Instrument mobile apps with Dynatrace Xamarin NuGet package

The Dynatrace Xamarin NuGet package helps auto-instrument your Xamarin app with OneAgent for Android and iOS as well as provides an API for manual instrumentation. The package is compatible with Xamarin.iOS, Xamarin.Android, and Xamarin.Forms projects.

Supported features

Requirements

• For Android:
  • Android version 5.0+ (API 21+)
  • Xamarin.Android SDK version 10.1.x+
• For iOS: iOS version 11+
• For Xamarin.Forms: .NET Standard version 2.0+

Set up the package

Perform the following steps to set up the Dynatrace Xamarin NuGet package for your Xamarin app.

Install the Dynatrace Xamarin NuGet package

Create an app and get the config file

Add the config file to your project

Add the OneAgent start method

Xamarin.Forms only

Set up Xamarin.Forms DependencyService

Enable automatic web request instrumentation

Install the NuGet package

Add the Dynatrace Xamarin NuGet package to all the required projects.

1. In Visual Studio, right-click the main project of your app and select Manage NuGet packages.
2. Find Dynatrace.OneAgent.Xamarin from nuget.org and select Add Package.
3. Select the checkboxes of all the projects to which you want to add the NuGet package.
4. Select OK.

Create an app and get the config file

Create a new mobile app in the Dynatrace web UI, and download the configuration file.

1. In the Dynatrace menu, go to Deploy Dynatrace.
2. Scroll down to the Mobile app monitoring section and select Set up mobile monitoring.
3. Enter a name for your application and select Create mobile app. The application settings page opens.

4. From the application settings, select Instrumentation wizard > Xamarin.
5. Under step 2, select Download dynatrace.config.json to get the configuration file.

Add the config file to your project

Add the dynatrace.config.json file, which you downloaded in the previous step, to your project.

Add the OneAgent start method

The start method is required for OneAgent to start.

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using Dynatrace.Xamarin;

Agent.Instance.Start();

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using Dynatrace.Xamarin;

Agent.Instance.Start();

Set up Xamarin.Forms DependencyService

Xamarin.Forms only

This instruction is for Xamarin.Forms versions 4.7.0+, which use RegisterSingleton. For earlier Xamarin.Forms versions, see the instruction below.

Register the interface at startup in the native part of your Xamarin.Forms application, and paste the following code right after Forms.Init().

The following example is for an Android Forms application:

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using Dynatrace.Xamarin;

Xamarin.Essentials.Platform.Init(this, savedInstanceState);
            global::Xamarin.Forms.Forms.Init(this, savedInstanceState);
Xamarin.Forms.DependencyService.RegisterSingleton<IDynatrace>(Agent.Instance);

LoadApplication(new App());

The following code in your Xamarin.Forms application allows you to access OneAgent:

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using Dynatrace.Xamarin;

IDynatrace dynatrace = DependencyService.Get<IDynatrace>();

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public partial class App : Application
{
    static readonly Dictionary<Type, Func<object, object>> factories = new Dictionary<Type, Func<object, object>>();

    public App()
    {
        InitializeComponent();

        DependencyResolver.ResolveUsing((type, args) => factories.ContainsKey(type) ? factories[type].Invoke(args) : null);

        IDynatrace Dynatrace = DependencyService.Resolve<IDynatrace>();
        Dynatrace.Start(null);
    }

    public static void Register(Type type, Func<object, object> factory)
    {
        factories[type] = factory;
    }

    ...
}

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public class MainActivity : global::Xamarin.Forms.Platform.Android.FormsAppCompatActivity
{
    protected override void OnCreate(Bundle savedInstanceState)
    {
        ...

        Xamarin.Essentials.Platform.Init(this, savedInstanceState);
        global::Xamarin.Forms.Forms.Init(this, savedInstanceState);

        App.Register(typeof(IDynatrace), (o) => Agent.Instance);

        LoadApplication(new App());
    }

    ...
}

Enable automatic web request instrumentation optional

You can optionally use the following method to enable the auto-instrumentation of web requests. The HttpMessageHandler used by HttpClient takes care of the manual web request instrumentation.

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using Dynatrace.Xamarin;

var httpHandler = Agent.Instance.GetHttpMessageHandler();
var httpClient = new HttpClient(httpHandler);

Moreover, you can also have your own HTTP handler:

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using Dynatrace.Xamarin;

var defaultHttpHandler = new HttpClientHandler();
var httpHandler = Agent.Instance.GetHttpMessageHandler(defaultHttpHandler);
var httpClient = new HttpClient(httpHandler);

Manual instrumentation

The sections below describe how to start OneAgent manually, create custom actions, instrument web requests, and report values, events, and crashes.

Start OneAgent

You can use the manual startup with a configuration builder (Android) or a configuration dictionary (iOS).

1. Modify the dynatrace.config.json file to disable OneAgent autostart.

   AndroidiOS

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   {
       "android": {
           "autoStart": {
               "enabled": false
           }
       }
   }

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   {
     "ios": {
       "DTXAutoStart": false
     }
   }

   Don't add additional properties to the configuration file. If you do that, the build fails with an exception.

2. Start OneAgent manually and pass the required properties.

   AndroidiOS

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   using Dynatrace.Xamarin;
   
   Agent.Instance.Start(new ConfigurationBuilder("<insertBeaconURL>","<insertApplicationID>") .BuildConfiguration());

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   using Dynatrace.Xamarin;
   
   var configDict = new Dictionary<string, object>();
   configDict.Add("DTXApplicationID", "<insertApplicationID>");
   configDict.Add("DTXBeaconURL", "<insertBeaconURL");
   Agent.Instance.Start(configDict);

Create custom actions

You can create custom actions and enhance them with additional information such as values, events, and errors.

Call EnterAction to start a custom action and LeaveAction to close a custom action. Timing is measured automatically.

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using Dynatrace.Xamarin;

var myAction = Agent.Instance.EnterAction("Tap on Confirm");
//Perform the action and whatever else is needed.
myAction.LeaveAction();

Create child actions

Besides generating standalone custom actions, you can also create child actions.

Child actions are similar to parent custom actions. When a parent action is closed, all child actions of the parent action are automatically closed.

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using Dynatrace.Xamarin;

var myAction = Agent.Instance.EnterAction("Tap on Confirm");
var mySubAction = myAction.EnterAction("Tap on Confirm again");
//Perform the action and whatever else is needed.
mySubAction.LeaveAction();
myAction.LeaveAction();

Cancel custom actions

If you need to cancel an already created but not yet closed custom action, call Cancel. Canceling an action discards all data associated with it: all reported values, events, and errors are discarded; all child actions are canceled.

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using Dynatrace.Xamarin;

var myAction = Agent.Instance.EnterAction("Tap on Confirm");
// Action is canceled
myAction.Cancel();

Instrument web requests

Use the following code snippet to instrument web requests:

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using Dynatrace.Xamarin;

// Create an action
var webAction = Agent.Instance.EnterAction(actionName: "WebRequest Action");
// Generate a new unique tag associated with the web request action
string requestTag = webAction.GetRequestTag(url);
string requestTagHeader = webAction.GetRequestTagHeader();
// Place the Dynatrace HTTP header on your web request
httpClient.DefaultRequestHeaders.Add(requestTagHeader, requestTag);
// Generate a WebRequestTiming object based on the unique tag
WebRequestTiming timing = (WebRequestTiming)Agent.Instance.GetWebRequestTiming(requestTag, url);
// Start web request timing before the HTTP request is sent
timing.StartWebRequestTiming();
try
{
  var response = await httpClient.GetAsync(url);
  // Stop web request timing when the HTTP response is received and the response body is obtained
  timing.StopWebRequestTiming(url, (int)response.StatusCode, response.ReasonPhrase);
}
catch (HttpRequestException exception)
{
  // Stop web request timing when a connection exception occurs
  timing.StopWebRequestTiming(url, -1, exception.ToString());
}
finally
{
  // Leave an action
  webAction.LeaveAction();
}

Report a value

The reportValue method allows you to report key-value pairs of metadata that you can later view in the Dynatrace web UI and convert into user action and user session properties. The reported values must be part of a user action.

You can report values of the following data types:

• int
• double
• string

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ReportValue(valueName: string, value: int);
ReportValue(valueName: string, value: double);
ReportValue(valueName: string, value: string);

For instance, to report a string value within the Tap on Confirm action, use the following code:

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using Dynatrace.Xamarin;

var myAction = Agent.Instance.EnterAction("Tap on Confirm");
myAction.ReportValue("Customer type", "Gold");
myAction.LeaveAction();

To view the reported values in the Dynatrace web UI, go to the details of the user action that should contain that metadata and scroll down to the Reported values section.

To add action and session properties based on the reported values and then use these properties to create powerful queries, segmentations, and aggregations, see Define user action and user session properties for mobile applications.

Report an event

For any open action, you can report an event. Use the following API call:

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ReportEvent(eventName: string);

Report an error

To report an error, use the ReportError method.

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ReportError(errorName: string, errorCode: number);

Report an error stack trace

To report an error stack trace, use the following API call:

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using Dynatrace.Xamarin;

Agent.Instance.ReportErrorStacktrace("Error_Class", "Error_Value", "Error_Reason", "Error_Stacktrace");

Report a crash

To report a crash, use the following API call.

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using Dynatrace.Xamarin;

Agent.Instance.ReportCrash("CrashWithoutException", "Crash_Reason", "Crash_Stacktrace");

You can also use an exception object:

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using Dynatrace.Xamarin;

Agent.Instance.ReportCrashWithException("CrashWithExceptionObj", exception);

Report a business event

Dynatrace SaaS version 1.253+

With sendBizEvent, you can report business events. These are standalone events, as Dynatrace sends them separately from user actions or user sessions.

For more information on business events, see Business Analytics.

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using Dynatrace.Xamarin;

var attributes = new Dictionary<string, JsonValue>();
attributes.Add("event.name", "Confirmed Booking");
attributes.Add("screen", "booking-confirmation");
attributes.Add("product", "Danube Anna Hotel");
attributes.Add("amount", 358.35);
attributes.Add("currency", "USD");
attributes.Add("reviewScore", 4.8);
attributes.Add("arrivalDate", "2022-11-05");
attributes.Add("departureDate", "2022-11-15");
attributes.Add("journeyDuration", 10);
attributes.Add("adultTravelers", 2);
attributes.Add("childrenTravelers", 0);

Agent.Instance.SendBizEvent("com.easytravel.funnel.booking-finished", attributes);

Tag specific users

You can tag each user of your application with a unique user name. This enables you to search and filter specific user sessions and analyze individual user behavior over time. For more details, see User tagging.

Make the following API call to tag the current session with a particular name:

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using Dynatrace.Xamarin;

Agent.Instance.IdentifyUser("John Smith");

End a session

You can force a session to end via the API call. This also closes all open actions and starts a new session.

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using Dynatrace.Xamarin;

Agent.Instance.EndVisit();

Configure data privacy

With the user opt-in mode for mobile apps, you can dynamically adjust data privacy settings and build your apps in compliance with data protection laws and regulations.

Enable user opt-in mode

To activate the user opt-in mode, set the userOptIn property (Android) or DTXUserOptIn configuration key (iOS) to true in the dynatrace.config.json file. After enabling the user opt-in mode, you should also specify the privacy setting.

Retrieve data privacy settings

To get the current UserPrivacyOptions configuration, use the following API call:

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using Dynatrace.Xamarin;

// Get the UserPrivacyOptions object
UserPrivacyOptions currentOptions = Agent.Instance.GetUserPrivacyOptions();

// Get the individual settings for DataCollectionLevel and crash reporting
bool crashOptedIn = Agent.Instance.GetUserPrivacyOptions().CrashReportingOptedIn;
DataCollectionLevel dataCollectionLevel = Agent.Instance.GetUserPrivacyOptions().DataCollectionLevel;

Change data privacy settings

To set new options on a UserPrivacyOptions object, use the following code:

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using Dynatrace.Xamarin;

// Creating a new UserPrivacyOptions object requires setting the two parameters of DataCollectionLevel and crash reporting
UserPrivacyOptions options = new UserPrivacyOptions(DataCollectionLevel.Performance, false);

// Update the options with the setter
options.DataCollectionLevel = DataCollectionLevel.UserBehavior;
options.CrashReportingOptedIn = true;

// Get the values of the configuration with the getter
options.DataCollectionLevel;
options.CrashReportingOptedIn;

// Get the UserPrivacyOptions object
UserPrivacyOptions currentOptions = Agent.Instance.GetUserPrivacyOptions();

To apply the new UserPrivacyOptions configuration, use this code:

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using Dynatrace.Xamarin;

UserPrivacyOptions options = new UserPrivacyOptions(DataCollectionLevel.UserBehavior, true);
Agent.Instance.ApplyUserPrivacyOptions(options);

Data collection levels

The table below describes the available data collection levels and shows whether user tags and custom user actions, events, values, and errors are reported for a particular level.

The possible values for the data collection levels are as follows:

• Off
• Performance
• UserBehavior

Report GPS location

You can report the latitude and longitude.

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SetGPSLocation(latitude: double, longitude: double);

Configuration file

The dynatrace.config.json configuration file contains your application ID, beacon URL, and some other settings.

• You can download this file from the Dynatrace web UI or create it manually.
• If you don't add a configuration file with at least the beacon URL and the application ID properties, the build fails. Alternatively, use the manual startup with a configuration builder (Android) or a configuration dictionary (iOS).
• When you use a specific build configuration—for example, Debug, Release, or a custom-defined configuration—our package searches the Assets (Android) or Resources (iOS) directory for a configuration file named dynatrace<Configuration>.config.json. For example, if you're using the Debug build configuration, our package looks for a file named dynatraceDebug.config.json. If the package can't find the configuration-specific file, it uses the default dynatrace.config.json file.

The following is the dynatrace.config.json file structure for Android and iOS.

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{
    "android": {
        "autoStart": {
            "applicationId": "<insertApplicationID>",
            "beaconUrl": "<insertBeaconURL>"
        },
        "userOptIn": true,
        "agentBehavior": {
            "startupLoadBalancing": true
        }
    }
}

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{
  "ios": {
    "DTXApplicationId": "<insertApplicationID>",
    "DTXBeaconUrl": "<insertBeaconURL>",
    "DTXUserOptIn": true,
    "DTXStartupLoadBalancing": true
  }
}

Enable OneAgent debug logs

If the instrumentation runs through and your application starts, but you see no data in your Dynatrace environment, you probably need to dig deeper to find out why OneAgents aren't sending any data. Opening up a support ticket is a great idea but gathering logs first is even better.

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{
    "android": {
        "autoStart": {
            "applicationId": "<insertApplicationID>",
            "beaconUrl": "<insertBeaconURL>"
        },
        "userOptIn": true,
        "debug": {
            "agentLogging": true
        }
    }
}

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{
  "ios": {
    "DTXApplicationId": "<insertApplicationID>",
    "DTXBeaconUrl": "<insertBeaconURL>",
    "DTXUserOptIn": true,
    "DTXLogLevel": "ALL"
  }
}

Enable build debug logs for Android

Android only

If the Android instrumentation fails, you most likely need to open a support ticket and provide build debug logs. To provide those logs, you need to set the DynatraceInstrumentationLogging property and change the build log level to Diagnostic.

1. Set the DynatraceInstrumentationLogging property. Choose one of the following options to do that:

   • Create Directory.Build.props in the Android project directory:

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   <Project>
     <PropertyGroup>
       <DynatraceInstrumentationLogging>true</DynatraceInstrumentationLogging>
     </PropertyGroup>
   </Project>

   • Add the DynatraceInstrumentationLogging property to the .csproj file of your project. Insert it into some existing PropertyGroup, depending on the configuration that you're executing.

2. Change the build output verbosity to Diagnostic. For details, see the Microsoft documentation on how to change the amount of information included in the build log.

3. Rebuild your project.

4. Attach the build logs to the support ticket so that we can further analyze your issue.

Troubleshooting

If you can't resolve a problem, please contact a Dynatrace product expert via live chat within your Dynatrace environment. Have the following details available:

• OneAgent debug logs
• Your dynatrace.config.json file

Failed build

If your build fails, make sure you've added the dynatrace.config.json file to the Assets (Android) or Resources (iOS) directory and that the file includes at least the beacon URL and the application ID properties. For details, see Configuration file.

If you use the manual startup, don't include the beacon URL and the application ID properties in the configuration file. If you do that, you encounter an exception.

Dynatrace.Xamarin.Build.Android and iOS

The following error might occur in older Xamarin Android or iOS projects:

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Target DynatraceAndroidBuildVerify:
    dotnet "/tools/netcoreapp3.1/Dynatrace.Xamarin.Build.Android.dll" verify config="obj/Debug/assets/dynatrace.config.json" java="/Users/<user>/Library/Developer/Xamarin/jdk/microsoft_dist_openjdk_1.8.0.25/bin" dynatraceJar="/tools/java/instrumentor-cli-8.223.1.1003.jar"
    Could not execute because the specified command or file was not found.

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dotnet "/tools/netcoreapp3.1/Dynatrace.Xamarin.Build.iOS.dll" "Debug"

Could not execute because the specified command or file was not found.

The Dynatrace Xamarin package MSBuild command can't resolve the package directory because the .csproj file references Dynatrace Xamarin package dependencies individually and not as a package.

To resolve the problem

1. Open your Android or iOS .csproj file, and remove all Dynatrace Xamarin package .dll references. For example, remove the following code for iOS:

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   <Reference Include="Dynatrace.Xamarin.Abstraction">
     <HintPath>..\packages\Dynatrace.OneAgent.Xamarin.8.x.x.x\lib\xamarinios10\Dynatrace.Xamarin.Abstraction.dll</HintPath>
   </Reference>
   <Reference Include="Dynatrace.Xamarin.Binding.iOS">
     <HintPath>..\packages\Dynatrace.OneAgent.Xamarin.8.x.x.x\lib\xamarinios10\Dynatrace.Xamarin.Binding.iOS.dll</HintPath>
   </Reference>
   <Reference Include="Dynatrace.Xamarin.iOS">
     <HintPath>..\packages\Dynatrace.OneAgent.Xamarin.8.x.x.x\lib\xamarinios10\Dynatrace.Xamarin.iOS.dll</HintPath>
   </Reference>

2. Add the Dynatrace Xamarin package reference to the .csproj file. Add the actual package version as the value of <Version>.

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   <ItemGroup>
     <PackageReference Include="Dynatrace.OneAgent.Xamarin">
       <Version>8.x.x.x</Version>
     </PackageReference>
   </ItemGroup>

3. Rebuild your project.

Turn off Visual Studio Debugger for Android

Android only

If you notice that Dynatrace doesn't report crashes for Android applications to your environment, make sure that you're not using the debug option in Visual Studio.

1. Right-click your Android project, and select Properties.

2. Go to Android Options, and clear Enable developer instrumentation (debugging and profiling).

   

Keep in mind that clearing Enable developer instrumentation disables debugging. Use this option only to verify that crashes are sent. Optionally, you can create a release build that is detached from Visual Studio.

Disposed WebRequestTiming object for Android

Android only

When you use the third-party modernhttpclient or modernhttpclient-updated library together with SSL pinning via the NativeMessageHandler, the following exception might occur:

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Cannot access a disposed object.
Object name: 'Dynatrace.Xamarin.Binding.Android.WebRequestTiming'.

To resolve this issue, change the default Mono Garbage Collector bridge implementation from tarjan to new. Check this Microsoft blog post to learn about different Garbage Collectors and understand how to change them via the environment.txt file.