Get started with Android Resolver

Configure and use the Android Resolver to manage Android library dependencies in your project.

The Android Resolver manages Android library dependencies declared in your Unity project. It injects dependency declarations into your Gradle build templates, along with any Maven repository URLs specified by those dependencies. Gradle then resolves and downloads the dependencies at build time.

Resolution runs automatically when the Android build target is active and your project's dependencies change. You can also trigger resolution manually.

For example, to add the Google Play Games library (com.google.android.gms:play-services-games package) at version 24.0.0 to a plug-in's Android dependencies:

<dependencies>
  <androidPackages>
    <androidPackage spec="com.google.android.gms:play-services-games:24.0.0">
      <androidSdkPackageIds>
        <androidSdkPackageId>extra-google-m2repository</androidSdkPackageId>
      </androidSdkPackageIds>
    </androidPackage>
  </androidPackages>
</dependencies>

The version specification element supports:

  • Specific versions, for example 24.0.0.
  • Partial matches, for example 24.0.+ matches 24.0.0, 24.0.1, and later versions.
  • Latest version using LATEST or +. Avoid LATEST unless you're confident updates to the library will not break your Unity plug-in.

Configure auto resolution

By default, the Android Resolver automatically monitors the dependencies you have specified and the Assets/Plugins/Android folder of your Unity project. The resolution process runs automatically if any dependencies are updated, or if the specified dependencies aren't present in your project.

To disable the auto resolution process, navigate to Edit > Project Settings > External Dependency Manager > Android Resolver and disable Resolve Automatically.

To resolve Android dependencies manually:

  1. Select Resolve from the Assets > External Dependency Manager > Android Resolver menu.
  2. If the Resolve operation fails, select Assets > External Dependency Manager > Android Resolver > Force Resolve.

Remove libraries

The Android Resolver tracks resolved packages using asset labels. To remove resolved packages, navigate to Assets > External Dependency Manager > Android Resolver > Delete Resolved Libraries.

Resolve dependencies with mainTemplate.gradle

The Android Resolver integrates dependencies by patching your project's mainTemplate.gradle file rather than downloading and processing AAR files directly. Android resolution results in the execution of the following operations:

  1. Remove the result of previous Android resolutions. For example, delete all files and directories labeled with gpsr under Assets/Plugins/Android from the project and remove sections delimited with // Android Resolver * Start and // Android Resolver * End lines.
  2. Collect the set of Android dependencies (libraries) specified by a project's *Dependencies.xml files.
  3. Rename any .srcaar files in the build to .aar and exclude them from the Android build. mainTemplate.gradle is patched to include them instead of using local maven repositories.
  4. Inject the required Gradle repositories into mainTemplate.gradle at the line matching the pattern .*apply plugin: 'com\.android\.(application|library)'.* or the section starting at the line // Android Resolver Repos Start. If you want to control the injection point in the file, place the section delimited by the lines // Android Resolver Repos Start and // Android Resolver Repos End in the global scope before the dependencies section.
  5. Inject the required Android dependencies (libraries) into mainTemplate.gradle at the line matching the pattern ***DEPS*** or the section starting at the line // Android Resolver Dependencies Start. If you want to control the injection point in the file, place the section delimited by the lines // Android Resolver Dependencies Start and // Android Resolver Dependencies End in the dependencies section.
  6. Inject the packaging options logic, which excludes architecture specific libraries based upon the selected build target, into mainTemplate.gradle at the line matching the pattern android +{ or the section starting at the line // Android Resolver Exclusions Start. If you want to control the injection point in the file, place the section delimited by the lines // Android Resolver Exclusions Start and // Android Resolver Exclusions End in the global scope before the android section.

Track dependencies

The Android Resolver creates the ProjectSettings/AndroidResolverDependencies.xml file to record the set of resolved dependencies in a project. Auto-resolution uses this file to decide when to run resolution again.

View resolved dependencies

To view a list of the dependencies the Android Resolver has resolved in your project, navigate to Assets > External Dependency Manager > Android Resolver > Display Libraries.

Additional resources