Configuring 51Degrees device detection

By default, Kentico uses the HttpBrowserCapabilities class of the .NET Framework to detect properties of the current visitor’s device. However, this detection method has limitations and might not be sufficiently accurate for your needs.

If you want to utilize more accurate device detection and a wider range of device properties, we recommend integrating 51Degrees device detection.

Integrating 51Degrees

1. Open your Kentico solution in Visual Studio.

2. Right-click the Kentico web project (CMS or CMSApp) in the Solution Explorer and select Manage NuGet Packages.

3. Install the 51Degrees.mobi-web NuGet package.

4. Make sure that the imageOptimisation and redirect features are not enabled in the ~/51Degrees.config file.

5. (Optional) Register the premium data file by modifying a detection key in the fiftyOne section of the ~/51Degrees.config file. Modify the path to point to the location of your premium data file.

   Example

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    <detection enabled="true" autoUpdate="true" binaryFilePath="~/App_Data/51Degrees.dat" />
   
   
    

   Premium Device Data Subscription

   You need to purchase a premium license from the 51Degrees website to gain access to the full list of properties and devices. By default, only properties labeled as Lite in the 51Degrees Property Dictionary are available.

Customizing CurrentDevice object properties

If you want to use the 51Degrees properties in macros directly as properties of the CurrentDevice object in the {% CurrentDevice.IsMobile %} format, rather than the Data container format {% CurrentDevice.Data[“IsMobile”] %}, you can implement a custom CurrentDevice instance. The customization also introduces the 51Degrees properties to the macro autocomplete and helps you when entering macros in the administration interface.

Start by preparing a separate project for custom classes in your Kentico solution:

1. Open your Kentico solution in Visual Studio.

2. Create a new Class Library project in the Kentico solution (or reuse an existing custom project).

3. Add references to the required Kentico libraries (DLLs) for the project:

   • Right-click the project and select Add -> Reference.

   • Select the Browse tab of the Reference manager dialog, click Browse and navigate to the Lib folder of your Kentico web project.

   • Add references to the following libraries (and any others that you use in the custom code):

     • CMS.Base.dll
     • CMS.Core.dll
     • CMS.DeviceProfiles.dll
     • CMS.Helpers.dll

4. Reference the custom project from the Kentico web project (CMSApp or CMS).

5. Edit the project’s AssemblyInfo.cs file (in the Properties folder).

6. Add the AssemblyDiscoverable assembly attribute:

   AssemblyInfo.cs

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    using CMS;
   
    [assembly:AssemblyDiscoverable]
   
   
    

Continue by creating classes that register the required CurrentDevice properties:

1. Create a new class file under the custom project:

   1. Right-click the project and select Add -> Class.
   2. Enter FiftyOneCurrentDevice.cs as the file name.
   3. Click Add.
   4. Make the class inherit from CurrentDevice (found in the CMS.DeviceProfiles namespace).
   5. Create wrappers for any 51Degrees properties that you wish to access in your CurrentDevice macros:

using CMS;
using CMS.DeviceProfiles;
using CMS.Helpers;

public class FiftyOneCurrentDevice : CurrentDevice
{
    [RegisterColumn]
    public bool IsMobile => ValidationHelper.GetBoolean(Data["IsMobile"], false);

    [RegisterColumn]
    public string PlatformName => ValidationHelper.GetString(Data["PlatformName"], "");

    ...
}

2. Create a new class file named FiftyOneCurrentDeviceProvider.cs.
   1. Make the class implement the ICurrentDeviceProvider interface (found in the CMS.DeviceProfiles namespace).
   2. Add the GetCurrentDevice() method and return an instance of your custom class containing CurrentDevice properties (FiftyOneCurrentDevice in this example).
   3. Register the class as the implementation of the ICurrentDeviceProvider interface using the RegisterImplementation assembly attribute.

using CMS;
using CMS.DeviceProfiles;

[assembly: RegisterImplementation(typeof(ICurrentDeviceProvider), typeof(FiftyOneCurrentDeviceProvider), Lifestyle = CMS.Core.Lifestyle.Transient)]

public class FiftyOneCurrentDeviceProvider : ICurrentDeviceProvider
{
    public CurrentDevice GetCurrentDevice()
    {
        return new FiftyOneCurrentDevice();
    }
}

3. Build the custom project.

You can now access the registered properties within the CurrentDevice macro object.