197 lines
6.7 KiB
Markdown
197 lines
6.7 KiB
Markdown
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# Nearby Service
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#### Connecting phones in a P2P network
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[](https://xenikii.one)
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[](https://github.com/ksenia312/nearby_service/blob/main/LICENSE)
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Nearby Service Flutter Plugin is used to create connections in a P2P network. With this plugin you can easily create any
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kind of information sharing application **without Internet connection**.
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## Table of Contents
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- [About](#about)
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- [Android](#android-)
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- [IOS](#ios-)
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- [Setup](#setup)
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- [Android](#android--1)
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- [IOS](#ios--1)
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- [Usage](#usage)
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- [Features](#features)
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- [Contributing](#contributing)
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- [License](#license)
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## About
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> A peer-to-peer (P2P) network is a decentralized network architecture in which each participant, called a peer, can act
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> as both a client and a server. This means that peer-to-peer networks can exchange resources such as files, data or
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> services directly with each other without needing a central authority or server.
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### Android <a id="android_about"></a>
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For Android, **Wi-fi Direct** is used as a P2P network.
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It is implemented through the `android.net.wifi.p2p` module.
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It **requires** permissions for `ACCESS_FINE_LOCATION` and `NEARBY_WIFI_DEVICES` (for Android 13+).
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It is also important that you need **Wi-fi enabled** on your device to use it.
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To check permissions and Wi-fi status, the
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`nearby_service` plugin includes a set of methods:
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- `checkWifiService()` (Android only): returns true if Wi-fi is enabled
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- `requestPermissions()` (Android only): requests permissions for location and nearby devices and returns true if
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granted
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- `openServicesSettings()`: opens Wi-fi settings for Android and general settings for iOS
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### IOS <a id="ios_about"></a>
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For IOS, the P2P connection is implemented through the `Multipeer Connectivity` framework.
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This framework **automatically selects** the best network technology depending on the situation - using **Wi-Fi** if
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both
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devices are on the same network, or using **peer-to-peer Wi-Fi** or **Bluetooth** otherwise.
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The module will work even with Wi-fi turned off (via Bluetooth), but you can still use `openServicesSettings()` from
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the `nearby_service` plugin to open the settings and prompt the user to turn Wi-fi on.
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## Setup
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### Android <a id="android_setup"></a>
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All necessary Android permissions are already in the **AndroidManifest.xml** of the plugin
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so you don't need to add anything **to work with p2p network**.
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> Note that if you want to use the plugin **to send files**, you need to add
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> ```xml
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> <uses-permission android:name="android.permission.READ_EXTERNAL_STORAGE" />
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> <uses-permission android:name="android.permission.WRITE_EXTERNAL_STORAGE" />
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> ```
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> to your **AndroidManifest.xml**.
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> If you are using an external package to work with the device's file system,
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> follow that package's documentation about managing with permissions.
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### IOS <a id="ios_setup"></a>
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For IOS, you need to add the following values to **Info.plist**:
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```
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<key>NSBonjourServices</key>
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<array>
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<string>_mp-connection._tcp</string>
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</array>
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<key>UIRequiresPersistentWiFi</key>
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<true/>
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<key>NSLocalNetworkUsageDescription</key>
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<string>[Your description here]</string>
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```
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- `NSBonjourServices`
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For the `nearby_service` plugin, you should add the value `<string>_mp-connection._tcp</string>`. This key is
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required for **Multipeer Connectivity**. It defines the Bonjour services
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that your application will look for. Bonjour is Apple's implementation of zero-configuration networking, which allows
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devices on a LAN to discover each other and establish connections without requiring manual configuration.
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- `UIRequiresPersistentWiFi`
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This key is not strictly required for **Multipeer Connectivity** to work. This key is used
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to indicate that your application requires a persistent Wi-Fi connection even when the screen is off. This can be
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useful for maintaining a network connection for continuous data transfer.
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- `NSLocalNetworkUsageDescription`
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This key is needed to inform users why your application will use the local network. You must provide a string value
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that explains why your application needs LAN access.
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> Note that if you want to use the plugin **to send files**, you also need to follow the instructions of the filesystem
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> management package you are using.
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## Usage
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> The full example demonstrating the full functionality can be viewed at
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> the [link](https://github.com/ksenia312/nearby_service/tree/main/example_full).
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> **Important note:** for functionality that is only available for one of the platforms, you should use the
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> corresponding
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> API element from `NearbyService`.
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>
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> For Android:
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>
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> ```dart
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> final _nearbyService = NearbyService.getInstance()
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> _nearbyService.android..
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> ```
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> For IOS:
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>
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> ```dart
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> final _nearbyService = NearbyService.getInstance()
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> _nearbyService.ios..
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> ```
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1. Import the package:
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```dart
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import 'package:nearby_service/nearby_service.dart';
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```
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2. Create an instance of NearbyService:
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```dart
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// getInstance() returns an instance for the current platform.
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final _nearbyService = NearbyService.getInstance()
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```
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3. Initialize the plugin:
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```dart
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// You can change the device name on a P2P network only for iOS.
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// Optionally pass the [iosDeviceName].
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await _nearbyService.initialize(
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data: NearbyInitializeData(iosDeviceName: iosDeviceName),
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);
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```
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**Extra step for Android:** ask for permissions and make sure Wi-fi is enabled:
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```dart
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final granted = await _nearbyService.android?.requestPermissions();
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if (granted ?? false) {
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updateState(AppState.checkServices);
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}
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final isWifiEnabled = await _nearbyService.android?.checkWifiService();
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if (isWifiEnabled ?? false) {
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updateState(AppState.readyToDiscover);
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}
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```
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**Extra step for IOS:** ask the user to choose whether they are a Browser or Advertiser:
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> In IOS Multipeer Connectivity, there are 2 roles for the discovery process and connection between devices: **browser**
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> and **advertiser**.
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>
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> **Browser**: This component discovers nearby devices that report their availability. It is
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> responsible for finding peers that advertise themselves and inviting them to join the shared session.
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>
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> **Advertiser**: This component advertises the availability of the device to nearby peers. It is used to let
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> the browser know that the device is available for inviting and connecting.
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The code for selecting a role:
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```dart
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_nearbyService.ios?.setIsBrowser(value: isBrowser);
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updateState(AppState.readyToDiscover);
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```
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4. Start discover the P2P network.
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```dart
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final result = await _nearbyService.discover();
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if (result) {
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updateState(AppState.discoveringPeers);
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}
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```
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