Alan iOS SDK

Alan can be integrated with iOS apps developed in Swift and Objective-C.

Integrating with Alan

To add Alan voice to an iOS app, you need to do the following:

1. Get the Alan iOS SDK framework

2. Integrate with the app: Swift or Objective-C. As part of this process, you will:

   1. Add the Alan Config object to your app

   2. Add the Alan button to your app

Step 1. Get the Alan iOS SDK framework

First, you need to get the Alan iOS SDK framework and set up your XCode project to be used with Alan. You can do it in two ways:

• Set up an XCode project with CocoaPods

• Set up an XCode project manually

Setup with CocoaPods

Do the following:

1. On the machine, open Terminal and install CocoaPods:

   Terminal

   sudo gem install cocoapods
   

2. Go to the project folder and create a Podfile for the project:

   Terminal

   pod init
   

3. Open the Podfile and edit it:

   Podfile

   use_frameworks!
   platform :ios, '11.0'
   target '<Your Target Name>' do
   pod 'AlanSDK-iOS'
   end
   

4. In the project folder, install the dependencies for the project:

   Terminal

   pod install
   pod update
   

5. In iOS, the user must explicitly grant permission for an app to access the user’s data and resources. An app with the Alan button requires access to:

   • User’s device microphone for voice interactions

   • User’s device camera for testing Alan projects on mobile

   To comply with this requirement, you must add NSMicrophoneUsageDescription and NSCameraUsageDescription keys to the Info.plist file of your app and provide a message why your app requires access to the microphone and camera. The message will be displayed only when Alan needs to activate the microphone or camera.

   To add the key:

   1. In the Xcode project, go to the Info tab.

   2. In the Custom iOS Target Properties section, hover over any key in the list and click the plus icon to the right.

   3. From the list, select Privacy - Microphone Usage Description.

   4. In the Value field to the right, provide a description for the added key. This description will be displayed to the user when the app is launched.

   5. Repeat the steps above to add the Privacy - Camera Usage Description key.

   

6. To allow the background mode for the iOS app, go to the Signing and Capabilities tab. In the top left corner, click + Capability and in the capabilities list, double-click Background Modes. In the Modes list, select the Audio, AirPlay, and Picture in Picture check box.

   

7. The background mode must also be turned on in the Alan Studio project. In Alan Studio, at the top of the code editor, click Integrations, go to the iOS tab and enable the Keep active while the app is in the background option.

Manual setup

Do the following:

1. Open the Alan iOS SDK release page on Alan GitHub.

2. Download the AlanSDK.xcframework_<x.x.x>.zip file from the latest release and extract AlanSDK.xcframework from the ZIP archive.

3. Drag AlanSDK.xcframework and drop it onto the root node of the Xcode project.

4. Select the Copy items if needed check box if it is not selected.

   

5. In the project tree, select the XCode project file and go to the General tab. Under the Frameworks, Libraries, and Embedded Content section, find AlanSDK.xcframework and select Embed & Sign from the list.

   

6. In iOS, the user must explicitly grant permission for an app to access the user’s data and resources. An app with the Alan button requires access to:

   • User’s device microphone for voice interactions

   • User’s device camera for testing Alan projects on mobile

   To comply with this requirement, you must add NSMicrophoneUsageDescription and NSCameraUsageDescription keys to the Info.plist file of your app and provide a message why your app requires access to the microphone and camera. The message will be displayed only when Alan needs to activate the microphone or camera. To add the key:

   1. In the Xcode project, go to the Info tab.

   2. In the Custom iOS Target Properties section, hover over any key in the list and click the plus icon to the right.

   3. From the list, select Privacy - Microphone Usage Description.

   4. In the Value field to the right, provide a description for the added key. This description will be displayed to the user when the app is launched.

   5. Repeat the steps above to add the Privacy - Camera Usage Description key.

   

7. To allow the background mode for the iOS app, go to the Signing and Capabilities tab. In the top left corner, click +Capability and in the capabilities list, double-click Background Modes. In the Modes list, select the Audio, AirPlay, and Picture in Picture check box.

   

8. The background mode must also be turned on in the Alan Studio project. In Alan Studio, at the top of the code editor, click Integrations, go to the iOS tab and enable the Keep active while the app is in the background option.

Step 2. Integrate with the app

Note

The instructions below apply to the Storyboard user interface.

You need to integrate Alan with your app written in:

• Swift

• Objective-C

Swift

In the Xcode project, open the ViewController.swift file. You need to add the following Swift snippet to your view controller:

1. At the top of the file, import AlanSDK:

   Client app

   import AlanSDK
   

2. In the ViewController class, define the AlanButton variable:

   Client app

   fileprivate var button: AlanButton!
   

3. In viewDidLoad(), set up AlanButton. For more details, see Alan Config object and Alan button.

   Client app

   import UIKit
   import AlanSDK
   
   class ViewController: UIViewController {
   
     /// Alan button
     fileprivate var button: AlanButton!
     override func viewDidLoad() {
       super.viewDidLoad()
   
       /// Setup the Alan button
       self.setupAlan()
     }
   
     fileprivate func setupAlan() {
   
       /// Define the project key
       let config = AlanConfig(key: "")
   
       ///  Init the Alan button
       self.button = AlanButton(config: config)
   
       /// Add the button to the view
       self.view.addSubview(self.button)
       self.button.translatesAutoresizingMaskIntoConstraints = false
   
       /// Align the button on the view
       let views = ["button" : self.button!]
       let verticalButton = NSLayoutConstraint.constraints(withVisualFormat: "V:|-(>=0@299)-[button(64)]-40-|", options: NSLayoutConstraint.FormatOptions(), metrics: nil, views: views)
       let horizontalButton = NSLayoutConstraint.constraints(withVisualFormat: "H:|-(>=0@299)-[button(64)]-20-|", options: NSLayoutConstraint.FormatOptions(), metrics: nil, views: views)
       self.view.addConstraints(verticalButton + horizontalButton)
     }
   }
   

4. In let config = AlanConfig(key: ""), define the Alan SDK key for your Alan Studio project. To get the key, in Alan Studio, at the top of the code editor, click Integrations and copy the value from the Alan SDK Key field.

5. Run the app and tap the Alan button to speak.

Objective-C

Add this Objective-C snippet to your view controller.

1. Import AlanSDK:

   Client app

   @import AlanSDK;
   

2. Define the AlanButton variable:

   Client app

   @property (nonatomic) AlanButton* button;
   

3. In viewDidLoad, set up AlanButton. For more details, see Alan Config object and Alan button.

   Client app

   AlanConfig* config = [[AlanConfig alloc] initWithKey:@"YOUR_KEY_FROM_ALAN_STUDIO_HERE"];
   self.button = [[AlanButton alloc] initWithConfig:config];
   [self.button setTranslatesAutoresizingMaskIntoConstraints:NO];
   [self.view addSubview:self.button];
   NSLayoutConstraint* b = [NSLayoutConstraint constraintWithItem:self.button attribute:NSLayoutAttributeBottom relatedBy:NSLayoutRelationEqual toItem:self.view attribute:NSLayoutAttributeBottom multiplier:1 constant:-40.0];
   NSLayoutConstraint* r = [NSLayoutConstraint constraintWithItem:self.button attribute:NSLayoutAttributeRight relatedBy:NSLayoutRelationEqual toItem:self.view attribute:NSLayoutAttributeRight multiplier:1 constant:-20];
   NSLayoutConstraint* w = [NSLayoutConstraint constraintWithItem:self.button attribute:NSLayoutAttributeWidth relatedBy:NSLayoutRelationEqual toItem:nil attribute:NSLayoutAttributeNotAnAttribute multiplier:1 constant:64.0];
   NSLayoutConstraint* h = [NSLayoutConstraint constraintWithItem:self.button attribute:NSLayoutAttributeHeight relatedBy:NSLayoutRelationEqual toItem:nil attribute:NSLayoutAttributeNotAnAttribute multiplier:1 constant:64.0];
   [self.view addConstraints:@[b, r, w, h]];
   

4. Run the app and tap the Alan button to speak.

AlanConfig object

The AlanConfig object describes the parameters that are provided for AlanButton.

1. Create a new AlanConfig instance with your Alan project SDK key:

   Client app

   - (instancetype)initWithKey:(NSString *)key;
   

   Name	Type	Description
   key	NSString	The Alan SDK key for your project in Alan Studio.

2. Create a new AlanConfig instance with your Alan project SDK key and custom data object:

   Client app

   - (instancetype)initWithKey:(NSString *)key dataObject:(NSDictionary *)dataObject;
   

   Name	Type	Description
   key	NSString	The Alan SDK key for a project in Alan Studio.
   dataObject	NSDictionary	(Optional) A valid JSON string or JSON object with authentication or configuration data to be sent to the dialog script. For details, see authData.

   For example:

   Client app

   AlanConfig *config = [[AlanConfig alloc] initWithKey:@"YOUR_KEY_FROM_ALAN_STUDIO_HERE"];
   

Alan button

To add the Alan button to your app, use the AlanButton class. This class provides a view with the voice button and instance methods to communicate with Alan Studio.

Сreate a new AlanButton instance with the config object:

Client app

- (instancetype)initWithConfig:(AlanConfig *)config;

Name	Type	Description
config	AlanConfig	The AlanConfig object for configuration which is described above

For example:

Client app

@interface ViewController ()
@property (nonatomic) AlanButton *button;
@end

@implementation ViewController
- (void)viewDidLoad
{
  [super viewDidLoad];
  AlanConfig *config = [[AlanConfig alloc] initWithKey:@"YOUR_KEY_FROM_ALAN_STUDIO_HERE"];
  self.button = [[AlanButton alloc] initWithConfig:config];
  [self.button setTranslatesAutoresizingMaskIntoConstraints:NO];
  [self.view addSubview:self.button];

  NSLayoutConstraint *right = [NSLayoutConstraint constraintWithItem:self.button attribute:NSLayoutAttributeRight relatedBy:NSLayoutRelationEqual toItem:self.view attribute:NSLayoutAttributeRight multiplier:1 constant:-20.0];
  NSLayoutConstraint *bottom = [NSLayoutConstraint constraintWithItem:self.button attribute:NSLayoutAttributeBottom relatedBy:NSLayoutRelationEqual toItem:self.view attribute:NSLayoutAttributeBottom multiplier:1 constant:-20.0];
  NSLayoutConstraint *width = [NSLayoutConstraint constraintWithItem:self.button attribute:NSLayoutAttributeWidth relatedBy:NSLayoutRelationEqual toItem:nil attribute:NSLayoutAttributeNotAnAttribute multiplier:1 constant:64.0];
  NSLayoutConstraint *height = [NSLayoutConstraint constraintWithItem:self.button attribute:NSLayoutAttributeHeight relatedBy:NSLayoutRelationEqual toItem:nil attribute:NSLayoutAttributeNotAnAttribute multiplier:1 constant:64.0];
  [self.view addConstraints:@[right, bottom, width, height]];
}
@end

Using client API methods

You can use the following client API methods in your app:

• setVisualState()

• callProjectApi()

• playText()

• sendText()

• playCommand()

• activate()

• deactivate()

• isActive()

• getWakewordEnabled()

• setWakewordEnabled()

setVisualState()

Use the setVisualState() method to inform the in-app assistant about the app’s visual context. For details, see setVisualState().

Objective-C

Client app

- (void)setVisualState {
  /// Providing any params
  [self.button setVisualState:@{@"data":@"your data"}];
}

Swift

Client app

func setVisualState() {
  /// Providing any params
  self.button.setVisualState(["data":"your data"])
}

callProjectApi()

Use the callProjectApi() method to send data from the client app to the dialog script and trigger activities without voice commands. For details, see callProjectApi().

Dialog script

projectAPI.setClientData = function(p, param, callback) {
  console.log(param);
};

Objective-C

Client app

- (void)callProjectApi {
  /// Providing any params
  [self.button callProjectApi:@"script::funcName" withData:@{@"data":@"your data"} callback:nil];
}

Swift

Client app

func callProjectApi() {
  /// Providing any params
  self.button.callProjectApi("script::funcName", withData: ["data":"your data"], callback: nil)
}

playText()

Use the playText() method to play specific text in the client app. For details, see playText().

Objective-C

Client app

/// Playing any text message
- (void)playText {
  /// Providing text as string param
  [self.button playText:@"Hi"];
}

Swift

Client app

/// Playing any text message
func playText() {
  /// Providing text as string param
  self.button.playText("Hi")
}

sendText()

Use the sendText() method to send a text message to Alan as the user’s input. For details, see sendText().

Objective-C

Client app

/// Sending any text message
- (void)sendText {
  /// Providing text as string param
  [self.button sendText:@"Hello Alan, can you help me?"];
}

Swift

Client app

/// Sending any text message
func sendText() {
  /// Providing text as string param
  self.button.sendText("Hello Alan, can you help me?")
}

playCommand()

Use the playCommand() method to execute a specific command in the client app. For details, see playCommand().

Objective-C

Client app

/// Executing a command locally
- (void)playCommand {
  /// Providing any params
  [self.button playCommand:@{@"action":@"openSomePage"}];
}

Swift

Client app

/// Executing a command locally
func playCommand() {
  /// Providing any params
  self.button.playCommand(["action":"openSomePage"])
}

activate()

Use the activate() method to activate the Alan button programmatically. For details, see activate().

Objective-C

Client app

/// Activating the Alan button programmatically
- (void)activate {
  [self.button activate];
}

Swift

Client app

/// Activating the Alan button programmatically
func activate() {
  self.button.activate()
}

deactivate()

Use the deactivate() method to deactivate the Alan button programmatically. For details, see deactivate().

Objective-C

Client app

/// Deactivating the Alan button programmatically
- (void)deactivate {
  [self.button deactivate];
}

Swift

Client app

/// Deactivating the Alan button programmatically
func deactivate() {
  self.button.deactivate()
}

isActive()

Use the isActive() method to check the Alan button state: active or not. For details, see isActive().

Objective-C

Client app

[alanBtnInstance isActive];

Swift

Client app

alanBtnInstance.isActive()

getWakewordEnabled()

Use the getWakewordEnabled() method to check the state of the wake word for the Alan button. For details, see getWakewordEnabled().

Objective-C

Client app

BOOL enabled = [alanButton getWakewordEnabled];

Swift

Client app

let enabled = button.getWakewordEnabled()

setWakewordEnabled()

Use the setWakewordEnabled() method to enable or disable the wake word for the Alan button. For details, see setWakewordEnabled().

Objective-C

Client app

[alanButton setWakewordEnabled:YES];

Swift

Client app

alanButton.setWakewordEnabled(true)

Using handlers

You can use the following Alan handlers in your app:

• onCommand handler

• onButtonState handler

• onEvent handler

onCommand handler

Use the onCommand handler to handle commands sent from the dialog script. For details, see onCommand handler.

Objective-C

Client app

self.button.onCommand = ^(NSDictionary *command) {
  NSString* commandName = [command objectForKey:@"command"];
  NSLog(@"%@", commandName);
};

Swift

Client app

self.button.onCommand = { command in
  guard let commandName = command?["command"] as? String else {
    return
  }
  print(commandName)
}

onButtonState handler

Use the onButtonState handler to capture and handle the Alan button state changes. For details, see onButtonState handler.

Objective-C

Client app

self.button.onButtonState = ^(AlanSDKButtonState state) {
  NSLog(@"%ld", (long)state);
};

Swift

Client app

self.button.onButtonState = { state in
  print(state.rawValue)
}

onEvent handler

Use the onEvent handler to capture and handle events emitted by Alan: get user’s utterances, assistant responses and so on. For details, see onEvent handler.

Objective-C

Client app

self.button.onEvent = ^(NSString *payload) {
  NSData* eventData = [payload dataUsingEncoding:NSUTF8StringEncoding];
  NSError* error = nil;
  NSDictionary* eventDict = [NSJSONSerialization JSONObjectWithData:eventData options:0 error:&error];
  if (error != nil) {
    return;
  }
  NSLog(@"%@", eventDict);
};

Swift

Client app

self.button.onEvent = { event in
  guard let eventData = event?.data(using: .utf8, allowLossyConversion: false),
    let eventDict = try? JSONSerialization.jsonObject(with: eventData, options: .mutableContainers)
  else {
    return
  }
  print(eventDict)
}

What’s next?

Example apps

Find and explore examples of voice-enabled apps on the Alan AI GitHub repository.

View on GitHub