Authenticated in-app messaging

Prerequisites

  • Your mobile app users should be able to log into your back-end securely.
  • Your back-end must be able to supply, upon request during the session, an OAuth 2.0 (for Code Flow) or a JWT token (for Implicit Flow).

Authentication methods

If your system implementation involves an authentication step, you can use one of the following methods in order to get the conversation view:

Activity mode
LivePerson.showConversation(Activity activity, LPAuthenticationParams lpAuthenticationParams, ConversationViewParams params‎);
Fragment mode (Attach the returned fragment to a container in your activity)
LivePerson.getConversationFragment(LPAuthenticationParams lpAuthenticationParams, ConversationViewParams params‎);

Authenticated connection methods

AuthenticationKey

The LivePerson back-end verifies the authentication token sent by the SDK with your system servers. If the key cannot be verified on your company’s backend servers, this call fails.

LPAuthenticationParams().setAuthKey("yourAuthCode").

Tip: Alternatively, when using this method, you can also set a special redirect URL when authenticating by calling:

lpAuthenticationParams.setHostAppRedirectUri("yourRedirectUrl")
JWT
LPAuthenticationParams().setHostAppJWT("yourJwt")

Once the Authentication key expires, you get notified with a callback / local intent "void onTokenExpired()".

To re-connect with a new Authentication key, use reconnect(LPAuthenticationParams lpAuthenticationParams)

Errors while trying to connect uses callback: void onError(TaskType type, String message);

Unauthenticated in-app messaging

Unauthenticated In-App Messaging allows brands to communicate with consumers in an unauthenticated manner. This allows:

  • Easier and quicker on-boarding to Conversational Cloud

  • Having pre authentication messaging use cases, for example, assistance with password recovery

  • The ability to use Campaigns

The LPAuthenticationParams object contains an authentication type which should be passed in the constructor. An empty constructor is also available and the default authentication type will be SIGN_UP (is deprecated as of July 2019).

Note: If you call any methods in LPAuthenticationParams that support authentication (for ex. - setHostAppJWT()) - it will automatically set the authentication type to LPAuthenticationType.AUTH.

LPAuthenticationParams lpAuthenticationParams = new LPAuthenticationParams(LPAuthenticationType.UN_AUTH);
Server side configurations (In case needed, should be modified by LivePerson)

  • Identity idle time — setting the time frame for identifying a consumer while being idle (not communicating with the brand). When a consumer opens the conversation window after being idle for the configured time, the LivePerson data will be removed from the device. If there's an open conversation — it will be closed and a dialog explaining what happened will be presented to the consumer.

  • Unauthenticated token expiration — sets the time for the app to validate the token. When the token is expired, it will be refreshed.

SDK configurations

When an unauthenticated user session expire — the SDK will notify by presenting a dialog to the consumer. The dialog content can be modified by overriding the following string params

   <string name="lp_new_unauth_user_dialog_title">New Conversation</string>
   <string name="lp_new_unauth_user_dialog_message">"Hi there! As we haven't seen you for a while, we're opening a new conversation for you."</string>

Code Samples

// 1. Init SDK with Monitoring
MonitoringInitParams monitoringInitParams = new MonitoringInitParams(monitoringAppInstallId);

LivePerson.initialize(getApplicationContext(), new InitLivePersonProperties(accountId,APP_ID, monitoringInitParams, new InitLivePersonCallBack() {…}));

// 2. create and pass LPAuthenticationParams
LPAuthenticationParams lpAuthenticationParams = new LPAuthenticationParams(LPAuthenticationType.UN_AUTH);

LivePerson.showConversation(activity,lpAuthenticationParams, conversationViewParams);

Notes and Best Practices

  • Brands who wish to use Unauthenticated In-App Messaging must activate Campaigns for Messaging and create a default engagement. For additional information, please follow the Campaigns for Messaging guide. In addition, the SDK should be initialized with the LPMonitoringInitParams object.

  • In order to change SDK modes, Logout must be called first.

  • LPAuthenticationType signup will be deprecated at the end June 2019.