Meeting Helper: Installing

Clone the repo or download the code

Create new Firebase project

• Go to https://console.firebase.google.com/
• Click "Add Project"
• Choose a project name
• Click continue
• Click continue
• Select a Google Analytics account
• Click "Create Project"
• Click continue

Add Android Application

• Go to Project settings
• Click on Android icon
• Enter the package name (com.AndroidQuartz.meetinghelper)
• Add app nickname (MeetingHelper - Android)
• Don't download the google-services.json file now (will be downloaded later)
• Click Next
• Click Next
• Click Continue to console

Enable Firebase services

1. Firebase Auth

• Go to Authentication
• Click Get Started
• Click on Google
• Enable Google sign in
• Enter the project public-facing name: (خدمة مدارس الأحد)
• Choose support email for the project
• Click Save

2. Firestore Database

• Go to Firestore Database
• Click Create database
• Click next
• Choose the project Firestore location: (europe-west6) or any other region that is close to your location
• Click Enable

3. Realtime Database

• Go to Realtime Database
• Click Create database
• Choose the database location: Belgium (europe-west1) or any other region that is close to your location
• Click Next
• Click Enable
• Add the following data to the database:

{
  "config": {
    "updates": {
      "latest_version": "8.2.5", //Fill in app latest version
      "deprecated_from": "7.1.9",
      "download_link": "", //Fill in download link
      "release_notes": "" //Fill in release notes link
    }
  }
}

4. Storage

• At this point Firebase Storage should be automatically enabled

Firestore backup bucket

• Go to https://console.cloud.google.com/storage/browser
• Create a new bucket with name "{projectId}-firestore-backup" (example: meetinghelper-cf3db-firestore-backup)
• Give 'Cloud Datastore Import Export Admin' permission to app engine defualt account
• Give 'Owner' or 'Storage Admin' permission for the same service account for the created bucket

  For more info see this

5. Dynamic Links

• Go to Dynamic Links
• Click Get Started
• Enter domain name ("meetinghelperkeraza" for example) and from the dropdown menu choose the domain name ("meetinghelperkeraza.page.link")
• Click Finish
• Click on the 3 vertical dots next to "New dynamic link" and choose Allolist URL pattern
• Add each of the following Regexs:
  • ^https://meetinghelper\.com/view.+\?.+Id\=.+$
  • ^https://meetinghelper\.com/viewQuery\?collection\=((Services)|(Classes)|(Persons))\&fieldPath\=[^\&]+\&operator\=[^\&]\&queryValue(\=(((true)|(false))|((S|D|T|I)[^\&]+)))?\&order\=((true)|(false))\&orderBy\=[^\&]+\&descending\=(true|false)$
  • ^https://play\.google\.com/.\*id=com\.AndroidQuartz\.meetinghelper$
  • ^https://meetinghelper\.com/viewUser\?UID\=.+$
  • ^https://meetinghelper\.com/register\?InvitationId\=.+$
• Click Done
• Go to https://console.cloud.google.com/apis/credentials
• Click on Create Credentails and choose API Key
• Copy the key and click Restirct Key
• Rename the key to Firebase Dynamic Links API Key
• Choose restirct key under API Restirctions
• Search for and choose Firebase Dynamic Links API
• Click Save

6. Firebase Functions

To use Firebase Functions (which is an essential part in the project) you would have to enable billing in the project

8. Google Maps API

• Go to https://console.cloud.google.com/google/maps-apis/new
• Choose and Enable Maps SDK for Android
• Go to https://console.cloud.google.com/apis/credentials
• Click on Create Credentails and choose API Key
• Copy the key and click Restirct Key
• Rename the key to GMaps Android API Key
• Choose restirct key under API Restirctions
• Search for and choose Maps SDK for Android
• Click Save
• Create file in android\app\src\main\res\values\ and name it strings.xml
• Paste in the following snippet replacing Your-Key with the API key:

<?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-8"?>
<resources>
    <string name="gmaps_api_key">Your-Key</string>
</resources>

10. Sentry

• Go to sentry.io and create an account
• Create new project, choose flutter and give it a name (for example "meetinghelper-keraza")
• Copy the dsn and save it for later use

11. Deploying the project

Password Encryption

• Create file Firebase CLI Sample\functions\src\passwordEncryption.ts
• Paste the following snippet and implement some passowrd encryption Algorithm:

export function encryptPassword(rawPassword: string): string {
  //TODO: implement password encryption algorithm, same as front-end
  return rawPassword.split("").reverse().join("");
}

Environment variables

• Create file Firebase CLI Sample\functions\.env and add environment variables

FB_DYNAMIC_LINKS_KEY=<the key you created and copied from the project credentails>
FB_DYNAMIC_LINKS_PREFIX=<https://meetinghelper.page.link>
ADMIN_PASSWORD=p^s$word
PACKAGE_NAME=com.AndroidQuartz.meetinghelper

• Fill the values that are surrounded by <> without <>
• Edit the ADMIN_PASSWORD to a strong one
• Edit PACKAGE_NAME if package name is different

Setting CORS policy

• Install gsutil from the link https://cloud.google.com/storage/docs/gsutil_install
• Create a new file with name: cors.json with the following code replacing projectId with your actual projectId:

[
  {
    "origin": [
      "https://projectId.firebaseapp.com",
      "https://projectId.web.app"
    ],
    "responseHeader": ["Content-Type"],
    "method": ["GET", "HEAD"],
    "maxAgeSeconds": 3600
  }
]

• Run the command gsutil cors set cors.json gs://projectId.appspot.com replacing projectId with your actual projectId

Deploying rtdb, firestore, fuctions, and storage

• Install Firebase tools using npm install -g firebase-tools
• Using the terminal go to the Firebase CLI Sample directory
• Run the command: firebase init
• Select: Realtime Database, Firestore, Functions and Storage
• Choose an ccount or login if prompted
• Choose Use an existing project
• Choose the project you created earlier
• Choose NOT to overwrite current configuration
• When prompted for functions choose TypeScript
• Choose no: Do you want to use ESLint to catch probable bugs and enforce style?
• After the command finishes run firebase deploy

12. Flutter part

• Create file in lib\utils and name it encryption_keys.dart
• Paste the following snippet and implement some passowrd encryption Algorithm:

class Encryption {
  static String encryptPassword(String rawPassword) {
    //TODO: implement password encryption algorithm, same as back-end
    return rawPassword.split('').reversed.join();
  }
}

• Create file in the root directory and name it secrets.dart
• Paste the following snippet replacing Your-Sentry-DSN with actual DSN:

const sentryDSN = 'Your-Sentry-DSN';

• Create file in the root directory and name it .env
• Paste in the following code:

kUseFirebaseEmulators=false

13. Android part

Signatures

Creating keys

• Using Terminal go to android\app
• Run the following command keytool -genkey -v -keystore dKey.jks -storetype JKS -keyalg RSA -keysize 2048 -validity 10000 -alias debug
• Enter the debug keystore password and save it for later use
• Enter your info
• Run the command keytool -importkeystore -srckeystore dKey.jks -destkeystore dKey.jks -deststoretype pkcs12 then enter the password
• Run the following command keytool -genkey -v -keystore rKey.jks -storetype JKS -keyalg RSA -keysize 2048 -validity 10000 -alias release
• Enter the release keystore password and save it for later use
• Enter your info
• Run the command keytool -importkeystore -srckeystore rKey.jks -destkeystore rKey.jks -deststoretype pkcs12 then enter the password
• Rename dKey.jks to dKey.keystore and rKey.jks to rKey.keystore

Creating keys configurations

• Go to android\ and create two files debugKey.properties and releaseKey.properties
• Paste the following in debugKey.properties replacing Debug-Password with your password:

storePassword=Debug-Password
keyPassword=Debug-Password
keyAlias=debug
storeFile=dKey.keystore

• Paste the following in releaseKey.properties replacing Release-Password with your password:

storePassword=Release-Password
keyPassword=Release-Password
keyAlias=release
storeFile=rKey.keystore

Restirecting API using signatures

• Using the Terminal go to android\app
• Run the following command keytool -list -v -keystore dKey.keystore -alias debug
• Copy the SHA1 and SHA256 hashes
• Run the following command keytool -list -v -keystore rKey.keystore -alias release
• Copy the SHA1 and SHA256 hashes
• Go to https://console.cloud.google.com/apis/credentials
• Open the GMaps API Key and under applications restirections choose android apps
• Click on add an item
• Enter the package name and SHA1 hash for the debug key
• Click Done
• Click on add an item
• Enter the package name and SHA1 hash for the release key
• Click Done
• Click Save
• Repeat these steps on the Android Key (auto created by Firebase)

Firebase App Check (optional)

Note: Firebase App Check is still in Beta support in Flutter:

• Go to Firebase App Check -> Apps
• You should find the Android app, click on it
• Expand Play Integrity, check the app signatures and accept the TOS then click save
• Expand Safety Net, check the app signatures and accept the TOS then click save
• Now you can go to APIs tab and enforce the APIs you want

Google services

• Go to https://console.firebase.google.com/
• Choose the project
• Go to project settings
• Under Android apps and under SHA certificate fingerprints click Add fingerprint
• Add each of SHA1 and SHA256 of each of the debug and release keys
• Download google-services.json and copy it to android/app