Separate Crashlytics reporting for debug and release buildTypes using a Gradle build

build.gradle

// The following code allows an app to report Crashlytics crashes separately 
// for release and debug buildTypes when using Gradle. This code should be inserted 
// into the specified locations within your build.gradle (Module:app) file
    
    // The buildTypes { } block should be inserted inside the android { } block
    buildTypes {
        release {
            minifyEnabled false
            proguardFiles getDefaultProguardFile('proguard-android.txt'), 'proguard-rules.pro'
            ext.crashlyticsApiSecret = "release api secret"
            ext.crashlyticsApiKey = "release api key"
        }
        debug {
            ext.crashlyticsApiSecret = "debug api secret"
            ext.crashlyticsApiKey = "debug api key"
        }
    }

// The following code can be inserted at the bottom of your build.gradle file
import com.crashlytics.tools.utils.PropertiesUtils

File crashlyticsProperties = new File("${project.projectDir.absolutePath}/fabric.properties")
android.applicationVariants.all { variant ->
    def variantSuffix = variant.name.capitalize()
    def generateResourcesTask = project.tasks.getByName("fabricGenerateResources${variantSuffix}")
    def generatePropertiesTask = task("fabricGenerateProperties${variantSuffix}") << {
        Properties properties = new Properties()
        println "...copying apiSecret for ${variant.name}"
        properties.put("apiSecret", variant.buildType.ext.crashlyticsApiSecret)
        println "...copying apiKey for ${variant.name}"
        properties.put("apiKey", variant.buildType.ext.crashlyticsApiKey)
        PropertiesUtils.injectPropertyInFile(crashlyticsProperties, properties, "")
    }
    generateResourcesTask.dependsOn generatePropertiesTask
}

def generateResourcesTask = project.tasks.getByName("crashlyticsGenerateResources${variantSuffix}") def generatePropertiesTask = task("crashlyticsGenerateProperties${variantSuffix}") << {

These two lines should use "fabricGenerateResources..." like below:

def generateResourcesTask = project.tasks.getByName("fabricGenerateResources${variantSuffix}") def generatePropertiesTask = task("fabricGenerateProperties${variantSuffix}") << {

How could we wrap the whole fabric generating file in a condition evaluating if the ext.enableCrashlytics is true or false? Otherwise, disabling crashlytics with this flag for a specific variant or buildType or flavor will end up in an Exception. The "not-so-elegant" solution would be a try catch.. but I'd prefer to be able to test ext.enableCrashlytics

def variantSuffix = variant.name.capitalize()
def generateResourcesTask = project.tasks.getByName("fabricGenerateResources${variantSuffix}")
def generatePropertiesTask = task("fabricGenerateProperties${variantSuffix}") << {
       Properties properties = new Properties()
        println "...copying apiSecret for ${variant.name}"
        properties.put("apiSecret", variant.buildType.ext.crashlyticsApiSecret)
        println "...copying apiKey for ${variant.name}"
        properties.put("apiKey", variant.buildType.ext.crashlyticsApiKey)
        PropertiesUtils.injectPropertyInFile(crashlyticsProperties, properties, "")
}
generateResourcesTask.dependsOn generatePropertiesTask

Thanks

I had to modify the original code to support various flavors and build types (beta, release and ignore debug).
Each flavor has different API Keys and API Secret.
In my case I had to depend the task that modifies the properties on the crashlyticsUploadDistribution_Variant_ task, otherwise it won't work:

File crashlyticsProperties = new File("${project.projectDir.absolutePath}/fabric.properties")
applicationVariants.all { variant ->
    variant.productFlavors.each { flavor ->
        def variantSuffix = variant.name.capitalize()
        if (!variantSuffix.contains("Debug")) {
            def generatePropertiesTask = task("crashlyticsGenerateProperties${variantSuffix}") << {
                Properties properties = new Properties()
                properties.put("apiSecret", flavor.crashlyticsApiSecret)
                println "Setting apiSecret: ${flavor.crashlyticsApiSecret} to fabric.properties"
                properties.store(new FileWriter(crashlyticsProperties), "")
            }

            def generateResourcesTask = project.tasks.getByName("crashlyticsUploadDistribution${variantSuffix}")
            generateResourcesTask.dependsOn generatePropertiesTask
            generateResourcesTask.doLast {
                println "Removing fabric.properties"
                crashlyticsProperties.delete()
            }
        }
    }
}

I slightly modifed original and @fernandospr solutions and post self-answered question on SO http://stackoverflow.com/q/34462065/746347

So it appears that if you use applicationIdSuffix ".debug" in your debug section Fabric will actually identify it as a separate app.

Does this method still work? I am using Crashlytics 2.5.7 and Fabric tools 1.21.7. I get the gradle error "Task with name 'fabricGenerateResourcesDebug' not found in project ':app'."

OK, I figured it out. I needed to remove ext.enableCrashlytics = false from the debug build type for that gradle task to be generated. Testing it out now.

I do have the question of how the apiKey in fabric.properties works. Does this replace the need for having it in the AndroidManifest.xml?

Inspecting the AndroidManifest.xml within the apk package, I see the apiKey is in fact added to the final manifest in the build. Good to know how this works! Thanks.

What changes we need to do in AndroidManifest.xml file ?

OR You could just create an AndroidManifest.xml per build flavor and add <metadata> tag corresponding for key to use within that flavor. So essentially you'd have:

src
    debug
        AndroidManifest.xml // contains key for debug
    release
        AndroidManifest.xml // contains key for release

Then gradle does its magic and takes resources, be it classes, resources, manifests, etc. depending on current build flavor and merges their manifests. You can read about building for flavors here.

@jeffdgr8
I do have the question of how the apiKey in fabric.properties works. Does this replace the need for having it in the AndroidManifest.xml?

+1
How do we separate out fabric.properties for debug and release build?

Hi.
Can you please, specify where to get crashlyticsApiSecret. I can see where to get crashlyticsApiKey. For example, with using of fabric plugin for IDE

@DmitriyYakovlev, you can get the crashlyticsApiSecret on

https://fabric.io/settings/organizations

Select your desired organisation and right bellow the name of your organization you will find API key and Build Secret.

Hope it helps.

If you get an error like could not find method leftshift() after applying the above thing then.
Replace leftshift(<<) with doLast.

import com.crashlytics.tools.utils.PropertiesUtils

File crashlyticsProperties = new File("${project.projectDir.absolutePath}/fabric.properties")
android.applicationVariants.all { variant ->
    def variantSuffix = variant.name.capitalize()
    def generateResourcesTask = project.tasks.getByName("fabricGenerateResources${variantSuffix}")
    def generatePropertiesTask = task("fabricGenerateProperties${variantSuffix}") doLast {
        Properties properties = new Properties()
        println "...copying apiSecret for ${variant.name}"
        properties.put("apiSecret", variant.buildType.ext.crashlyticsApiSecret)
        println "...copying apiKey for ${variant.name}"
        properties.put("apiKey", variant.buildType.ext.crashlyticsApiKey)
        PropertiesUtils.injectPropertyInFile(crashlyticsProperties, properties, "")
    }
    generateResourcesTask.dependsOn generatePropertiesTask
}