Presentation from ConFoo 2014 on Windows Azure Mobile Services. Introducing the platform, building out an application that uses data storage, server-side scripts, custom API endpoints, push notifications, and client authentication. Source code is available on GitHub at http://github.com/goldshtn/rentahome

1. Sasha Goldshtein
CTO, SELA Group
@goldshtn
blog.sashag.net
Windows Azure Mobile
Services
© Copyright SELA software & Education Labs Ltd. | 14-18 Baruch Hirsch St Bnei Brak, 51202 Israel | www.selagroup.com

2. Who Are We? App Developers
What Do We Hate? Backends

3. We need one backend for all our
mobile apps, scaled by the cloud
Oh, and it should cost about $0-5 /
month for a small, simple app

4. Backend as a Service
Windows 8 & Windows Phone
iOS & Android
HTML & JavaScript
Data & LINQ queries
Server scripts, scheduler
Authentication & WAADNEW
Custom APINEW
Source control and NPMNEW
Push, notification hubsNEW

5. Windows Azure Mobile Services
Portal
Demo

6. Initializing The Mobile Service
Client
The application key is for development
iOS
Windows 8 / Windows PhoneIn Android use user
purposes only. / production,
authentication to limit access to data
ms = new MobileServiceClient(
[MSClient clientWithApplicationURLString:
"https://rentahome.azure-mobile.net"
"https://rentahome.azure-mobile.net",
"..." /*API key*/);
applicationKey:"..."];

7. Accessing Data
// Windows 8 and Windows Phone
var apartments = await ms.GetTable<Apartment>()
.Where(a => a.Bedrooms > 2).ToListAsync();
// Android
ms.getTable(Apartment.class).where().
.field("bedrooms").gt(2).execute(...);
// iOS
NSPredicate *pred = [NSPredicate
predicateWithFormat:@"bedrooms > 2"];
[[client getTable:@"apartment"] readWhere:pred
completion:^...];

8. Server Scripts
CRUD operations can pass through a custom
script
Use for validation, data enrichment, etc.
Scripts are written in JavaScript and run on Node.js
Can access several Node modules:
request, push, …
function insert(item, user, request) {
if (item.address.length === 0) {
request.respond(400);
} else {
request.execute();
}
}

9. Custom API
Add custom HTTP endpoints to your mobile
service
Very useful for external access
exports.post = function(request, response) {
sharedHub.send_ad(request.body.message, function(error) {
if (error) {
response.send(500, 'Error sending ad: ' + error);
} else {
response.send(200);
}
});
};

10. Enriching Data with Server Scripts
Demo

11. Push
Prepare app for push from script
On trigger, send push notifications
Depends on platform
Unfortunately, push API differs for each platform
Channel = await PushNotificationChannelManager.
push.wns.sendToast02(channel.uri, {
text01: "New apartment added",
CreatePushNotificationChannelForApplicationAsync();
channelsTable.Insert(new Channel(Channel.Uri));
text02: apartment.address });

12. Notification Hubs
Register push messages based on the
Blast out templates for push notifications with
arbitrary and the tags
template custom tags
template =
var payload{=data: { message: '$(message)' } };
{ message : message };
hub.gcm.createTemplateRegistration(request.body.uri, });
hub.send(tag, payload, function(error, outcome) { ...tags,
template, registrationComplete);

13. Server-Side Push Support
Demo

14. Authentication
// iOS
if (!client.currentUser) {
[self presentViewController:[client
loginViewControllerWithProvider:@"twitter"
completion:(MSUser *user, NSError *err) ...
] animated:YES];
}
// Android
if (client.getCurrentUser() != null) {
client.login(
MobileServiceAuthenticationProvider.Twitter,
new UserAuthenticationCallback() ...);
}

15. Authentication
Demo

16. Summary
Windows Azure Mobile Services provide a
powerful and customizable backend for your
mobile apps
Code available at
http://github.com/goldshtn/rentahome

17. Questions
Sasha Goldshtein
CTO, SELA Group
@goldshtn
blog.sashag.net