Words have power! In this workshop, we’ll step outside of our Android comfort zone and create a conversational user experience using the Google Assistant running on our phones.
We’ll manipulate the world around us with Internet of Things (IoT) hardware.
Get ready to learn a taste of Kotlin-based Google Actions fulfillment with Google’s AppEngine, the Particle Photon Arduino platform and possibly Newton’s Laws of Motion as they pertain to Ping Pong balls! (BYOL - bring your own laptop)
This GitHub project has two main directories: firebaseFunctions and googleCloudAppEngine
The 'firebaseFunctions' directory has a basic code sample of how Google Actions used to be done: Node.js running in the cloud as a Firebase Function.
The 'googleCloudAppEngine' directory is where we will be conducting this workshop.
Make sure your laptop has either a built-in USB-A connector or a USB-C to USB-A dongle.
During the workshop you will using the Google Cloud Platform. You will need to log in to the Google Cloud Platform (https://console.cloud.google.com) using your Google account.
See NOTE below on why you might want to also create a Billing account with Google.
We'll be going over all of this during the workshop, but in the interest of saving the meager WiFi bandwidth that will be available, please feel free to install (or at least download) the following on your device ahead of time. The commands shown below are for the Mac:
-
GitHub - You will need a GitHub.com account.
-
HomeBrew - OSX build environment
>/usr/bin/ruby -e "$(curl -fsSL https://raw.githubusercontent.com/Homebrew/install/master/install)"
- XCode - OSX build tools
>xcode-select --install
- GIT - source control management
>brew install git
- Gradle - build system
>brew install gradle
- curl - command line web request tool
>brew install curl
-
Google Cloud Platform CLI - command line tools needed for pushing to AppEngine
-
IntelliJ - Java (and therefore Kotlin) build environment. This will serve our needs better than Android Studio as Google Actions are not based on Android.
Download https://www.jetbrains.com/idea/download/download-thanks.html?platform=mac
All necessary hardware (except for your laptop) will be provided at the workshop, but in case you want to build any of these components after you leave the workshop, here is a parts list with Amazon purchase links:
Near the end of this workshop, you will be using your voice to control some fun Ping Pong-related toys. Your custom Google Action will be making an output HTTP call to a webhook. Most cloud platforms require some form of verification before they let you do this. Google uses your credit card. So if you really want to have fun with your new Google Actions you're going to need to create a Google billing account.
You will be using your own laptop for this workshop. Although I will go through the process of creating the billing account for GCP during the workshop, you can also do this ahead of time.
Start by logging in to the Google Cloud Platform (GCP) console.
Once you are in the GCP console, click on the Billing tab on the left hand side and follow instructions.
The reason Google asks you to provide your credit card is because they give all GCP accounts a $300 credit and they don't want people making multiple Google accounts to accumulate this credit. For our workshop, you will not be using any of this credit nor will you be charging your credit card. Even after a year, your credit card will not be charged.
Do not click the 'Upgrade' link at the top of the GCP console. This will ensure your credit card will never be charged. (and even then, it would only be charged if you used all your credit).
Also, be aware that you are providing only Google your credit card on your laptop over HTTPS, not to anyone at the conference nor to anyone associated with the conference. And, again, you can do this before attending the workshop.
If all this has scared you away from creating a GCP account, that's ok :-) You can still attend the workshop and get through all of the content. You will still be able to shoot your catapult, you just won't be able to use your voice to do it!