Apps containing FacebookAPI crash when deployed to Play Store as AAB (now a requirement)

[pimmie78]

If you build an app (or use the ALFacebookLogin demo app) and run directly onto the device in debugging mode (Android64 build) it works properly and the Facebook login is triggered as expected.

If the same app is built for Play Store as an app bundle, the deployed app crashes as soon as the Facebook API is invoked due to a missing reference. Details below.

To reproduce:

• In Delphi, within the app project's Compiling settings, tick the option to build as an Android AAB bundle ready for the Play Store.
• Make sure the provisioning details are set up for app store and create a keystore file if needed.
• Set the build settings to Release and for App Store then build.
• An AAB file is generated.
• Upload to the Play Store (internal testing) or extract the relevant .apk variant from the bundle for a connected device using the bundletool. (Commands for doing this are below).
• Install the app onto an Android device and run.
• As soon as the Facebook API is invoked (such as the Facebook Login button in the demo app), the app force-closes.

Logcat includes the following error:

E/AndroidRuntime(32277): FATAL EXCEPTION: main E/AndroidRuntime(32277): Process: com.ALFacebookLogin.app, PID: 32277 E/AndroidRuntime(32277): java.lang.RuntimeException: Unable to start activity ComponentInfo{com.ALFacebookLogin.app/com.facebook.FacebookActivity}: android.content.res.Resources$NotFoundException: Resource ID #0x7f04001d type #0x1c is not valid E/AndroidRuntime(32277): at android.app.ActivityThread.performLaunchActivity(ActivityThread.java:3632) E/AndroidRuntime(32277): at android.app.ActivityThread.handleLaunchActivity(ActivityThread.java:3784) E/AndroidRuntime(32277): at android.app.servertransaction.LaunchActivityItem.execute(LaunchActivityItem.java:83) E/AndroidRuntime(32277): at android.app.servertransaction.TransactionExecutor.executeCallbacks(TransactionExecutor.java:135) E/AndroidRuntime(32277): at android.app.servertransaction.TransactionExecutor.execute(TransactionExecutor.java:95) E/AndroidRuntime(32277): at android.app.ActivityThread$H.handleMessage(ActivityThread.java:2270) E/AndroidRuntime(32277): at android.os.Handler.dispatchMessage(Handler.java:107) E/AndroidRuntime(32277): at android.os.Looper.loop(Looper.java:237) E/AndroidRuntime(32277): at android.app.ActivityThread.main(ActivityThread.java:8125) E/AndroidRuntime(32277): at java.lang.reflect.Method.invoke(Native Method) E/AndroidRuntime(32277): at com.android.internal.os.RuntimeInit$MethodAndArgsCaller.run(RuntimeInit.java:496) E/AndroidRuntime(32277): at com.android.internal.os.ZygoteInit.main(ZygoteInit.java:1100) E/AndroidRuntime(32277): Caused by: android.content.res.Resources$NotFoundException: Resource ID #0x7f04001d type #0x1c is not valid E/AndroidRuntime(32277): at android.content.res.Resources.loadXmlResourceParser(Resources.java:2388) E/AndroidRuntime(32277): at android.content.res.Resources.getLayout(Resources.java:1276) E/AndroidRuntime(32277): at android.view.LayoutInflater.inflate(LayoutInflater.java:532) E/AndroidRuntime(32277): at android.view.LayoutInflater.inflate(LayoutInflater.java:481) E/AndroidRuntime(32277): at com.android.internal.policy.PhoneWindow.setContentView(PhoneWindow.java:541) E/AndroidRuntime(32277): at android.app.Activity.setContentView(Activity.java:3369) E/AndroidRuntime(32277): at com.facebook.FacebookActivity.onCreate(FacebookActivity.java:78) E/AndroidRuntime(32277): at android.app.Activity.performCreate(Activity.java:7957) E/AndroidRuntime(32277): at android.app.Activity.performCreate(Activity.java:7946) E/AndroidRuntime(32277): at android.app.Instrumentation.callActivityOnCreate(Instrumentation.java:1307) E/AndroidRuntime(32277): at android.app.ActivityThread.performLaunchActivity(ActivityThread.java:3607) E/AndroidRuntime(32277): ... 11 more

It seems that the post-build script which includes the necessary R file details may be interfered with during the bundling process.

This means that the Facebook API (and maybe others) in this package can't be used in a production Android app until this is fixed.

To reproduce, use the ALFacebookLogin app and build as described above with a Keystore file.

The commands I used to extract the relevant "app" from the bundle and install onto the connected device to mimic the Play Store deployment are as follows. This is exactly as per Google's official instructions:

Note - these commands should be run from the \bin folder where the .aab is generated.

"C:\Program Files\Java\jdk1.8.0_60\bin\java.exe" -jar "c:\program files (x86)\embarcadero\studio\20.0\bin\android\bundletool-all-0.10.3.jar" build-apks --connected-device --bundle=ALFacebookLogin.aab --output=extracted.apks --adb=C:\SDKs\android-sdk-windows\platform-tools\Adb.exe --ks=........\release.keystore --ks-pass=pass:Password1 --ks-key-alias=alcinoe --key-pass=pass:Password1

"C:\Program Files\Java\jdk1.8.0_60\bin\java.exe" -jar "c:\program files (x86)\embarcadero\studio\20.0\bin\android\bundletool-all-0.10.3.jar" install-apks --apks=extracted.apks

[LeeHyunChul777]

Is the only Facebook API an issue?

Is there any problem with other components such as TALText TALRectangle?

[LeeHyunChul777]

I just tested it too. [DELPHI 10.3.3]

1. Add ALText and ALRectangle to the blank form.

2. Android 64bit-Application Store Mode & [aab option checked] Build Run.

3. Project1.aab was created.

4. Command execution java -jar "C:\Program Files (x86)\Embarcadero\Studio\20.0\bin\Android\bundletool-all-0.10.3.jar" build-apks --bundle="Project1.aab" --output=extracted .apks --adb="C:\Users\Public\Documents\Embarcadero\Studio\20.0\CatalogRepository\AndroidSDK-2525_20.0.36039.7899\platform-tools\adb.exe" --ks="D:\test\ testtt\key\mykey.keystore" --ks-pass=pass:tfod777 --ks-key-alias=mykey --key-pass=pass:tfod777

5. extracted.apks are created (32bit & 64bit included)

6. Run test on Android7 Android10

7. Perfect operation

armeabi_v7a.apk & arm64_v8a.apk files... all ok!

[Zeus64]

Hello, everything has been fixed in the latest committed version.