESTAdapter: a new amazing feature in Delphi MVC Framework

RESTAdapter is a new amazing feature of the famous Delphi MVCFramework (DMVCFramework for short). DMVCFramework (as you know) is a powerful framework for web solution in Delphi that respect the MVC pattern and reach RMM Level 3! Above there is a link to the site project (if you want more info about this wonderful framework). Ok, let's go ahead. What is RESTAdapter? RESTAdapter turn a Delphi Interface into your REST API. In practice you can declare an interface that represents your REST API and the RESTAdapter does all work for you. Below a mini guide on how it works:

  

  [Headers('User-Agent', 'RESTAdapter-Test')]
   IRESTAPIService = interface(IInvokable)
    ['{58B9FA23-92F4-4B8E-814B-05232F32A41F}']

    [RESTResource(HttpGet, '/persons')]
    [MapperListOf(TPerson)]
    function GetListPerson: TObjectList<tperson>;

    [RESTResource(HttpGet, '/persons/{personid}')]
    function GetPersonByID([Param('personid')] APersonID: integer): TPerson;

    [RESTResource(httpPOST, '/persons')]
    function SavePerson([Body] ABody: TPerson): TPerson;

  end;

The RestAdapter class generates an implementation of the IRESTAPIService
interface:

  
  RESTAdapter := TRESTAdapter<IRESTAPIService>.Create; 
  RESTAPIService := RESTAdapter.Build('localhost', 9999);
  Person := RESTAPIService.GetPersonByID(1);

Use RTTI Attributes to describe the REST request:

• RESTResource: to describe URI and REST verb of resource
• Headers: a key-value pair that represents a Header of HTTP request
• MapperListOf: to specify the Object Type of the List
• Param: to specify that a method parameter is a param of HTTP Request
• Body: to specify that a method parameter is the body of HTTP Request

The TRESTAdapter class inherits from TVirtualInterface. TVirtualInterface doesn't behave like an ordinary class, each instance has an associated reference counter to automatically free itself. In practice there isn't need to free the RESTAdapter object.

In the DMVCFramework samples folder, in particularly "wincellarclientRESTAdapter" you can find a real work example. 

I hope you enjoy it!