How to Dynamically Configure mPaaS for Multiple Android Build Variants

Introduction

Integrating mPaaS in a standard way is straightforward and can be done via the official documentation or the Android Studio mPaaS plugin. However, when a project needs to support both Android and iOS under a single target that can produce multiple apps, only one mPaaS configuration file is allowed, creating a challenge for iOS.

The author realized that a similar problem exists on the Android side when using build variants to improve development efficiency.

Problem Statement

How to integrate mPaaS in a multi‑version (multi‑flavor) Android project without manually swapping configuration files each time.

Solution Overview

By leveraging a Gradle script that dynamically selects the appropriate .config file for each build variant, the process can be fully automated.

Dynamic Configuration Script

// Configure mPaaS App development environment by copying .config files to the main module

def setAppConfigEnv(String type) {
    // Delete existing .config files
    File configFile = file("${rootDir}/app").listFiles().find { File f ->
        f.name.endsWith(".config")
    }
    if (configFile != null && configFile.exists()) {
        delete(configFile)
    }
    // Copy the appropriate config file from the buildEnv directory
    copy {
        from "buildEnv/${type}"
        into "${rootDir}/app"
        include "**/*.config"
    }
}

The directory structure of the demo (illustrated in the original article) shows separate folders under buildEnv for each environment (e.g., dev, test, prod).

Obtaining the Current Flavor

def getCurrentFlavor() {
    Gradle gradle = getGradle()
    String tskReqStr = gradle.getStartParameter().getTaskRequests().toString()
    Pattern pattern
    if (tskReqStr.contains("assemble"))
        pattern = Pattern.compile("assemble(\\w+)(Release|Debug)") // adjust for your environment names
    else
        pattern = Pattern.compile("generate(\\w+)(Release|Debug)")
    Matcher matcher = pattern.matcher(tskReqStr)
    if (matcher.find())
        return matcher.group(1).toLowerCase()
    else {
        println "NO MATCH FOUND"
        return ""
    }
}

This method parses the Gradle task name to extract the flavor (e.g., dev, test).

Applying the Script in buildTypes

buildTypes {
    setAppConfigEnv(getCurrentFlavor())
    // other build type configurations
}

With this addition, the correct .config file is automatically selected for each build variant.

Additional Utilities

The article also provides helper methods for common tasks:

Get current flavor:

def getCurrentFlavor() { /* same implementation as above */ }

Get applicationId of the current flavor:

def getCurrentApplicationId() {
    def currFlavor = getCurrentFlavor()
    def outStr = ''
    android.productFlavors.all { flavor ->
        if (flavor.name == currFlavor)
            outStr = flavor.applicationId
    }
    return outStr
}

Conclusion

After implementing the dynamic configuration, the project builds correctly for all flavors without manual file swapping. The author recommends further studying Gradle to handle more complex requirements efficiently.