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Using @capgo/capacitor-wechat Package

The @capgo/capacitor-wechat package enables WeChat SDK integration for Capacitor apps, providing authentication, content sharing, payments, and mini-program access. In this tutorial, we will guide you through the installation, configuration, and usage of this package in your Ionic Capacitor app.

Installation

To install the @capgo/capacitor-wechat package, run the following command in your project's root directory:

npm install @capgo/capacitor-wechat
npx cap sync

Prerequisites

Before using this plugin, you must:

  1. Register your app on the WeChat Open Platform
  2. Obtain a WeChat App ID
  3. Download and integrate the official WeChat SDK for your target platforms

iOS Setup

1. Configure Info.plist

Add the following to your Info.plist file:

<key>LSApplicationQueriesSchemes</key>
<array>
  <string>weixin</string>
  <string>weixinULAPI</string>
</array>

<key>CFBundleURLTypes</key>
<array>
  <dict>
    <key>CFBundleTypeRole</key>
    <string>Editor</string>
    <key>CFBundleURLName</key>
    <string>weixin</string>
    <key>CFBundleURLSchemes</key>
    <array>
      <string>YOUR_WECHAT_APP_ID</string>
    </array>
  </dict>
</array>

Replace YOUR_WECHAT_APP_ID with your actual WeChat App ID.

2. Integrate WeChat SDK

Add the WeChat SDK to your Podfile or download it from the WeChat Open Platform and add it to your project.

Android Setup

1. Configure AndroidManifest.xml

Add the WeChat callback activity to your AndroidManifest.xml:

<manifest>
  <application>
    <activity
      android:name=".wxapi.WXEntryActivity"
      android:exported="true"
      android:label="@string/app_name"
      android:launchMode="singleTask"
      android:theme="@android:style/Theme.Translucent.NoTitleBar">
      <intent-filter>
        <action android:name="android.intent.action.VIEW" />
        <category android:name="android.intent.category.DEFAULT" />
      </intent-filter>
    </activity>
  </application>
</manifest>

2. Integrate WeChat SDK

Add the WeChat SDK dependency to your build.gradle or download it from the WeChat Open Platform.

API Usage

Check if WeChat is Installed

Before using any WeChat features, check if the WeChat app is installed on the device:

import { CapacitorWechat } from '@capgo/capacitor-wechat';

async function checkWeChatInstalled() {
  const { installed } = await CapacitorWechat.isInstalled();
  if (installed) {
    console.log('WeChat is installed');
  } else {
    console.log('WeChat is not installed');
    // Prompt user to install WeChat
  }
}

WeChat Authentication

Implement WeChat OAuth login:

import { CapacitorWechat } from '@capgo/capacitor-wechat';

async function loginWithWeChat() {
  try {
    // Request authorization code
    const { code, state } = await CapacitorWechat.auth({
      scope: 'snsapi_userinfo', // Request user info
      state: 'random_state_string' // CSRF protection
    });

    console.log('Authorization code:', code);

    // Send code to your backend to exchange for access token
    const response = await fetch('https://your-api.com/auth/wechat', {
      method: 'POST',
      headers: {
        'Content-Type': 'application/json',
      },
      body: JSON.stringify({ code }),
    });

    const { access_token, openid, userInfo } = await response.json();
    console.log('Logged in successfully:', userInfo);
  } catch (error) {
    console.error('WeChat login failed:', error);
  }
}

Share Content to WeChat

Share Text

async function shareTextToWeChat() {
  await CapacitorWechat.share({
    scene: 0, // 0 = Chat, 1 = Moments, 2 = Favorite
    type: 'text',
    text: 'Check out this awesome app built with Capacitor!'
  });
}

Share Link

async function shareLinkToWeChat() {
  await CapacitorWechat.share({
    scene: 1, // Share to Moments
    type: 'link',
    title: 'Amazing Capacitor App',
    description: 'Build native mobile apps with web technologies',
    link: 'https://capacitorjs.com',
    thumbUrl: 'https://capacitorjs.com/assets/img/logo.png'
  });
}

Share Image

async function shareImageToWeChat() {
  await CapacitorWechat.share({
    scene: 0, // Share to Chat
    type: 'image',
    imageUrl: 'https://example.com/image.jpg',
    thumbUrl: 'https://example.com/thumb.jpg'
  });
}

Share Music

async function shareMusicToWeChat() {
  await CapacitorWechat.share({
    scene: 0,
    type: 'music',
    title: 'My Favorite Song',
    description: 'Listen to this amazing track',
    mediaUrl: 'https://example.com/music.mp3',
    thumbUrl: 'https://example.com/album-cover.jpg'
  });
}

Share Video

async function shareVideoToWeChat() {
  await CapacitorWechat.share({
    scene: 0,
    type: 'video',
    title: 'Awesome Video',
    description: 'Watch this cool video',
    mediaUrl: 'https://example.com/video.mp4',
    thumbUrl: 'https://example.com/video-thumb.jpg'
  });
}

Share Mini-Program

async function shareMiniProgramToWeChat() {
  await CapacitorWechat.share({
    scene: 0,
    type: 'miniprogram',
    title: 'Check out this Mini Program',
    description: 'Explore our WeChat Mini Program',
    miniProgramUsername: 'gh_xxxxxxxxxxxxx',
    miniProgramPath: 'pages/index/index',
    miniProgramType: 0, // 0 = Release, 1 = Test, 2 = Preview
    miniProgramWebPageUrl: 'https://example.com/fallback',
    thumbUrl: 'https://example.com/mini-program-thumb.jpg'
  });
}

WeChat Pay Integration

Implement WeChat Pay for in-app purchases:

async function payWithWeChat(orderId: string) {
  try {
    // Step 1: Get payment parameters from your backend
    const response = await fetch('https://your-api.com/payment/wechat/prepare', {
      method: 'POST',
      headers: {
        'Content-Type': 'application/json',
      },
      body: JSON.stringify({ orderId }),
    });

    const paymentParams = await response.json();

    // Step 2: Invoke WeChat Pay
    await CapacitorWechat.sendPaymentRequest({
      partnerId: paymentParams.partnerId,
      prepayId: paymentParams.prepayId,
      nonceStr: paymentParams.nonceStr,
      timeStamp: paymentParams.timeStamp,
      package: paymentParams.package, // Usually 'Sign=WXPay'
      sign: paymentParams.sign
    });

    console.log('Payment successful!');

    // Step 3: Verify payment on your backend
    await verifyPaymentOnBackend(orderId);
  } catch (error) {
    console.error('Payment failed:', error);
  }
}

Open WeChat Mini-Program

Launch a WeChat mini-program from your app:

async function openWeChatMiniProgram() {
  await CapacitorWechat.openMiniProgram({
    username: 'gh_xxxxxxxxxxxxx', // Mini-program original ID
    path: 'pages/index/index', // Path in mini-program
    type: 0 // 0 = Release, 1 = Test, 2 = Preview
  });
}

Choose Invoice (Business Feature)

For business apps, allow users to select invoices from WeChat:

async function chooseWeChatInvoice() {
  try {
    // Get invoice parameters from your backend
    const params = await getInvoiceParamsFromBackend();

    const { cards } = await CapacitorWechat.chooseInvoice({
      appId: params.appId,
      signType: params.signType,
      cardSign: params.cardSign,
      timeStamp: params.timeStamp,
      nonceStr: params.nonceStr
    });

    console.log('Selected invoice cards:', cards);
  } catch (error) {
    console.error('Invoice selection failed:', error);
  }
}

Get Plugin Version

Check the native plugin version:

async function checkPluginVersion() {
  const { version } = await CapacitorWechat.getPluginVersion();
  console.log('WeChat plugin version:', version);
}

Complete Example

Here's a complete example of a WeChat service class:

import { CapacitorWechat } from '@capgo/capacitor-wechat';

export class WeChatService {
  private isWeChatInstalled = false;

  async initialize() {
    const { installed } = await CapacitorWechat.isInstalled();
    this.isWeChatInstalled = installed;

    if (!installed) {
      console.warn('WeChat is not installed on this device');
    }

    return installed;
  }

  async login() {
    if (!this.isWeChatInstalled) {
      throw new Error('WeChat is not installed');
    }

    const { code } = await CapacitorWechat.auth({
      scope: 'snsapi_userinfo',
      state: this.generateRandomState()
    });

    // Exchange code for access token on your backend
    return this.exchangeCodeForToken(code);
  }

  async shareToChat(title: string, description: string, url: string, imageUrl: string) {
    if (!this.isWeChatInstalled) {
      throw new Error('WeChat is not installed');
    }

    await CapacitorWechat.share({
      scene: 0, // Chat
      type: 'link',
      title,
      description,
      link: url,
      thumbUrl: imageUrl
    });
  }

  async shareToMoments(title: string, description: string, url: string, imageUrl: string) {
    if (!this.isWeChatInstalled) {
      throw new Error('WeChat is not installed');
    }

    await CapacitorWechat.share({
      scene: 1, // Moments
      type: 'link',
      title,
      description,
      link: url,
      thumbUrl: imageUrl
    });
  }

  async pay(orderId: string) {
    if (!this.isWeChatInstalled) {
      throw new Error('WeChat is not installed');
    }

    const paymentParams = await this.preparePayment(orderId);
    await CapacitorWechat.sendPaymentRequest(paymentParams);
    return this.verifyPayment(orderId);
  }

  private generateRandomState(): string {
    return Math.random().toString(36).substring(2, 15);
  }

  private async exchangeCodeForToken(code: string) {
    // Implement your backend API call
    const response = await fetch('/api/auth/wechat', {
      method: 'POST',
      body: JSON.stringify({ code })
    });
    return response.json();
  }

  private async preparePayment(orderId: string) {
    // Implement your backend API call
    const response = await fetch('/api/payment/wechat', {
      method: 'POST',
      body: JSON.stringify({ orderId })
    });
    return response.json();
  }

  private async verifyPayment(orderId: string) {
    // Implement your backend API call
    const response = await fetch(`/api/payment/verify/${orderId}`);
    return response.json();
  }
}

Best Practices

  1. Always check if WeChat is installed before attempting to use any features
  2. Handle errors gracefully with proper try-catch blocks
  3. Validate responses on your backend especially for authentication and payments
  4. Use state parameter in auth requests for CSRF protection
  5. Compress images before sharing to reduce data usage and improve performance
  6. Test on real devices - WeChat features don't work in simulators
  7. Keep SDK updated - Update the WeChat SDK regularly for security and features
  8. Follow WeChat guidelines - Adhere to WeChat's platform policies and guidelines

Troubleshooting

WeChat Not Opening

  • Verify WeChat is installed on the device
  • Check that your App ID is correctly configured
  • Ensure URL schemes are properly set up in Info.plist (iOS)
  • Verify WXEntryActivity is configured correctly (Android)

Authentication Failing

  • Confirm your App ID is registered on WeChat Open Platform
  • Check that the app signature matches the one registered
  • Verify backend is correctly exchanging the code for tokens
  • Ensure redirect URLs are properly configured

Sharing Not Working

  • Verify share content meets WeChat's requirements (image size, URL format, etc.)
  • Check that thumbnail images are accessible
  • Ensure content complies with WeChat's content policies

Payment Issues

  • Verify merchant account is properly set up
  • Check that payment parameters are correctly generated on backend
  • Ensure app signature matches the registered one
  • Test with small amounts first

Conclusion

The @capgo/capacitor-wechat plugin provides comprehensive WeChat integration for your Capacitor app. By following this tutorial, you can implement authentication, content sharing, payments, and mini-program features to enhance your app's capabilities for Chinese markets.

For more information, visit the official documentation or check the GitHub repository.