API.md

Authorization

Auth API is available via account property of PressReader. Normally Host app performs PressReader authorization on start or before access to PressReader features is required.

let account = PressReader.instance().account

Authorization by token

account.authorize(token: String, completion: Callback)

Authorization by service name

Authorization by service name allows working with SDK based on service name only, without token. In order to achieve this behavior the next configuration has to be done:

In Info.plist of your app add PRConfig dictionary with SERVICE_NAME string type entry with your service name value.

Observing SDK state

To observer SDK's current state utilize the state property:

PressReader.instance().state

SDK state is described by the following options:

typedef NS_OPTIONS(NSUInteger, PRState) {
    PRStateRunning = 1 << PRStateTypeRunning,
    PRStateActivated = 1 << PRStateTypeActivated,
    PRStateCatalogLoaded = 1 << PRStateTypeCatalogLoaded
};

Each change in the state triggers the PressReaderStateDidChange notification. Alternatively, employ the PressReaderState class to manage state using the Combine API.

SDK state has to turn .activated to execute any operations and .catalogLoaded to be able to download issues.

Download

After the instance of PressReader SDK is authorized the issues downloading becomes possible. The downloading process is manageable via catalog item's download property that conforms to Download interface described below.

Download {
  var state: DownloadState
  var progress: Int
  var error: Error?

  func start()
  func pause()
  func cancel()
}

where DownloadState is

enum DownloadState {
    stop,     // the downloading wasn’t started or was stopped due to error
    progress, //  the downloading is in progress
    pause,    // the downloading is paused
    ready     // downloading was successfully completed
}

Access download property

You access specific download for a cid / date pair via corresponding item in catalog:

guard let download = PressReader.instance().catalog.item(cid, date)?.download else {
    print("Item with given cid / date isn't found")
    return
}

Start download

download.start()

Pause download

download.pause()

To resume download call download.start() method again.

Cancel download

download.cancel()

Download state and progress observation

Downloading state and progress can be accessed via state, progress and error properties. Additionally download object conforms to observation interface that allows to attach handlers to follow download progress in real time.

Download {
    /// when the returned DownloadObserver is deinited it will stop observing
    func observe(_ callback: @escaping Callback) -> DownloadObserver?
}

where Callback is

typealias Callback = (DownloadState, Progress, Error?) -> Void

Download error processing

AuthorizationError is returned when there’s a problem with authorization and re-authorization is required.

Open the downloaded issue (Reader API)

if let reader = ReadingVC(issue: issue) {
    yourViewController.present(reader. animated: true, completion: nil)
}

reader can be nil in case issue hasn't been previously ordered (dowload process not started)

Downloaded

The management of downloaded catalog items can be done via downloaded property of catalog

let downloaded = PressReader.instance.catalog.downloaded

where downloaded is

Downloaded {
  // returns the list of downloaded items 
  var items: [Item]
  // deletes downloaded item
  func delete(_ item: Item)
  func deleteAll()
}

where Item is

Item {
  var cid: String
  var date: Date
  var title: String
  var size: Long?
  var download: Download
}

Please check Download section for the information how to access the item's download state and open it.

State observation

Downloaded object conforms to the observation interface and “calls back” on items deletion or insertion.

Downloaded {
  /// when the returned Observer is deinited it will stop observing
  func observe(_ callback: @escaping ()->()) -> Observer
}

Logs

The getLogs asyncronous method is available to collect device logs and upload to server

func getLogs(completion: (Result<(linkToUploadedLogs: URL, additionalInfo: String), Error>) -> Void)

completion is a callback executed after obtaining all required information including linkToUploadedLogs, additionalInfo - some textual information we usually provide along with logs inside feedback email, like OS version, device model, device id, some internal component versions (SDK version) and crash stack if available.

Analytics

A list of tracker classes can be passed to PressReader SDK init method to track events happening when publication is viewed:

var trackerList: MutableList<AnalyticsTracker> = ArrayList()
trackerList.add(CustomTracker())
PressReader.init(Application.this, PressReader.Params(trackerList))

where CustomTracker inherits from ReadingViewAnalyticsTracker and overrides the methods corresponding to the events to be logged.

Event list

Event name	Event parameters	Description
OpenIssueForReading	issue	Publication issue opened for reading
IssuePage	issue,pageNumber	Issue page is changed (reading view)
IssueTextFlow	issue	Issue article feed is presented (text view)
ArticleView	article	Full Article Text view presented
Translated	fromLanguage,toLanguage	Translated article presented
ListenView	issue	text-to-speach view presented

where fromLanguage, toLanguage are ISO language codes,

Any host app’s provided tracker should conform to abstract AnalyticsTracker protocol with no methods defined, but all protocol for different part of tracking functionality would include this protocol, for example the only currently defined RreadingViewAnalyticsTracker protocol:

public protocol ReadingViewAnalyticsTracker: AnalyticsTrackerProtocol {
    /// publication opened for reading
    func trackOpenIssueForReading(issue: TrackingIssue)
    /// reading(replica) view switched to pageNumber [1...N]
    func trackIssuePage(issue: TrackingIssue, pageNumber: Int)
    /// reading view switched to text flow of article snippets (phone only)
    func trackIssueTextFlow(issue: TrackingIssue)
    /// reading view switched to detail article view
    func trackArticleView(issue: TrackingIssue, article: TrackingArticle)
    /// presenting "newspaper radio view" initiated from replica or article view
    func trackListenView(issue: TrackingIssue)
    /// presenting translated version of article, languages parameter are alpha-2 ISO codes
    func trackTranlated(article: TrackingArticle, languageFrom: String, laguageTo: String)
    /// specific page printed from replica view (full page or cropped to visible part)
    func trackPrintedPages(issue: TrackingIssue, isFullPage: Bool, pageNumbers: [Int])
    /// article printed as a formatted text or as it presented in replica view
    func trackPrintedArticle(issue: TrackingIssue, article: TrackingArticle, inReplicaPresentation: Bool)
}

Protocol methods are all have default implementation doing nothing, so host app implementation should only defined those methods in their classes which they want to track for example:

extension SomeTracker: ReadingViewAnalyticsTracker {
    func trackOpenIssueForReading(issue: TrackingIssue) {
        print ("Openin publication \(issue.slug) of \(issue.date) opened for reading")
    }
}

The following public API structures defined for host developer to be used inside ReadingViewAnalytics protocol methods as parameters:

public struct TrackingIssue {
    public let cid: String
    public let date: Date
    public let isLatest: Bool
    public let version: Int?
    public let smartLayoutVersion: Int?
    public let title: String
    public let slug: String?
    public let sourceType: String // currently "newspaper" or "magazine"
}

public struct TrackingArticle {
    public let id: String
    public let headline: String
    public let language: String
}

providing most of possibly used for analytics information from both replica and article view. In the future we’ll define more protocols for analytics in other parts of the tracked functionality.

Because PressReader class is a singleton, the host app should setup the list of analytics trackers via launchOptions class property before first use of PressReader:

private lazy var pressreader: PressReader = {
    PressReader.launchOptions = [.prAnalyticsTrackers: [self]]
    return PressReader.instance()
} ()