Events | Android Universal Events App Template

iOS, Android and Web versions can share the same Parse database

23 May 2020
• Migrated to AndroidX
• Improved overall UI for each screen

24 Apr 2020
• FCM firebase cloud messaging implemented. Code clean up. 
• Documentation updated with images as per the latest update from Google.
• Google libraries updated.

16 July 2019
• Home Page Design has been improved by using Card view design technique
• Improved Event detail page layout
• Back Stack issue has been fixed 
• Placed scroll view on the Event Detail page
• Fixed validation issue on the Event detail page 
• Cursor Control issue has been fixed 
• Code structure improved for android version 9.0 

14 October 2018
• Removed unused dependencies
• Updated Firebase & Google ads libraries versions
• Fixed activities backstacking

17 April 2018
• Added Firebase dependencies in build.gradle(Module:app)
• Removed the 'com.google.android.gms:play-services:+' and updated all dependencies to the required ones only 
• Added the 'google-services' classpath in the dependencies{} list in build.gradle(Project:)
        classpath 'com.google.gms:google-services:3.2.1'

• Added this Permission into Manifest.xml:
    <uses-permission android:name="android.permission.RECEIVE_BOOT_COMPLETED" />

• Updated the Documentation (connect your App to Firebase for GCM and Ads)

15 April 2018
• Updated to Android Studio 3.1.1
• Removed all dependencies of play-services | left only this one in build.gradle:
     implementation 'com.google.android.gms:play-services:+'

11 April 2018
• Updated to Android Studio 3.1
• Updated 'compileSdkVersion' and  'targetSdkVersion' to 27 in build.gradle
• Replaced 'compile' with 'implementation' in build.gradle (Module: app)
• Updated classpath 'com.android.tools.build:gradle:3.1.1' in build.gradle (Project:)

Events is a full app template for you to create your own mobile app to store and share events from all over the world. Users can submit new events to you and you can approve them by changing a value in the isPending field in your Parse Dashboard on back{4}app.

Since its backend is by Parse Server you don’t have to buy any domain/hosting, there are NO PHP files to upload to a web server so you’ll save some money for server side.

You may also use the Adminca Panel as a great alternative to insert/edit data in your Parse Dashboard, after you’ll create your app on back4app, create a free account on and create a new Panel, choose self-hosted Parse server and paste your Host, Application ID and Master Key in the relative fields (you can find them in Core Settings of your back4app app’s panel)

Events has a button to automatically add an event on your native Calendar app, open its address in Google Maps (to get directions) and share it on Facebook, Twitter, Mail, Message and all the other social apps installed on your device. It also checks if an event has ended by the date you’ll open up such event, showing you that it is passed.

This template is easy to customize, native Android Studio project, Universal, Parse SDK hosted on https://back4app.com

About Parse SDK and back4app

Read this article for more info about back4app and Parse SDK:

Can I host Parse Server on my own server?

Yes, although I don’t provide support for the setup process, you can read the official Guide here: https://parseplatform.org

What about free support for this template?

I can offer free support for bugs encountered in the original code. Instead, if you’ve edited the code and messed something up with it, I may apply some fee to fix it either via TeamViewer or by checking your app project files directly on my computer.

How do I rename the app’s package name?

Read this tutorial to learn how to rename a package name:

Should I use the latest version of Android Studio to edit this template?

Yes, I always update my apps to the latest version of the IDE and you also should make sure you’ve updated the Android Tools to their latest version of the Android SDK manager.

The demo APK crashes on startup

Make sure that the minimum Android version of your device is the one listed in the FEATURES section below. If the problem persists, please contact me by my profile’s contact form and send me the Logcat message of you get when the app crashes along with the steps you made to reproduce the crash. Please note that not all real devices print an error Logcat message, in this case just run the APK into the Android Studio’s emulator and you’ll surely get the red messages about your issue.

How do I remove AdMob banner ads?

1. Enter the .xml files where there’s an AdView and remove its code:

       <com.google.android.gms.ads.AdView
           android:id="@+id/admobBanner" 
           android:layout_width="wrap_content" 
           android:layout_height="wrap_content" 
           ads:adSize="BANNER" 
           ads:adUnitId="@string/ADMOB_BANNER_UNIT_ID" 
           android:layout_alignParentBottom="true" 
           android:layout_centerHorizontal="true">
       </com.google.android.gms.ads.AdView>
   

2. Enter the .java files where there’s an AdRequest instance into its onCreate() method and remove its code:

           // Init AdMob banner
           AdView mAdView = (AdView) findViewById(R.id.admobBanner);
           AdRequest adRequest = new AdRequest.Builder().build();
           mAdView.loadAd(adRequest);
   

3. Lastly, remove the play-services-ads reference in the build.gradle file:

       compile 'com.google.android.gms:play-services-ads:+'
   

• Android Studio 3.x project – Universal – Android 5.0+
• AdMob banners
• Works with Parse SDK hosted on back4app
• Send generic Push Notifications to all registered users via the Parse Push console on back4app
• Easily submit your own event via the app
• Share events on Facebook, Twitter, Mail, SMS or other installed social apps
• Open event’s address on Google Maps app
• Automatically add an event date & time to the native Calendar app
• Approve pending events submitted from users by flagging a simple boolean value in your Parse Dashboard
• Users can directly contact you (as the Admin of the app) by tapping the contact button on the Home screen
• PDF User Guide included
• PSD graphics included
• Easy to customize, well commented code

• Apple Mac or Windows PC with their latest OS version installed
• The latest version of Android Studio and some knowledge about its UI interface
• Photoshop or any other image editor software
• A Google Developer account to submit apps to the Play Store
• A free account on back4app.com
• An AdMob account to create your own banner Unit ID