Set up a MySQL user dedicated to backups

It is not a good idea to use the root MySQL account to do backups.

So, let’s create a user dedicated exclusively to doing backups.

Log on to MySQL as root:

mysql -u root -p

Then create the new user and grant it the necessary permissions:


CREATE USER 'backup_user_name'@'localhost' IDENTIFIED BY 'my_pass';
GRANT SELECT, SHOW VIEW, RELOAD, EVENT, TRIGGER, LOCK TABLES ON *.* TO 'backup_user_name'@'localhost';

Now that we are all set up, you can do backups with that new dedicated user:

mysqldump -u backup_user_name -pmy_pass db_name | gzip > /home/ddarazha/backups/ninelets/ninelets_`date '+%Y%m%d'`.sql.gz

Batch scale images to a particular size

First install imagemagick:

sudo apt-get install imagemagick

Then CD into the directory containing the images and make a new directory that will hold all the re-sized images. In this case I called it resized:

mkdir resized

Then run the command (from the directory holding the original images):

find . -iname \*.jpg -exec convert -verbose -quality 80 -resize 1600x1200 "{}" "resized/{}" \;

The above command will find (recursively) all the jpg files in the current directory and all directories in it, then it will execute the covert command on each image and finally store the scaled image in the resized directory. You can adjust the size parameters, file extensions and target directory as you desire.

Upgrading to Apache 2.4 will prevent WebDAV listing of directories containing index files

I recently upgraded Apache from 2.2 to 2.4 and among all the expected changes that had to be made to the existing sites-available config files, I encountered an unexpected issue with the WebDAV sites.

I could connect to the sites via DAV but weirdly enough I could not open some directories with them. I would get a “405 Method Not Allowed error”.

It turns out that if a collection in a WebDAV-enabled area contains an index.html (or whatever filename is specified in DirectoryIndex – index.php, default.html, etc.) then it becomes impossible to use WebDAV methods on that collection. See bug report.

In order to fix this, you need to disable directory indexing for the WebDAV site(s).

If you still want to have directory indexing when serving regular http requests, I recommend having WebDAV configured on a different port.

I normally have development sites, server reqular requests on port 80 and have the WebDAV configured on port 443.

So, in your sites-available/site.conf file, in the corresponding VirtualHost declaration add DirectoryIndex disabled to the Directory declaration, like so:


    <Directory /path/to/my/webdav/dir>
                    Options Indexes FollowSymLinks MultiViews
                    AllowOverride all
                    Require all granted

                    DirectoryIndex disabled
   </Directory>

Here is an example config file:


DavLockDB /webdav/DavLock/DavLock

<VirtualHost 111.1.1.1:80>
	ServerAdmin webmaster@localhost
	ServerName my.domain.com
	DocumentRoot /var/www/my.domian.com/

	Alias /web /path/to/my/webdav/dir

	<Directory /path/to/my/webdav/dir>
		Options Indexes FollowSymLinks MultiViews
		AllowOverride None
		Require all granted
 	</Directory>

</VirtualHost>

<VirtualHost 111.1.1.1:443>

    DocumentRoot /var/www/my.domian.com/
    ServerName my.domian.com
    ServerAlias my.domian.com 111.1.1.1.my.domian.com

	Alias /web /path/to/my/webdav/dir

	<Directory /path/to/my/webdav/dir>
		Options Indexes FollowSymLinks MultiViews
		AllowOverride None
		Require all granted

		DirectoryIndex disabled
 	</Directory>

	<Location /web>
		DAV On
		AuthType Digest
		AuthName "the_auth_name"
		AuthUserFile /the/digest.dav
		Require valid-user

		php_value engine off 
		RewriteEngine off	
	</Location>

    SSLEngine on
    SSLOptions +StrictRequire

    SSLCertificateFile /etc/ssl/certs/mydomain.com.crt
    SSLCertificateKeyFile /etc/ssl/private/mydomain.com.key
    SSLCACertificateFile /etc/ssl/certs/mydomain.com.cabundle.crt
</VirtualHost>

Then just reload Apache and you will no longer have that issue:

sudo service apache2 reload

Force all HTTP traffic to HTTPS

If you have SSL installed and configured on your site, there is a little need to continue serving http traffic over port 80. Performance is no longer a big issue and now Google would reward with better ranking sites that serve all content over https.

It is very easy to achieve that on an Apache server.

1. Make sure that you have enabled mod_rewrite
2. Add the following to your .conf file for the site:


<IfModule mod_rewrite.c>
	RewriteEngine On
	RewriteCond %{HTTPS} off
	RewriteRule (.*) https://%{HTTP_HOST}%{REQUEST_URI}
</IfModule>

The above code goes in the VirtualHost defininition for port 80. Make sure that you also have a VirtualHost definition for port 443.

In order for this to take affect, don’t forget to:

sudo service apache2 reload

Unable to create new directories or files (write access) in WebDAV with Apache2

It turns out that if you have enabled mod_rewrite on the server and you are actually doing any url re-writing for the site under which WebDAV is running, then you will not be able to create new directories or files via WebDAV.

To fix this, all you have to do is disable the mod_rewrite when connected via the dav protocol. The mod_rewrite will still be active when browsing the site.

Just add RewriteEngine off to the Location node of the sites-available file and then reload Apache. Here is an example:


<Location /webdav/prj>
                DAV On
                AuthType Digest
                AuthName "prj@my.domain.com"
                AuthUserFile /webdav/digestpasswd.dav
                Require valid-user
                php_value engine off 
                RewriteEngine off
</Location>

Then reload apache:

sudo service apache2 reload

Provided that your directory permissions of the WebDAV directory is set correctly (the user under which Apache is running needs to be the owner and have write permissions) you should now be able to create new directories and files.

Block a range of IP addresses from reaching your server

When your Linux server gets bombarded with malicious requests the quickest and easiest thing is to block the offending IP address (or the entire range) using iptables:

To block just one IP address:

$ sudo iptables -A INPUT -s 103.10.86.53 -j DROP

To block 103.10.86.* addresses:

$ sudo iptables -A INPUT -s 103.10.86.0/24 -j DROP

To block 103.10.*.* addresses:

$ sudo iptables -A INPUT -s 103.10.0.0/16 -j DROP

To block 103.*.*.* addresses:

$ sudo iptables -A INPUT -s 103.0.0.0/8 -j DROP

Note: Be careful not to unintentionally block legitimate traffic from reaching your server.

List the rules for the INPUT chain:

$ sudo iptables -L INPUT -v

In-app Billing API v3 throws IllegalStateException

If you have followed Google’s instructions when implementing version 3 of the Android’s in-app billing API by exploring their TrivialDrive sample app, you probably have come upon some numerous IllegalStateExceptions, like these:


java.lang.IllegalStateException: Can't start async operation (consume) because another async operation(consume) is in progress.
...
java.lang.IllegalStateException: IAB helper is not set up. Can't perform operation: queryInventory
...
java.lang.IllegalStateException: IabHelper was disposed of, so it cannot be used.

The reason for these exceptions being thrown lies in the IabHelper class of the TrivialDrive sample app. This class uses multiple threads, which manipulate on the same variables (mSetupDone, mDisposed, mAsyncInProgress, etc.) and there is no guarantee that a variable changed by one thread will be visible to the other due to CPU caching. To avoid this scenario, these member variables need to be declared volatile.

The dispose() function of this class also has an issue, where the call to unbindService could throw IllegalArgumentException if dispose() was called before the service was bound in the startSetup() method. Consider what happens when you initiate the setup, but the user clicks the back button and closes the activity? To handle this we need to catch that exception in the dispose() method.

The other issue with this class is the poor choice of throwing RuntimeExcptions (IllegalStateException) in multiple methods. Throwing RuntimeExeptions from your own code in most cases is not desirable due to the fact that they are unchecked exceptions. That is like sabotaging your own application- if not caught, these exceptions will crash your app.

The solution to this is to create your own checked exception and change the IabHelper class to throw it, instead of the IllegalStateException. That will force you to handle this exception everywhere it could be thrown in your code at compile time.

Here is my custom exception:


public class MyIllegalStateException extends Exception {
	
    private static final long serialVersionUID = 1L;
	
	//Parameterless Constructor
    public MyIllegalStateException() {}

    //Constructor that accepts a message
    public MyIllegalStateException(String message)
    {
       super(message);
    }
}

And now let’s make the changes in the IabHelper class. We will declare the necessary variables volatile, fix the dispose method, throw our own checked exception and in most cases we will let it bubble up from the methods of the IabHelper class, we can handle it in our code where we call these methods. For example, in your activity or fragment that handles the in-app purchases you do:


try {
   setUpBilling(targetActivityInstance.allData.getAll());
} catch (MyIllegalStateException ex) {
    ex.printStackTrace();
}

And here is the class in its entirety:


/* Copyright (c) 2012 Google Inc.
 *
 * Licensed under the Apache License, Version 2.0 (the "License");
 * you may not use this file except in compliance with the License.
 * You may obtain a copy of the License at
 *
 *     http://www.apache.org/licenses/LICENSE-2.0
 *
 * Unless required by applicable law or agreed to in writing, software
 * distributed under the License is distributed on an "AS IS" BASIS,
 * WITHOUT WARRANTIES OR CONDITIONS OF ANY KIND, either express or implied.
 * See the License for the specific language governing permissions and
 * limitations under the License.
 */

/**
 * Provides convenience methods for in-app billing. You can create one instance of this
 * class for your application and use it to process in-app billing operations.
 * It provides synchronous (blocking) and asynchronous (non-blocking) methods for
 * many common in-app billing operations, as well as automatic signature
 * verification.
 *
 * After instantiating, you must perform setup in order to start using the object.
 * To perform setup, call the {@link #startSetup} method and provide a listener;
 * that listener will be notified when setup is complete, after which (and not before)
 * you may call other methods.
 *
 * After setup is complete, you will typically want to request an inventory of owned
 * items and subscriptions. See {@link #queryInventory}, {@link #queryInventoryAsync}
 * and related methods.
 *
 * When you are done with this object, don't forget to call {@link #dispose}
 * to ensure proper cleanup. This object holds a binding to the in-app billing
 * service, which will leak unless you dispose of it correctly. If you created
 * the object on an Activity's onCreate method, then the recommended
 * place to dispose of it is the Activity's onDestroy method.
 *
 * A note about threading: When using this object from a background thread, you may
 * call the blocking versions of methods; when using from a UI thread, call
 * only the asynchronous versions and handle the results via callbacks.
 * Also, notice that you can only call one asynchronous operation at a time;
 * attempting to start a second asynchronous operation while the first one
 * has not yet completed will result in an exception being thrown.
 *
 * @author Bruno Oliveira (Google)
 *
 */
public class IabHelper {
    // Is debug logging enabled?
    boolean mDebugLog = false;
    String mDebugTag = "IabHelper";

    // Is setup done?
    volatile boolean mSetupDone = false;

    // Has this object been disposed of? (If so, we should ignore callbacks, etc)
    volatile boolean mDisposed = false;

    // Are subscriptions supported?
    volatile boolean mSubscriptionsSupported = false;

    // Is an asynchronous operation in progress?
    // (only one at a time can be in progress)
    volatile boolean mAsyncInProgress = false;

    // (for logging/debugging)
    // if mAsyncInProgress == true, what asynchronous operation is in progress?
    String mAsyncOperation = "";

    // Context we were passed during initialization
    Context mContext;

    // Connection to the service
    IInAppBillingService mService;
    ServiceConnection mServiceConn;

    // The request code used to launch purchase flow
    int mRequestCode;

    // The item type of the current purchase flow
    String mPurchasingItemType;

    // Public key for verifying signature, in base64 encoding
    String mSignatureBase64 = null;

    // Billing response codes
    public static final int BILLING_RESPONSE_RESULT_OK = 0;
    public static final int BILLING_RESPONSE_RESULT_USER_CANCELED = 1;
    public static final int BILLING_RESPONSE_RESULT_BILLING_UNAVAILABLE = 3;
    public static final int BILLING_RESPONSE_RESULT_ITEM_UNAVAILABLE = 4;
    public static final int BILLING_RESPONSE_RESULT_DEVELOPER_ERROR = 5;
    public static final int BILLING_RESPONSE_RESULT_ERROR = 6;
    public static final int BILLING_RESPONSE_RESULT_ITEM_ALREADY_OWNED = 7;
    public static final int BILLING_RESPONSE_RESULT_ITEM_NOT_OWNED = 8;

    // IAB Helper error codes
    public static final int IABHELPER_ERROR_BASE = -1000;
    public static final int IABHELPER_REMOTE_EXCEPTION = -1001;
    public static final int IABHELPER_BAD_RESPONSE = -1002;
    public static final int IABHELPER_VERIFICATION_FAILED = -1003;
    public static final int IABHELPER_SEND_INTENT_FAILED = -1004;
    public static final int IABHELPER_USER_CANCELLED = -1005;
    public static final int IABHELPER_UNKNOWN_PURCHASE_RESPONSE = -1006;
    public static final int IABHELPER_MISSING_TOKEN = -1007;
    public static final int IABHELPER_UNKNOWN_ERROR = -1008;
    public static final int IABHELPER_SUBSCRIPTIONS_NOT_AVAILABLE = -1009;
    public static final int IABHELPER_INVALID_CONSUMPTION = -1010;

    // Keys for the responses from InAppBillingService
    public static final String RESPONSE_CODE = "RESPONSE_CODE";
    public static final String RESPONSE_GET_SKU_DETAILS_LIST = "DETAILS_LIST";
    public static final String RESPONSE_BUY_INTENT = "BUY_INTENT";
    public static final String RESPONSE_INAPP_PURCHASE_DATA = "INAPP_PURCHASE_DATA";
    public static final String RESPONSE_INAPP_SIGNATURE = "INAPP_DATA_SIGNATURE";
    public static final String RESPONSE_INAPP_ITEM_LIST = "INAPP_PURCHASE_ITEM_LIST";
    public static final String RESPONSE_INAPP_PURCHASE_DATA_LIST = "INAPP_PURCHASE_DATA_LIST";
    public static final String RESPONSE_INAPP_SIGNATURE_LIST = "INAPP_DATA_SIGNATURE_LIST";
    public static final String INAPP_CONTINUATION_TOKEN = "INAPP_CONTINUATION_TOKEN";

    // Item types
    public static final String ITEM_TYPE_INAPP = "inapp";
    public static final String ITEM_TYPE_SUBS = "subs";

    // some fields on the getSkuDetails response bundle
    public static final String GET_SKU_DETAILS_ITEM_LIST = "ITEM_ID_LIST";
    public static final String GET_SKU_DETAILS_ITEM_TYPE_LIST = "ITEM_TYPE_LIST";

    /**
     * Creates an instance. After creation, it will not yet be ready to use. You must perform
     * setup by calling {@link #startSetup} and wait for setup to complete. This constructor does not
     * block and is safe to call from a UI thread.
     *
     * @param ctx Your application or Activity context. Needed to bind to the in-app billing service.
     * @param base64PublicKey Your application's public key, encoded in base64.
     *     This is used for verification of purchase signatures. You can find your app's base64-encoded
     *     public key in your application's page on Google Play Developer Console. Note that this
     *     is NOT your "developer public key".
     */
    public IabHelper(Context ctx, String base64PublicKey) {
        mContext = ctx.getApplicationContext();
        mSignatureBase64 = base64PublicKey;
        logDebug("IAB helper created.");
    }

    /**
     * Enables or disable debug logging through LogCat.
     */
    public void enableDebugLogging(boolean enable, String tag) throws MyIllegalStateException {
        checkNotDisposed();
        mDebugLog = enable;
        mDebugTag = tag;
    }

    public void enableDebugLogging(boolean enable) throws MyIllegalStateException {
        checkNotDisposed();
        mDebugLog = enable;
    }

    /**
     * Callback for setup process. This listener's {@link #onIabSetupFinished} method is called
     * when the setup process is complete.
     */
    public interface OnIabSetupFinishedListener {
        /**
         * Called to notify that setup is complete.
         *
         * @param result The result of the setup process.
         */
        public void onIabSetupFinished(IabResult result);
    }

    /**
     * Starts the setup process. This will start up the setup process asynchronously.
     * You will be notified through the listener when the setup process is complete.
     * This method is safe to call from a UI thread.
     *
     * @param listener The listener to notify when the setup process is complete.
     */
    public void startSetup(final OnIabSetupFinishedListener listener) throws MyIllegalStateException {
        // If already set up, can't do it again.
        checkNotDisposed();
        if (mSetupDone) throw new MyIllegalStateException("IAB helper is already set up.");

        // Connection to IAB service
        logDebug("Starting in-app billing setup.");
        mServiceConn = new ServiceConnection() {
            @Override
            public void onServiceDisconnected(ComponentName name) {
                logDebug("Billing service disconnected.");
                mService = null;
            }

            @Override
            public void onServiceConnected(ComponentName name, IBinder service) {
                if (mDisposed) return;
                logDebug("Billing service connected.");
                mService = IInAppBillingService.Stub.asInterface(service);
                String packageName = mContext.getPackageName();
                try {
                    logDebug("Checking for in-app billing 3 support.");

                    // check for in-app billing v3 support
                    int response = mService.isBillingSupported(3, packageName, ITEM_TYPE_INAPP);
                    if (response != BILLING_RESPONSE_RESULT_OK) {
                        if (listener != null) listener.onIabSetupFinished(new IabResult(response,
                                "Error checking for billing v3 support."));

                        // if in-app purchases aren't supported, neither are subscriptions.
                        mSubscriptionsSupported = false;
                        return;
                    }
                    logDebug("In-app billing version 3 supported for " + packageName);

                    // check for v3 subscriptions support
                    response = mService.isBillingSupported(3, packageName, ITEM_TYPE_SUBS);
                    if (response == BILLING_RESPONSE_RESULT_OK) {
                        logDebug("Subscriptions AVAILABLE.");
                        mSubscriptionsSupported = true;
                    }
                    else {
                        logDebug("Subscriptions NOT AVAILABLE. Response: " + response);
                    }

                    mSetupDone = true;
                }
                catch (RemoteException e) {
                    if (listener != null) {
                        listener.onIabSetupFinished(new IabResult(IABHELPER_REMOTE_EXCEPTION,
                                                    "RemoteException while setting up in-app billing."));
                    }
                    e.printStackTrace();
                    return;
                }

                if (listener != null) {
                    listener.onIabSetupFinished(new IabResult(BILLING_RESPONSE_RESULT_OK, "Setup successful."));
                }
            }
        };

        Intent serviceIntent = new Intent("com.android.vending.billing.InAppBillingService.BIND");
        serviceIntent.setPackage("com.android.vending");
        if (!mContext.getPackageManager().queryIntentServices(serviceIntent, 0).isEmpty()) {
            // service available to handle that Intent
            mContext.bindService(serviceIntent, mServiceConn, Context.BIND_AUTO_CREATE);
        }
        else {
            // no service available to handle that Intent
            if (listener != null) {
                listener.onIabSetupFinished(
                        new IabResult(BILLING_RESPONSE_RESULT_BILLING_UNAVAILABLE,
                        "Billing service unavailable on device."));
            }
        }
    }

    /**
     * Dispose of object, releasing resources. It's very important to call this
     * method when you are done with this object. It will release any resources
     * used by it such as service connections. Naturally, once the object is
     * disposed of, it can't be used again.
     */
    public void dispose() {
        logDebug("Disposing.");
        mSetupDone = false;
        if (mServiceConn != null) {
            logDebug("Unbinding from service.");
            try{
                if (mContext != null) mContext.unbindService(mServiceConn);
            } catch(IllegalArgumentException ex){ //ADDED THIS CATCH
                //somehow, the service was already unregistered
            	ex.printStackTrace();
            }
        }
        mDisposed = true;
        mContext = null;
        mServiceConn = null;
        mService = null;
        mPurchaseListener = null;
    }

    private void checkNotDisposed() throws MyIllegalStateException {
        if (mDisposed) throw new MyIllegalStateException("IabHelper was disposed of, so it cannot be used.");
    }

    /** Returns whether subscriptions are supported. */
    public boolean subscriptionsSupported() throws MyIllegalStateException {
        checkNotDisposed();
        return mSubscriptionsSupported;
    }


    /**
     * Callback that notifies when a purchase is finished.
     */
    public interface OnIabPurchaseFinishedListener {
        /**
         * Called to notify that an in-app purchase finished. If the purchase was successful,
         * then the sku parameter specifies which item was purchased. If the purchase failed,
         * the sku and extraData parameters may or may not be null, depending on how far the purchase
         * process went.
         *
         * @param result The result of the purchase.
         * @param info The purchase information (null if purchase failed)
         */
        public void onIabPurchaseFinished(IabResult result, Purchase info);
    }

    // The listener registered on launchPurchaseFlow, which we have to call back when
    // the purchase finishes
    OnIabPurchaseFinishedListener mPurchaseListener;

    public void launchPurchaseFlow(Activity act, String sku, int requestCode, OnIabPurchaseFinishedListener listener) throws MyIllegalStateException {
        launchPurchaseFlow(act, sku, requestCode, listener, "");
    }

    public void launchPurchaseFlow(Activity act, String sku, int requestCode,
            OnIabPurchaseFinishedListener listener, String extraData) throws MyIllegalStateException {
        launchPurchaseFlow(act, sku, ITEM_TYPE_INAPP, requestCode, listener, extraData);
    }

    public void launchSubscriptionPurchaseFlow(Activity act, String sku, int requestCode,
            OnIabPurchaseFinishedListener listener) throws MyIllegalStateException {
        launchSubscriptionPurchaseFlow(act, sku, requestCode, listener, "");
    }

    public void launchSubscriptionPurchaseFlow(Activity act, String sku, int requestCode,
            OnIabPurchaseFinishedListener listener, String extraData) throws MyIllegalStateException {
        launchPurchaseFlow(act, sku, ITEM_TYPE_SUBS, requestCode, listener, extraData);
    }

    /**
     * Initiate the UI flow for an in-app purchase. Call this method to initiate an in-app purchase,
     * which will involve bringing up the Google Play screen. The calling activity will be paused while
     * the user interacts with Google Play, and the result will be delivered via the activity's
     * {@link android.app.Activity#onActivityResult} method, at which point you must call
     * this object's {@link #handleActivityResult} method to continue the purchase flow. This method
     * MUST be called from the UI thread of the Activity.
     *
     * @param act The calling activity.
     * @param sku The sku of the item to purchase.
     * @param itemType indicates if it's a product or a subscription (ITEM_TYPE_INAPP or ITEM_TYPE_SUBS)
     * @param requestCode A request code (to differentiate from other responses --
     *     as in {@link android.app.Activity#startActivityForResult}).
     * @param listener The listener to notify when the purchase process finishes
     * @param extraData Extra data (developer payload), which will be returned with the purchase data
     *     when the purchase completes. This extra data will be permanently bound to that purchase
     *     and will always be returned when the purchase is queried.
     */
    public void launchPurchaseFlow(Activity act, String sku, String itemType, int requestCode,
                        OnIabPurchaseFinishedListener listener, String extraData) throws MyIllegalStateException {
        checkNotDisposed();
        checkSetupDone("launchPurchaseFlow");
        flagStartAsync("launchPurchaseFlow");
        IabResult result;

        if (itemType.equals(ITEM_TYPE_SUBS) && !mSubscriptionsSupported) {
            IabResult r = new IabResult(IABHELPER_SUBSCRIPTIONS_NOT_AVAILABLE,
                    "Subscriptions are not available.");
            flagEndAsync();
            if (listener != null) listener.onIabPurchaseFinished(r, null);
            return;
        }

        try {
            logDebug("Constructing buy intent for " + sku + ", item type: " + itemType);
            Bundle buyIntentBundle = mService.getBuyIntent(3, mContext.getPackageName(), sku, itemType, extraData);
            int response = getResponseCodeFromBundle(buyIntentBundle);
            if (response != BILLING_RESPONSE_RESULT_OK) {
                logError("Unable to buy item, Error response: " + getResponseDesc(response));
                flagEndAsync();
                result = new IabResult(response, "Unable to buy item");
                if (listener != null) listener.onIabPurchaseFinished(result, null);
                return;
            }

            PendingIntent pendingIntent = buyIntentBundle.getParcelable(RESPONSE_BUY_INTENT);
            logDebug("Launching buy intent for " + sku + ". Request code: " + requestCode);
            mRequestCode = requestCode;
            mPurchaseListener = listener;
            mPurchasingItemType = itemType;
            act.startIntentSenderForResult(pendingIntent.getIntentSender(),
                                           requestCode, new Intent(),
                                           Integer.valueOf(0), Integer.valueOf(0),
                                           Integer.valueOf(0));
        }
        catch (SendIntentException e) {
            logError("SendIntentException while launching purchase flow for sku " + sku);
            e.printStackTrace();
            flagEndAsync();

            result = new IabResult(IABHELPER_SEND_INTENT_FAILED, "Failed to send intent.");
            if (listener != null) listener.onIabPurchaseFinished(result, null);
        }
        catch (RemoteException e) {
            logError("RemoteException while launching purchase flow for sku " + sku);
            e.printStackTrace();
            flagEndAsync();

            result = new IabResult(IABHELPER_REMOTE_EXCEPTION, "Remote exception while starting purchase flow");
            if (listener != null) listener.onIabPurchaseFinished(result, null);
        }
    }

    /**
     * Handles an activity result that's part of the purchase flow in in-app billing. If you
     * are calling {@link #launchPurchaseFlow}, then you must call this method from your
     * Activity's {@link android.app.Activity@onActivityResult} method. This method
     * MUST be called from the UI thread of the Activity.
     *
     * @param requestCode The requestCode as you received it.
     * @param resultCode The resultCode as you received it.
     * @param data The data (Intent) as you received it.
     * @return Returns true if the result was related to a purchase flow and was handled;
     *     false if the result was not related to a purchase, in which case you should
     *     handle it normally.
     */
    public boolean handleActivityResult(int requestCode, int resultCode, Intent data) throws MyIllegalStateException {
        IabResult result;
        if (requestCode != mRequestCode) return false;

        checkNotDisposed();
        checkSetupDone("handleActivityResult");

        // end of async purchase operation that started on launchPurchaseFlow
        flagEndAsync();

        if (data == null) {
            logError("Null data in IAB activity result.");
            result = new IabResult(IABHELPER_BAD_RESPONSE, "Null data in IAB result");
            if (mPurchaseListener != null) mPurchaseListener.onIabPurchaseFinished(result, null);
            return true;
        }

        int responseCode = getResponseCodeFromIntent(data);
        String purchaseData = data.getStringExtra(RESPONSE_INAPP_PURCHASE_DATA);
        String dataSignature = data.getStringExtra(RESPONSE_INAPP_SIGNATURE);

        if (resultCode == Activity.RESULT_OK && responseCode == BILLING_RESPONSE_RESULT_OK) {
            logDebug("Successful resultcode from purchase activity.");
            logDebug("Purchase data: " + purchaseData);
            logDebug("Data signature: " + dataSignature);
            logDebug("Extras: " + data.getExtras());
            logDebug("Expected item type: " + mPurchasingItemType);

            if (purchaseData == null || dataSignature == null) {
                logError("BUG: either purchaseData or dataSignature is null.");
                logDebug("Extras: " + data.getExtras().toString());
                result = new IabResult(IABHELPER_UNKNOWN_ERROR, "IAB returned null purchaseData or dataSignature");
                if (mPurchaseListener != null) mPurchaseListener.onIabPurchaseFinished(result, null);
                return true;
            }

            Purchase purchase = null;
            try {
                purchase = new Purchase(mPurchasingItemType, purchaseData, dataSignature);
                String sku = purchase.getSku();

                // Verify signature
                if (!Security.verifyPurchase(mSignatureBase64, purchaseData, dataSignature)) {
                    logError("Purchase signature verification FAILED for sku " + sku);
                    result = new IabResult(IABHELPER_VERIFICATION_FAILED, "Signature verification failed for sku " + sku);
                    if (mPurchaseListener != null) mPurchaseListener.onIabPurchaseFinished(result, purchase);
                    return true;
                }
                logDebug("Purchase signature successfully verified.");
            }
            catch (JSONException e) {
                logError("Failed to parse purchase data.");
                e.printStackTrace();
                result = new IabResult(IABHELPER_BAD_RESPONSE, "Failed to parse purchase data.");
                if (mPurchaseListener != null) mPurchaseListener.onIabPurchaseFinished(result, null);
                return true;
            }

            if (mPurchaseListener != null) {
                mPurchaseListener.onIabPurchaseFinished(new IabResult(BILLING_RESPONSE_RESULT_OK, "Success"), purchase);
            }
        }
        else if (resultCode == Activity.RESULT_OK) {
            // result code was OK, but in-app billing response was not OK.
            logDebug("Result code was OK but in-app billing response was not OK: " + getResponseDesc(responseCode));
            if (mPurchaseListener != null) {
                result = new IabResult(responseCode, "Problem purchashing item.");
                mPurchaseListener.onIabPurchaseFinished(result, null);
            }
        }
        else if (resultCode == Activity.RESULT_CANCELED) {
            logDebug("Purchase canceled - Response: " + getResponseDesc(responseCode));
            result = new IabResult(IABHELPER_USER_CANCELLED, "User canceled.");
            if (mPurchaseListener != null) mPurchaseListener.onIabPurchaseFinished(result, null);
        }
        else {
            logError("Purchase failed. Result code: " + Integer.toString(resultCode)
                    + ". Response: " + getResponseDesc(responseCode));
            result = new IabResult(IABHELPER_UNKNOWN_PURCHASE_RESPONSE, "Unknown purchase response.");
            if (mPurchaseListener != null) mPurchaseListener.onIabPurchaseFinished(result, null);
        }
        return true;
    }

    public Inventory queryInventory(boolean querySkuDetails, List moreSkus) throws IabException, MyIllegalStateException {
        return queryInventory(querySkuDetails, moreSkus, null);
    }

    /**
     * Queries the inventory. This will query all owned items from the server, as well as
     * information on additional skus, if specified. This method may block or take long to execute.
     * Do not call from a UI thread. For that, use the non-blocking version {@link #refreshInventoryAsync}.
     *
     * @param querySkuDetails if true, SKU details (price, description, etc) will be queried as well
     *     as purchase information.
     * @param moreItemSkus additional PRODUCT skus to query information on, regardless of ownership.
     *     Ignored if null or if querySkuDetails is false.
     * @param moreSubsSkus additional SUBSCRIPTIONS skus to query information on, regardless of ownership.
     *     Ignored if null or if querySkuDetails is false.
     * @throws IabException if a problem occurs while refreshing the inventory.
     */
    public Inventory queryInventory(boolean querySkuDetails, List moreItemSkus,
                                        List moreSubsSkus) throws IabException, MyIllegalStateException {
        checkNotDisposed();
        checkSetupDone("queryInventory");
        try {
            Inventory inv = new Inventory();
            int r = queryPurchases(inv, ITEM_TYPE_INAPP);
            if (r != BILLING_RESPONSE_RESULT_OK) {
                throw new IabException(r, "Error refreshing inventory (querying owned items).");
            }

            if (querySkuDetails) {
                r = querySkuDetails(ITEM_TYPE_INAPP, inv, moreItemSkus);
                if (r != BILLING_RESPONSE_RESULT_OK) {
                    throw new IabException(r, "Error refreshing inventory (querying prices of items).");
                }
            }

            // if subscriptions are supported, then also query for subscriptions
            if (mSubscriptionsSupported) {
                r = queryPurchases(inv, ITEM_TYPE_SUBS);
                if (r != BILLING_RESPONSE_RESULT_OK) {
                    throw new IabException(r, "Error refreshing inventory (querying owned subscriptions).");
                }

                if (querySkuDetails) {
                    r = querySkuDetails(ITEM_TYPE_SUBS, inv, moreItemSkus);
                    if (r != BILLING_RESPONSE_RESULT_OK) {
                        throw new IabException(r, "Error refreshing inventory (querying prices of subscriptions).");
                    }
                }
            }

            return inv;
        }
        catch (RemoteException e) {
            throw new IabException(IABHELPER_REMOTE_EXCEPTION, "Remote exception while refreshing inventory.", e);
        }
        catch (JSONException e) {
            throw new IabException(IABHELPER_BAD_RESPONSE, "Error parsing JSON response while refreshing inventory.", e);
        }
    }

    /**
     * Listener that notifies when an inventory query operation completes.
     */
    public interface QueryInventoryFinishedListener {
        /**
         * Called to notify that an inventory query operation completed.
         *
         * @param result The result of the operation.
         * @param inv The inventory.
         */
        public void onQueryInventoryFinished(IabResult result, Inventory inv);
    }


    /**
     * Asynchronous wrapper for inventory query. This will perform an inventory
     * query as described in {@link #queryInventory}, but will do so asynchronously
     * and call back the specified listener upon completion. This method is safe to
     * call from a UI thread.
     *
     * @param querySkuDetails as in {@link #queryInventory}
     * @param moreSkus as in {@link #queryInventory}
     * @param listener The listener to notify when the refresh operation completes.
     */
    public void queryInventoryAsync(final boolean querySkuDetails,
                               final List moreSkus,
                               final QueryInventoryFinishedListener listener)  throws MyIllegalStateException {
        final Handler handler = new Handler();
        checkNotDisposed();
        checkSetupDone("queryInventory");
        flagStartAsync("refresh inventory");
        (new Thread(new Runnable() {
            public void run() {
                IabResult result = new IabResult(BILLING_RESPONSE_RESULT_OK, "Inventory refresh successful.");
                Inventory inv = null;
                try {
                    inv = queryInventory(querySkuDetails, moreSkus);
                }
                catch (IabException ex) {
                    result = ex.getResult();
                } catch(MyIllegalStateException ex){ 
				    result = new IabResult(BILLING_RESPONSE_RESULT_ERROR, ex.getMessage());
				    ex.printStackTrace();
				}

                flagEndAsync();

                final IabResult result_f = result;
                final Inventory inv_f = inv;
                if (!mDisposed && listener != null) {
                    handler.post(new Runnable() {
                        public void run() {
                            listener.onQueryInventoryFinished(result_f, inv_f);
                        }
                    });
                }
            }
        })).start();
    }

    public void queryInventoryAsync(QueryInventoryFinishedListener listener) throws MyIllegalStateException {
        queryInventoryAsync(true, null, listener);
    }

    public void queryInventoryAsync(boolean querySkuDetails, QueryInventoryFinishedListener listener) throws MyIllegalStateException {
        queryInventoryAsync(querySkuDetails, null, listener);
    }


    /**
     * Consumes a given in-app product. Consuming can only be done on an item
     * that's owned, and as a result of consumption, the user will no longer own it.
     * This method may block or take long to return. Do not call from the UI thread.
     * For that, see {@link #consumeAsync}.
     *
     * @param itemInfo The PurchaseInfo that represents the item to consume.
     * @throws IabException if there is a problem during consumption.
     */
    void consume(Purchase itemInfo) throws IabException {
        checkNotDisposed();
        checkSetupDone("consume");

        if (!itemInfo.mItemType.equals(ITEM_TYPE_INAPP)) {
            throw new IabException(IABHELPER_INVALID_CONSUMPTION,
                    "Items of type '" + itemInfo.mItemType + "' can't be consumed.");
        }

        try {
            String token = itemInfo.getToken();
            String sku = itemInfo.getSku();
            if (token == null || token.equals("")) {
               logError("Can't consume "+ sku + ". No token.");
               throw new IabException(IABHELPER_MISSING_TOKEN, "PurchaseInfo is missing token for sku: "
                   + sku + " " + itemInfo);
            }

            logDebug("Consuming sku: " + sku + ", token: " + token);
            int response = mService.consumePurchase(3, mContext.getPackageName(), token);
            if (response == BILLING_RESPONSE_RESULT_OK) {
               logDebug("Successfully consumed sku: " + sku);
            }
            else {
               logDebug("Error consuming consuming sku " + sku + ". " + getResponseDesc(response));
               throw new IabException(response, "Error consuming sku " + sku);
            }
        }
        catch (RemoteException e) {
            throw new IabException(IABHELPER_REMOTE_EXCEPTION, "Remote exception while consuming. PurchaseInfo: " + itemInfo, e);
        }
    }

    /**
     * Callback that notifies when a consumption operation finishes.
     */
    public interface OnConsumeFinishedListener {
        /**
         * Called to notify that a consumption has finished.
         *
         * @param purchase The purchase that was (or was to be) consumed.
         * @param result The result of the consumption operation.
         */
        public void onConsumeFinished(Purchase purchase, IabResult result);
    }

    /**
     * Callback that notifies when a multi-item consumption operation finishes.
     */
    public interface OnConsumeMultiFinishedListener {
        /**
         * Called to notify that a consumption of multiple items has finished.
         *
         * @param purchases The purchases that were (or were to be) consumed.
         * @param results The results of each consumption operation, corresponding to each
         *     sku.
         */
        public void onConsumeMultiFinished(List purchases, List results);
    }

    /**
     * Asynchronous wrapper to item consumption. Works like {@link #consume}, but
     * performs the consumption in the background and notifies completion through
     * the provided listener. This method is safe to call from a UI thread.
     *
     * @param purchase The purchase to be consumed.
     * @param listener The listener to notify when the consumption operation finishes.
     */
    public void consumeAsync(Purchase purchase, OnConsumeFinishedListener listener) throws MyIllegalStateException {
        checkNotDisposed();
        checkSetupDone("consume");
        List purchases = new ArrayList();
        purchases.add(purchase);
        consumeAsyncInternal(purchases, listener, null);
    }

    /**
     * Same as {@link consumeAsync}, but for multiple items at once.
     * @param purchases The list of PurchaseInfo objects representing the purchases to consume.
     * @param listener The listener to notify when the consumption operation finishes.
     */
    public void consumeAsync(List purchases, OnConsumeMultiFinishedListener listener) throws MyIllegalStateException {
        checkNotDisposed();
        checkSetupDone("consume");
        consumeAsyncInternal(purchases, null, listener);
    }

    /**
     * Returns a human-readable description for the given response code.
     *
     * @param code The response code
     * @return A human-readable string explaining the result code.
     *     It also includes the result code numerically.
     */
    public static String getResponseDesc(int code) {
        String[] iab_msgs = ("0:OK/1:User Canceled/2:Unknown/" +
                "3:Billing Unavailable/4:Item unavailable/" +
                "5:Developer Error/6:Error/7:Item Already Owned/" +
                "8:Item not owned").split("/");
        String[] iabhelper_msgs = ("0:OK/-1001:Remote exception during initialization/" +
                                   "-1002:Bad response received/" +
                                   "-1003:Purchase signature verification failed/" +
                                   "-1004:Send intent failed/" +
                                   "-1005:User cancelled/" +
                                   "-1006:Unknown purchase response/" +
                                   "-1007:Missing token/" +
                                   "-1008:Unknown error/" +
                                   "-1009:Subscriptions not available/" +
                                   "-1010:Invalid consumption attempt").split("/");

        if (code <= IABHELPER_ERROR_BASE) {
            int index = IABHELPER_ERROR_BASE - code;
            if (index >= 0 && index < iabhelper_msgs.length) return iabhelper_msgs[index];
            else return String.valueOf(code) + ":Unknown IAB Helper Error";
        }
        else if (code < 0 || code >= iab_msgs.length)
            return String.valueOf(code) + ":Unknown";
        else
            return iab_msgs[code];
    }


    // Checks that setup was done; if not, throws an exception.
    void checkSetupDone(String operation) throws MyIllegalStateException {
        if (!mSetupDone) {
            logError("Illegal state for operation (" + operation + "): IAB helper is not set up.");
            throw new MyIllegalStateException("IAB helper is not set up. Can't perform operation: " + operation);
        }
    }

    // Workaround to bug where sometimes response codes come as Long instead of Integer
    int getResponseCodeFromBundle(Bundle b) {
        Object o = b.get(RESPONSE_CODE);
        if (o == null) {
            logDebug("Bundle with null response code, assuming OK (known issue)");
            return BILLING_RESPONSE_RESULT_OK;
        }
        else if (o instanceof Integer) return ((Integer)o).intValue();
        else if (o instanceof Long) return (int)((Long)o).longValue();
        else {
            logError("Unexpected type for bundle response code.");
            logError(o.getClass().getName());
            throw new RuntimeException("Unexpected type for bundle response code: " + o.getClass().getName());
        }
    }

    // Workaround to bug where sometimes response codes come as Long instead of Integer
    int getResponseCodeFromIntent(Intent i) {
        Object o = i.getExtras().get(RESPONSE_CODE);
        if (o == null) {
            logError("Intent with no response code, assuming OK (known issue)");
            return BILLING_RESPONSE_RESULT_OK;
        }
        else if (o instanceof Integer) return ((Integer)o).intValue();
        else if (o instanceof Long) return (int)((Long)o).longValue();
        else {
            logError("Unexpected type for intent response code.");
            logError(o.getClass().getName());
            throw new RuntimeException("Unexpected type for intent response code: " + o.getClass().getName());
        }
    }

    void flagStartAsync(String operation) throws MyIllegalStateException {
        if (mAsyncInProgress) throw new MyIllegalStateException("Can't start async operation (" +
                operation + ") because another async operation(" + mAsyncOperation + ") is in progress.");
        mAsyncOperation = operation;
        mAsyncInProgress = true;
        logDebug("Starting async operation: " + operation);
    }

    void flagEndAsync() {
        logDebug("Ending async operation: " + mAsyncOperation);
        mAsyncOperation = "";
        mAsyncInProgress = false;
    }


    int queryPurchases(Inventory inv, String itemType) throws JSONException, RemoteException {
        // Query purchases
        logDebug("Querying owned items, item type: " + itemType);
        logDebug("Package name: " + mContext.getPackageName());
        boolean verificationFailed = false;
        String continueToken = null;

        do {
            logDebug("Calling getPurchases with continuation token: " + continueToken);
            Bundle ownedItems = mService.getPurchases(3, mContext.getPackageName(),
                    itemType, continueToken);

            int response = getResponseCodeFromBundle(ownedItems);
            logDebug("Owned items response: " + String.valueOf(response));
            if (response != BILLING_RESPONSE_RESULT_OK) {
                logDebug("getPurchases() failed: " + getResponseDesc(response));
                return response;
            }
            if (!ownedItems.containsKey(RESPONSE_INAPP_ITEM_LIST)
                    || !ownedItems.containsKey(RESPONSE_INAPP_PURCHASE_DATA_LIST)
                    || !ownedItems.containsKey(RESPONSE_INAPP_SIGNATURE_LIST)) {
                logError("Bundle returned from getPurchases() doesn't contain required fields.");
                return IABHELPER_BAD_RESPONSE;
            }

            ArrayList ownedSkus = ownedItems.getStringArrayList(
                        RESPONSE_INAPP_ITEM_LIST);
            ArrayList purchaseDataList = ownedItems.getStringArrayList(
                        RESPONSE_INAPP_PURCHASE_DATA_LIST);
            ArrayList signatureList = ownedItems.getStringArrayList(
                        RESPONSE_INAPP_SIGNATURE_LIST);

            for (int i = 0; i < purchaseDataList.size(); ++i) {
                String purchaseData = purchaseDataList.get(i);
                String signature = signatureList.get(i);
                String sku = ownedSkus.get(i);
                if (Security.verifyPurchase(mSignatureBase64, purchaseData, signature)) {
                    logDebug("Sku is owned: " + sku);
                    Purchase purchase = new Purchase(itemType, purchaseData, signature);

                    if (TextUtils.isEmpty(purchase.getToken())) {
                        logWarn("BUG: empty/null token!");
                        logDebug("Purchase data: " + purchaseData);
                    }

                    // Record ownership and token
                    inv.addPurchase(purchase);
                }
                else {
                    logWarn("Purchase signature verification **FAILED**. Not adding item.");
                    logDebug("   Purchase data: " + purchaseData);
                    logDebug("   Signature: " + signature);
                    verificationFailed = true;
                }
            }

            continueToken = ownedItems.getString(INAPP_CONTINUATION_TOKEN);
            logDebug("Continuation token: " + continueToken);
        } while (!TextUtils.isEmpty(continueToken));

        return verificationFailed ? IABHELPER_VERIFICATION_FAILED : BILLING_RESPONSE_RESULT_OK;
    }

    int querySkuDetails(String itemType, Inventory inv, List moreSkus)
                                throws RemoteException, JSONException {
        logDebug("Querying SKU details.");
        ArrayList skuList = new ArrayList();
        skuList.addAll(inv.getAllOwnedSkus(itemType));
        if (moreSkus != null) {
            for (String sku : moreSkus) {
                if (!skuList.contains(sku)) {
                    skuList.add(sku);
                }
            }
        }

        if (skuList.size() == 0) {
            logDebug("queryPrices: nothing to do because there are no SKUs.");
            return BILLING_RESPONSE_RESULT_OK;
        }

        Bundle querySkus = new Bundle();
        querySkus.putStringArrayList(GET_SKU_DETAILS_ITEM_LIST, skuList);
        Bundle skuDetails = mService.getSkuDetails(3, mContext.getPackageName(),
                itemType, querySkus);

        if (!skuDetails.containsKey(RESPONSE_GET_SKU_DETAILS_LIST)) {
            int response = getResponseCodeFromBundle(skuDetails);
            if (response != BILLING_RESPONSE_RESULT_OK) {
                logDebug("getSkuDetails() failed: " + getResponseDesc(response));
                return response;
            }
            else {
                logError("getSkuDetails() returned a bundle with neither an error nor a detail list.");
                return IABHELPER_BAD_RESPONSE;
            }
        }

        ArrayList responseList = skuDetails.getStringArrayList(
                RESPONSE_GET_SKU_DETAILS_LIST);

        for (String thisResponse : responseList) {
            SkuDetails d = new SkuDetails(itemType, thisResponse);
            logDebug("Got sku details: " + d);
            inv.addSkuDetails(d);
        }
        return BILLING_RESPONSE_RESULT_OK;
    }


    void consumeAsyncInternal(final List purchases,
                              final OnConsumeFinishedListener singleListener,
                              final OnConsumeMultiFinishedListener multiListener) throws MyIllegalStateException {
        final Handler handler = new Handler();
        flagStartAsync("consume");
        (new Thread(new Runnable() {
            public void run() {
                final List results = new ArrayList();
                for (Purchase purchase : purchases) {
                    try {
                        consume(purchase);
                        results.add(new IabResult(BILLING_RESPONSE_RESULT_OK, "Successful consume of sku " + purchase.getSku()));
                    }
                    catch (IabException ex) {
                        results.add(ex.getResult());
                    }
                }

                flagEndAsync();
                if (!mDisposed && singleListener != null) {
                    handler.post(new Runnable() {
                        public void run() {
                            singleListener.onConsumeFinished(purchases.get(0), results.get(0));
                        }
                    });
                }
                if (!mDisposed && multiListener != null) {
                    handler.post(new Runnable() {
                        public void run() {
                            multiListener.onConsumeMultiFinished(purchases, results);
                        }
                    });
                }
            }
        })).start();
    }

    void logDebug(String msg) {
        if (mDebugLog) Log.d(mDebugTag, msg);
    }

    void logError(String msg) {
        Log.e(mDebugTag, "In-app billing error: " + msg);
    }

    void logWarn(String msg) {
        Log.w(mDebugTag, "In-app billing warning: " + msg);
    }
}

How to create an ftp user and allow write to the apache root directory with proper permissions

I do not recommend having a set up like this due to the multiple security vulnerabilities that it presents. There are much better and more secure ways to develop and deploy to a server. If you can use WebDAV, scp, etc.

If you still wanted to do this, there are some configurations you need to make, in order to have that ftp user upload files and have them be saved with the proper ownership and permissions, so that the webserver can still serve them.

This how-to is for Debian or any Debian derivative like Ubuntu. The set up would be almost identical for any other Linux distro, but you might have to use a different package manager instead of aptitude to install vftpd and the root of the web server might have a different path instead of /var/www.

1. Install vsftpd if you have not yet done so:

sudo apt-get install vsftpd

2. Edit /etc/vsftpd.conf. Here we will allow local users to ftp and set the default permissions (umask) for the files they upload. Make sure that the following is uncommended/added in the file:


anonymous_enable=NO
local_enable=YES
write_enable=YES
local_umask=0002
anon_upload_enable=YES
anon_mkdir_write_enable=YES
file_open_mode=0777

For the mask to work properly (even without anonymous access) it seems necessary to set anon_upload_enable=YES and anon_mkdir_write_enable=YES. If these are not set, writing, reading and executing will not be allowed for groups or others on files uploaded via ftp (even though the standard privileges may be set for something else).

Here, file_open_mode sets the default setting of files. 777 makes it readable, writable and executable for anyone. With local_umask set to 002, this gives you 775, as you requested.

Notice that local_umask defaults to 077, disabling groups and others to access files in any way (hence it is set here).

3. Restart the vsftpd to pick up the changes:

sudo service vsftpd restart

4. Create a local user that will be used for ftp (in our case we will call him ftpuser) and set the home directory to /var/www


sudo adduser ftpuser
sudo usermod -d /var/www -m ftpuser

5. Add the ftpuser to the www-data group

sudo usermod -a -G www-data ftpuser

6. Set the correct permissions on /var/www


sudo chgrp -R www-data /var/www
sudo chmod -R g+w /var/www

7. Make the directory and all directories below it “set GID”, so that all new files and directories created under /var/www are owned by the www-data group

sudo find /var/www -type d -exec chmod 2775 {} \;

8. Find all files in /var/www and add read and write permission for owner and group

sudo find /var/www -type f -exec chmod ug+rw {} \;

MapsInitializer.initialize no longer throws GooglePlayServicesNotAvailableException with the new google play services lib ver 15

I just updated the google play services lib to ver 15 to find out that MapsInitializer.initialize method no longer throws GooglePlayServicesNotAvailableException.

In the description of this method it now says:

Initializes the Google Maps Android API so that its classes are ready for use. If you are using MapFragment or MapView and have already obtained a (non-null) GoogleMap by calling getMap() on either of these classes, then it is not necessary to call this.

So, I guess if you have already called getMap and you have gotten a map object back, there is no need to call this any more.

How to detect a user pan/touch/drag on Android Map v2

If you are impatient, you can skip directly to the solution.

The new implementation of the Android Map (v2) is great in many ways and their support for map fragments is awesome, but they fall a bit short in a couple of minor but very necessary implementations. That makes the maps API a bit incomplete.

I am referring in particular to the ability to distinguish between a user dragging (panning) the map, verses a programmatic move of the map.

That looks like a very basic need that a lot of Android programmers would face when dealing with the new map implementation. I have a number of apps, where I would like to update the map after the user has panned the map to a new location and I want to do that ONLY after they had stopped moving the map. I don’t want to trigger multiple updates while they are in the process of panning.

As you can deduce so far, there is no straight up way to implement this very basic behavior… or at least I could not find one. So, if you have found one, please let me know… I am only human and I might have missed something!

There are a couple of listeners implemented that kind of give you something to work with at a first glance, but they are both incomplete.

We have onCameraChangeListener, which gets called every time the map moves, zooms in/out or the camera angle changes, but it is completely useless in helping us implement the above needed behavior. It does not tell you in any way if the map was moved due to a user interaction or due to some other event triggering the map’s “camera change”. Furthermore, if you implement this listener you will notice that it gets triggered multiple times during a map panning. So, this makes it completely inefficient, especially when you are fetching data over the network all the time. The implementation of this listener could have been a bit more complete, if the only added a boolean value to the GoogleMap.OnCameraChangeListener indicating if the action was done by a human or not. Just like they implemented the SeekBar.OnSeekBarChangeListener.

Furthermore, you might think that this situation can be remedied with the map’s setOnMapClickListener, but you would be wrong, as you cannot use it in any way to distinguish between a touch down and a touch up events.

That finally leads us down the path of implementing this basic map behavioral need ourselves! I would like to think that Google does this to us, because they know we are better programmers than those stinking iOS dudes, who are used to getting anything they need handed on a platter of APIs:-) But may be I am wrong again…

So, a basic search led me to a couple of stackoverflow posts that try to tackle this issue:

How to handle onTouch event for map in Google Map API v2?
Google maps android api v2 – detect touch on map

But that sill did not completely solve my problem due to a couple of reasons. One is that they use an ugly static boolean variable to communicate back to the map activity if the map was touched or not. Furthermore they use that boolean in the setOnCameraChangeListener to decide whether to update the map or not, which flat out does not work. And the reason it does not work is because in most of the cases the setOnCameraChangeListener listener is triggered before the boolean value was updated, resulting in a failure of the code after that to execute.

So I took all this and made a few small but significant changes, namely using a custom interface to trigger the map to update at the right time. The TouchableWrapper class declares a UpdateMapAfterUserInterection interface, which is implemented by the Map Activity. That gives us a very fine control over the map events and what we want to do with them. Now a complete disclaimer… This all works very well, but it is a hacky way of doing things. Extending the map fragment, then putting a frame layout on top of if to intercept user interaction and then passing it over to the map activity just feels (and is) hacky. But it is the best solution I could find or think of for now. Please share if you have a better solution!

Here is the complete implementation:

TouchableWrapper class defining the UpdateMapAfterUserInterection interface


public  class TouchableWrapper extends FrameLayout {

	private long lastTouched = 0;
	private static final long SCROLL_TIME = 200L; // 200 Milliseconds, but you can adjust that to your liking
	private UpdateMapAfterUserInterection updateMapAfterUserInterection;

	public TouchableWrapper(Context context) {
		super(context);
		// Force the host activity to implement the UpdateMapAfterUserInterection Interface
		try {
			updateMapAfterUserInterection = (ActivityMapv2) context;
        } catch (ClassCastException e) {
            throw new ClassCastException(context.toString() + " must implement UpdateMapAfterUserInterection");
        }
	}

	@Override
	public boolean dispatchTouchEvent(MotionEvent ev) {
		switch (ev.getAction()) {
		case MotionEvent.ACTION_DOWN:
			lastTouched = SystemClock.uptimeMillis();
			break;
		case MotionEvent.ACTION_UP:
			final long now = SystemClock.uptimeMillis();
			if (now - lastTouched > SCROLL_TIME) {
				// Update the map
				updateMapAfterUserInterection.onUpdateMapAfterUserInterection();
			}
			break;
		}
		return super.dispatchTouchEvent(ev);
	}

	// Map Activity must implement this interface
    public interface UpdateMapAfterUserInterection {
        public void onUpdateMapAfterUserInterection();
    }
}

MySupportMapFragment class


public class MySupportMapFragment extends SupportMapFragment{
	public View mOriginalContentView;
	public TouchableWrapper mTouchView;

	@Override
	public View onCreateView(LayoutInflater inflater, ViewGroup parent, Bundle savedInstanceState) {
		mOriginalContentView = super.onCreateView(inflater, parent, savedInstanceState);
		mTouchView = new TouchableWrapper(getActivity());
		mTouchView.addView(mOriginalContentView);
		return mTouchView;
	}

	@Override
	public View getView() {
		return mOriginalContentView;
	}
}

The layout for the map activity


<fragment xmlns:android="http://schemas.android.com/apk/res/android"
    android:id="@+id/mapFragment"
    android:layout_width="match_parent"
    android:layout_height="wrap_content"
    android:layout_alignParentBottom="true"
    android:layout_below="@+id/buttonBar"
    class="com.myFactory.myApp.MySupportMapFragment"
    />

And finally the Map Activity


public class ActivityMapv2 extends FragmentActivity implements UpdateMapAfterUserInterection {

  @Override
  protected void onCreate(Bundle savedInstanceState) {
    super.onCreate(savedInstanceState);
    setContentView(R.layout.activity_main);
  }

// Implement the interface method
public void onUpdateMapAfterUserInterection() {
		// TODO Update the map now
        }
 }