cordova-plugin-background-geolocation: Not working alpha on ionic-android

Plugin version: 3.0.0-alpha.37
Platform: Android
OS version: Ubuntu 16.04LTS
Device manufacturer and model: Motorola Moto G
Cordova version (cordova -v): 7.1.0
Cordova platform version (cordova platform ls): android 6.3.0
Plugin configuration options:

{notificationTitle: 'AP - Interno',
      notificationText: 'Em execução',
      desiredAccuracy: 10,
      stationaryRadius: 50,
      distanceFilter: 50,
      debug: false, //  enable this hear sounds for background-geolocation life-cycle.
      stopOnTerminate: false, // enable this to clear background location settings when the app terminates
      startOnBoot: true,
      locationProvider: 0, /** ANDROID_DISTANCE_FILTER_PROVIDER: 0, ANDROID_ACTIVITY_PROVIDER: 1 */
      interval: 10000,
      fastestInterval: 5000,
      activitiesInterval: 10000}

Context

Need upgrade from 2.x for 3.x why 2.x is not working has expected.

Expected Behavior

Init the plugin

Actual Behavior

The console is showing: Native: tried calling BackgroundGeolocation.configure, but the BackgroundGeolocation plugin is not installed. Install the BackgroundGeolocation plugin: ‘ionic cordova plugin add cordova-plugin-mauron85-background-geolocation’ When i run ionic cordova run android, however the plugin is installed. In package.json i see "cordova-plugin-mauron85-background-geolocation": "^3.0.0-alpha.37" and in config.xml <plugin name="cordova-plugin-mauron85-background-geolocation" spec="^3.0.0-alpha.37">

Possible Fix

Steps to Reproduce

Install an fresh ionic aplication in latest version, install plugin and try run backgroundGeolocation.configure(config).subscribe

Context

This bug break my update to 3.x branch

About this issue

Original URL
State: closed
Created 6 years ago
Comments: 25 (1 by maintainers)

Most upvoted comments

ok, I’ll try to explain as clearly as I can

Cordova plugins

A cordova plugin is a Javascript wrapper around native functions. It offers Javascript APIs that can be used in any Javascript code, with or without framework.

Ionic-native

Ionic-native is a TypeScript wrapper around cordova plugins. In other words, it’s an additional layer. So, when you call an ionic-native Typescript method, this method in turn calls the corresponding cordova Javascript method. The benefits of this additional layer are:

Instead of relying on a global object injected into window (in your case, window.BackgroundGeolocation), you import a Typescript class injected in your constructor, which is cleaner. Note that, in the end, this Typescript class still calls the global object of your plugin, so it’s only cleaner in appearance
As it is Typescript, you benefit from the typing: when you do import { BackgroundGeolocation, BackgroundGeolocationConfig, BackgroundGeolocationResponse } from '@ionic-native/background-geolocation', those objects that you import define their attributes and methods, which helps you during development

Why the Ionic-native wrapper doesn’t work with v3.x

very simply, because you changed the name of your global object, from backgroundGeolocation to BackgroundGeolocation so, when you call the ionic-native wrapper, it in turn calls backgroundGeolocation, which doesn’t exist anymore; and that’s why it tells you that you didn’t install the plugin

So, how can I use the cordova plugin in my Ionic application?

Well, ionic-native is absolutely not a mandatory thing to use a cordova plugin; it’s just an additional layer that helps people who develop in TypeScript. So, very simply, you can totally use a cordova plugin in an Ionic application just by following the documentation from that plugin!

Note also that ionic-native can absolutely be used in non-Ionic applications. Again, it’s just a TypeScript wrapper, it’s called “Ionic” because it’s the same team behind it, but that’s it.

Hope I was clear!

cvaliere on Aug 17, 2018

Hi @cvaliere (<any>window).BackgroundGeolocation; is indeed working. I just had to remove/add the android platform again. Thanks a lot!

dreadnautxbuddha on Oct 8, 2018

Yeah that’s one of my issues. You cannot use subscribe since it isn’t returning an observable. If you look at the documentation, it’s all plain javascript. We dont get the other methods provided by Ionic’s native wrapper. Unless Ionic updates their native library to use v3, we won’t get the same functionality as v2.3.6

dreadnautxbuddha on Oct 9, 2018

Oh thankk you so much I got it !

Keko94 on Oct 9, 2018

Hi,

Just declare the global variable declare var BackgroundGeolocation: any; and then use it e.g. BackgroundGeolocation.configure(options); That works for me.

skourem on Oct 4, 2018

I’ve found a way to work. I need remove the import (needed from version 2) and change the way of use the class. I never saw like this syntax, for me it’s new. Maybe help you to fix them.

See the gist with the hack i’ve need do to this work: https://gist.github.com/rafwell/d1ef287e253134550049f72895d1fb5f

And the old way: https://gist.github.com/rafwell/c8eb0b3b877f76091cf61cab2f36641f

rafwell on Jun 22, 2018