Getting Started with Android Data Capture

 

For modern Android apps

In modern Android application architecture, there are typically two build.gradle files that need to be modified when adding any Gradle plugins. These are:

• The Root Project build.gradle (by default located in the root folder), and
• The App/Module build.gradle (by default located in the app/ folder).

The Root build.gradle declares script plugin locations and classpaths. You’ll modify this file to point to the Fullstory repository and add the Fullstory plugin’s classpath (similar to how the Android Gradle plugin is declared).

In the App-specific build.gradle, you’ll apply the plugin and then declare a fullstory script block to configure some additional properties. This is analogous to how the Android application plugin is applied and the android configuration block is used for property declarations.

As you’re implementing the instructions below, you may find it useful to reference a sample app with a completed Fullstory installation; feel free to review the Android Shoppe Demo.

For legacy Android apps

Legacy Android apps that have been migrated from Eclipse to Android Studio have a single monolithic build.gradle file, rather than distinct Root and App build.gradle files. As such, the Fullstory installation process is identical to the process for modern apps, except that all modifications take place in the single build.gradle file.

 

Setup

1. Add the Fullstory maven repositories

If your application uses settings.gradle for plugin management

Use the configuration shown below in your settings.gradle:

pluginManagement {
  repositories {
    ...
    maven { url "https://maven.fullstory.com" }
  }
}
dependencyResolutionManagement {
  repositoriesMode.set(RepositoriesMode.FAIL_ON_PROJECT_REPOS)
  repositories {
    ...
    maven { url "https://maven.fullstory.com" }
  }
}
rootProject.name = "My Application"
include ':app'

If your application does not use settings.gradle for plugin management

Do not add the above code (or remove if already added) to your settings.gradle and instead use the configuration shown below in your root build.gradle:

buildscript {
  repositories {
    ...
    maven { url "https://maven.fullstory.com" }
  }
}

 

2. In the Root Project build.gradle, add the Fullstory plugin

Paste the highlighted lines into the buildscript section, ensure that you replace <PLUGIN VERSION> with the latest version of the Fullstory Android plugin. You can find the latest release notes here (this is currently 1.55.0).

buildscript {
  dependencies {
    ...
    classpath 'com.fullstory:gradle-plugin-local:<PLUGIN VERSION>'
  }
}

3. In the App/Module build.gradle, apply the Fullstory plugin

Paste the highlighted lines:

If your gradle file adds plugins via plugin id:

plugins {
  id 'com.android.application'
  id 'fullstory'
}

fullstory {
  org "<ORG ID>"
  <PLUGIN PROPERTIES>
}

android {
  ...

If your gradle file applies plugins:

apply plugin: 'com.android.application'
apply plugin: 'fullstory'

fullstory {
  org "<ORG ID>"
  <PLUGIN PROPERTIES>
}

android {
  ...

 

3. Add the Plugin Properties

Replace <PLUGIN PROPERTIES> with the available properties below:

Property	Options	Description
org	Required	Your Org ID
orgs	Default: empty	Your Org ID specified per variant
enabledVariants	Default: release Options: varies	Specify which Build Variants to be applied
logcatLevel	Default: off Options: off, error, warn, info, debug, log	Capture Logcat messages at or above the specified level
logLevel	Default: info Options: off, error, warn, info, debug, log	Capture FS.log() messages at or above the specified level
recordOnStart (optional)	Default: true Options: true, false	Prevent Fullstory from starting data capture on App Startup
addDependencies (optional)	Default: true Options: true, false	Prevent Fullstory Gradle Plugin from Auto-adding Gradle Dependencies
serverUrl (optional)	Default: https://fullstory.com Options: varies	Specify the server url to route Fullstory traffic through
previewModeEnabled (optional)	Default: false Options: true, false	Capture sessions in preview mode
baselineProfileSupportEnabled (optional)	Default: false Options: true, false	Detect and reprocess baseline profiles after Fullstory is added to the app
baselineProfileFormat (optional)	Default: null Options: Valid values	Optional profile binary format to use

 

Setting Org ID

Add your Org ID, which can be obtained by logging into Fullstory. Navigate to Settings > Data Capture and Privacy > Fullstory Setup, where you should see a line that looks like the following:window['_fs_org'] = 'XXXXX';. This string is your Org ID. For additional help finding your Org ID, check out this article.

Additionally, when you login to your Fullstory account, your Org ID can be found in the URL of your browser.

https://app.fullstory.com/ui/<ORG_ID>/home

Setting an Org ID per Variant

If your build requires an Org ID to be set per variant (flavor + build type), you can use the orgs property. The variant value is a regex that performs a caseless comparison to match the variant.

Note that an entry that matches a variant will take precedence over the general org property.

You can set value by specifying an array:

 orgs ['variant0': 'org0', 'variant1': 'org1']

You can also put an entry individually:

 putOrg('variant0', 'org0')

Specify which Build Variants to be applied

By default, Fullstory is only applied to the release variant of your app. If your build variant contains the word “release”, we will add our instrumentation code to the APK after it is built.

To apply Fullstory to all variants, including those used at debug time, add the following line below the org line:

enabledVariants 'all'

If you want Fullstory to be applied to specific variants, you can also use a regular expression like so:

enabledVariants 'debug|release'

The variant name is constructed from the product flavor and build type (see example here). The Fullstory build plugin will match the variant name case-insensitively.

Capture Logcat and FS.log() Messages

By default, Fullstory will not capture logcat messages. Logcat messages, however, can capture frustration signals, such as error clicks. To change this behavior and capture frustration signals, update your logcatLevel flag.

logcatLevel 'error'

By default, Fullstory will capture any Log statements sent via FS.log() API above and at 'info' level in your application. To change this behavior, update your logLevel flag.

logLevel 'error'

Any message sent below the specified level will not be sent to Fullstory. For example, if 'info' level is specified, 'debug' and 'log' messages will not be sent. Available options:

• 'off' - no logging
• 'error' - error
• 'warn' - warning
• 'info' - info
• 'debug' - debug
• 'log' - verbose

Prevent Fullstory from starting data capture on App Startup

By default, Fullstory will start data capture on app startup. If you want to only start data capture once certain conditions are met, you can set recordOnStart flag to false, which will prevent data capture until FS.restart() API is explicitly invoked.

recordOnStart false

Prevent Fullstory Gradle Plugin from Auto-adding Gradle Dependencies

By default, Fullstory Gradle Plugin will automatically add the correct AAR files to the project. If you do not want the Plugin to do this, you can set addDependencies flag to false.

addDependencies false

When this is passed in, the Fullstory Plugin will output information to assist you in manually configuring the necessary pieces. For example, building with 1.55.0 will output:

FullStory: skipping auto-adding dependencies
FullStory: you must add `maven { url "https://maven.fullstory.com" }` manually to your root project's `allprojects.repositories`
FullStory: you must add `implementation 'com.fullstory:instrumentation-full:1.55.0@aar'` manually to your application project's `dependencies`

If you are using a Fullstory release prior to 1.23.0, you will need to pass in -PfsAddGradleDependency=falsein the command line or set it as a project property in gradle.properties as fsAddGradleDependency=false. 

 

4. Subclass from Application

Fullstory requires that you enable MultiDex. If your minSdkVersion is set to 21 or higher, Multidex is enabled by default. Subclass from application class android.app.Application.

If your minSdkVersion is lower than 21, you will need to subclass from androidx.multidex.MultiDexApplication instead.

Java:

If you do not have an Application class, create one, and in your App.java:

import android.app.Application;
public class App extends Application {
  ...
}

In your AndroidManifest.xml, under the <application> tag, add android:name="App" as below:

<application
android:name="App"
  ...

Kotlin:

If you do not have an Application class, create one, and in your App.kt:

import android.app.Application
class App: Application() {
  ...
}

In your AndroidManifest.xml, under the <application> tag, add android:name="App" as below:

<application
android:name="App"
  ...

 

5. Declare App Permissions

Add the following permissions, if not already, to your AndroidManifest.xml:

<uses-permission android:name="android.permission.INTERNET"/>
<uses-permission android:name="android.permission.ACCESS_NETWORK_STATE"/>

 

Using Fullstory in library modules

The Fullstory Android plugin supports libraries inside of multi-module applications, but does not support being applied to a stand-alone library. If you want to reference Fullstory APIs from a library module within a multi-module app, set the repository and dependency as follows:

apply plugin: 'com.android.library'
repositories {
maven { url "https://maven.fullstory.com" }
  ...
}
dependencies {
implementation 'com.fullstory:instrumentation-full:<PLUGIN VERSION>@aar'
  ...
}

If using Jetpack Compose, also add this to your dependencies:

implementation 'com.fullstory:compose'

Using Fullstory's Advanced Features

Identifying users and passing custom data to Fullstory

The FS.identify and FS.setUserVars enables you to enrich your Fullstory data with additional variables for use in searches, segments, and integrations. This functionality allows you to pass user information to Fullstory directly from your mobile app. The parameters are: FS.identify takes a String and an optional Map<String, Object>, while FS.setUserVars takes a Map<String, Object>.

 

Fullstory Initialization Callback

public class App extends Application {
    @Override
    public void onCreate() {
        super.onCreate();
        FS.setReadyListener(new FSSessionReadyListener());
    }

    private static class FSSessionReadyListener implements FSOnReadyListener {
        @Override
        public void onReady(FSSessionData sessionData) {
            String sessionUrl = sessionData.getCurrentSessionURL();
            Log.d("FullStory", "Session URL is: " + sessionUrl);
        }
    }
}

class App : Application() {
override fun onCreate() {
super.onCreate()
        FS.setReadyListener(FSSessionReadyListener())
    }

private class FSSessionReadyListener : FSOnReadyListener {
override fun onReady(sessionData: FSSessionData) {
            Log.d("FullStory", "Session URL is: ${sessionData.currentSessionURL}")
        }
    }
}

 

FullStory for Mobile Apps Privacy rules

For more information about configuring privacy rules and masking, please consult our Fullstory for Mobile Apps Privacy Rules guide.

 

Turning mobile data capture on or off

Mobile data capture can be toggled on or off from Settings > Data Capture and Privacy > Mobile Data Capture. This applies across your entire Fullstory account.

 

Configuring domain allowlisting for WebViews

If your application makes use of WebViews, you must explicitly allowlist any domain you wish to capture within a WebView. For security and privacy reasons, you should only allowlist domains which are under your control. Wildcards and subdomains are supported using the same scheme as Web domain settings. If your application doesn’t use WebViews or you don’t care to capture within WebViews, you can safely ignore this section.

These settings can be configured from Settings > Data Capture and Privacy > Mobile Data Capture.

Note:  Fullstory SDK can capture contents of WKWebView (iOS) /WebView (Android) but not SFSafariViewController (iOS) /Chrome Custom Tabs (Android). Fullstory for Web may be used to capture contents of SFSafariViewController/Chrome Custom Tabs, but they will be displayed as separate sessions

 

Fullstory API

For information on usage, visit our developer docs.