# How to use Firebase in iOS without Get-Taglist-Component?
**URL:** https://community.thunkable.com/t/how-to-use-firebase-in-ios-without-get-taglist-component/19992
**Category:** Questions about Thunkable X
**Tags:** firebase, ios, components
**Created:** [March 20, 2018, 4:18pm UTC](https://community.thunkable.com/t/how-to-use-firebase-in-ios-without-get-taglist-component/19992 "2018-03-20T16:18:57Z")
**Posts on this page:** 20
**Page:** 1
### Author:  [@User81](https://community.thunkable.com/u/User81)
#### Post date: [March 20, 2018, 4:18pm UTC](https://community.thunkable.com/t/how-to-use-firebase-in-ios-without-get-taglist-component/19992/1 "2018-03-20T16:18:57Z")
Dear developers and community members,
does anyone has a clue, how to use the firebase for iOS with only the “get key” option?
I have managed to use firebase crossplatform (developer team is totally awesome), but I am struggling with the data structure:
Let’s say I have a parent node (“shared contacts”) in firebase, which has childkeys with names(key) and numbers(value) (imagine a storage of contacts).
Without a taglist, the iOS app will never know, when a new contact was added by another user or deleted. First I thought of firebase functions to resolve this issue, but it does not like to handle taglists like arrays or lists:
> **[Best Practices: Arrays in Firebase](https://firebase.googleblog.com/2014/04/best-practices-arrays-in-firebase.html)**
>
> The official blog for Firebase, Google's mobile development platform
So my first attempt, to write a taglist with firebase-functions each time data is added to a special key, called “taglist” under the parent node **has failed**.
Currently, I do not see an alternative to add a get-taglist-component by an expert developer @thunkable, @arun, @albert, or anyone out of the community comes up with a really smart idea 🤓 .
Or has anyone experience in javascript DeltaSnapshot and the ForEach() method, which could maybe be used as a workaround?
Thx for hearing, keep thunking.
Cheers,
Use81
---
### Author:  [@User81](https://community.thunkable.com/u/User81)
#### Post date: [March 20, 2018, 10:31pm UTC](https://community.thunkable.com/t/how-to-use-firebase-in-ios-without-get-taglist-component/19992/2 "2018-03-20T22:31:56Z")
… little workaround for now (took only half day 😕 )
‘use strict’;
const functions = require(‘firebase-functions’);
const admin = require(‘firebase-admin’);
admin.initializeApp(functions.config().firebase);
//do a snapshot of childnodes and store them as a list
exports.snaptoarray = functions.database.ref(‘testinput/{testkey}’).onWrite(event =\>{
//const keyRef = event.params.testkey;
const parentRef = event.data.ref.parent;
const root = event.data.ref.root;
const testoutput = root.child(‘testoutput’).child(‘keylist’);
const listOfItems = [];
parentRef.once(‘value’).then(snap =\> {
snap.forEach(childSnap =\> {
const item = childSnap.key;
listOfItems.push(item);
console.log('item: ’ + item);
});
//return listOfItems;
}).then(() =\> {
return testoutput.set(listOfItems);
});
});
---
### Author:  [@User81](https://community.thunkable.com/u/User81)
#### Post date: [May 7, 2018, 6:20pm UTC](https://community.thunkable.com/t/how-to-use-firebase-in-ios-without-get-taglist-component/19992/3 "2018-05-07T18:20:50Z")
@thunkable
will it make sense to wait for a firebase get-taglist-component in thunkable ios?
---
### Author:  [@wei](https://community.thunkable.com/u/wei)
#### Post date: [May 9, 2018, 10:15pm UTC](https://community.thunkable.com/t/how-to-use-firebase-in-ios-without-get-taglist-component/19992/4 "2018-05-09T22:15:11Z")
Can try the following? If you set the key to empty, it will call the data change event block whenever there is a chance to the children.
---
### Author:  [@User81](https://community.thunkable.com/u/User81)
#### Post date: [May 10, 2018, 4:10am UTC](https://community.thunkable.com/t/how-to-use-firebase-in-ios-without-get-taglist-component/19992/5 "2018-05-10T04:10:33Z")
Thank you for this smart idea, it will surely help many folks in the community 👍
Unfortunely it does not solve my problems, because it only triggers, when changes are done and it gives too much information, when children have children and grandchildren.
What I need is like a simple “dir”-command in MS-DOS: just a simple overview of the keys of the children.
My best workaround for now is firebase functions with the Object.keys() command.
You see, I have very special demands when it comes to the firebase component. What else is needed badly (once a taglist is created) is a get-object component, which has a connectable property string -\> to access all the child values for every item in the tag list.
Take your time for priorising, I know you have bunch of other creative stuff in the pipeline (perhaps also an enriched listview-component 😉 )
Cheers, User81
---
### Author:  [@User81](https://community.thunkable.com/u/User81)
#### Post date: [May 10, 2018, 4:13am UTC](https://community.thunkable.com/t/how-to-use-firebase-in-ios-without-get-taglist-component/19992/6 "2018-05-10T04:13:00Z")
The workaround firebase function for anyone, who may need it:
exports.CreateTaglist1 = functions.database.ref(‘database\_main/{cityid}’).onWrite(event=\> {
const city = event.params.cityid;
const root = event.data.adminRef.root;
const itemToUpdate = root.child(‘database\_taglist’).child(city);
const value = event.data.val();
const tagList = Object.keys(value);
return itemToUpdate.set(tagList).then(() =\> {
console.log(‘taglist created’);
});
});
---
### Author:  [@wei](https://community.thunkable.com/u/wei)
#### Post date: [May 10, 2018, 4:29am UTC](https://community.thunkable.com/t/how-to-use-firebase-in-ios-without-get-taglist-component/19992/7 "2018-05-10T04:29:50Z")
How often do you need the tag list? or what is the use case?
Cheer,
Wei
---
### Author:  [@User81](https://community.thunkable.com/u/User81)
#### Post date: [May 10, 2018, 4:45am UTC](https://community.thunkable.com/t/how-to-use-firebase-in-ios-without-get-taglist-component/19992/8 "2018-05-10T04:45:17Z")
I appreciate your support very much!
My app is like Google Maps for products (user-generated content). I need a tag list every time, a user wants to see which cities have insider tips already. Then every time a user wants to see, which categories are available in this city. And at last, when the user wants to see, which products are declared in a specific category.
/database\_main/
- —city1/
- —city2/
-
- —category1/
-
-
- —product1: value
-
-
- —product2: value
The only way, this can be done in thunkable iOS is to get the value of the most parent node and then slice the value (nested objects) with a complicated combination of text components in order to get the keys.
Screenshot 1 android,
Screenshot 2 android,
Screenshot 3 iOs.
 
---
### Author:  [@User81](https://community.thunkable.com/u/User81)
#### Post date: [May 10, 2018, 5:30am UTC](https://community.thunkable.com/t/how-to-use-firebase-in-ios-without-get-taglist-component/19992/9 "2018-05-10T05:30:26Z")
I will try to make functions in thunkable, which can analyze the JSON after generating the JSON from object…
that will look like that screenshot, just with while-loop and some more stuff 🤔
Actually, that should be really easy: I just need to analyse the String from index 1 to end of string and look for “{”, “:”, “,” and “}” 😉
BTW: thx for the replace text component in iOS 🤗🤩
---
### Author:  [@User81](https://community.thunkable.com/u/User81)
#### Post date: [May 10, 2018, 7:01am UTC](https://community.thunkable.com/t/how-to-use-firebase-in-ios-without-get-taglist-component/19992/10 "2018-05-10T07:01:51Z")
work done: _L’interpréteur de JSON 👌_
---
### Author:  [@emilio1](https://community.thunkable.com/u/emilio1)
#### Post date: [October 3, 2018, 12:35pm UTC](https://community.thunkable.com/t/how-to-use-firebase-in-ios-without-get-taglist-component/19992/11 "2018-10-03T12:35:46Z")
Hi! How did you manage to solve this case? Can you please write an explanation of how you solved it because I have the same problem.
Thank you in advance.
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### Author:  [@User81](https://community.thunkable.com/u/User81)
#### Post date: [October 3, 2018, 4:31pm UTC](https://community.thunkable.com/t/how-to-use-firebase-in-ios-without-get-taglist-component/19992/12 "2018-10-03T16:31:52Z")
the screenshot is the solution. please share your project, if you have trouble
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### Author:  [@emilio1](https://community.thunkable.com/u/emilio1)
#### Post date: [October 4, 2018, 2:52pm UTC](https://community.thunkable.com/t/how-to-use-firebase-in-ios-without-get-taglist-component/19992/13 "2018-10-04T14:52:39Z")
I am not understanding the logic that’s why i asked. Can you explain how you are using this function in your program? I mean what is the input, what is the output and how can i use the output
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### Author:  [@User81](https://community.thunkable.com/u/User81)
#### Post date: [October 4, 2018, 3:50pm UTC](https://community.thunkable.com/t/how-to-use-firebase-in-ios-without-get-taglist-component/19992/14 "2018-10-04T15:50:39Z")
can you please share an example project which shows your problem?
its really hard for me to figure out what you are asking for!
please take your time, make a screenshot, explain what you have done to solve your problem…
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### Author:  [@User81](https://community.thunkable.com/u/User81)
#### Post date: [October 4, 2018, 3:57pm UTC](https://community.thunkable.com/t/how-to-use-firebase-in-ios-without-get-taglist-component/19992/15 "2018-10-04T15:57:21Z")
input: parent node from firebase
output: list of child node keys
do you understand these words?
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### Author:  [@emilio1](https://community.thunkable.com/u/emilio1)
#### Post date: [October 4, 2018, 4:31pm UTC](https://community.thunkable.com/t/how-to-use-firebase-in-ios-without-get-taglist-component/19992/16 "2018-10-04T16:31:58Z")
I am making an uber like app and in the driver app it will listen to serviceRequests childs and get the location of the user. The problem is how to get a userId that i don’t know yet and i think you had the same problem. Yes, I understand those words. Tell me if I wasn’t clear
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### Author:  [@User81](https://community.thunkable.com/u/User81)
#### Post date: [October 4, 2018, 4:34pm UTC](https://community.thunkable.com/t/how-to-use-firebase-in-ios-without-get-taglist-component/19992/17 "2018-10-04T16:34:41Z")
> [@emilio1](#):
>
> aking an uber like app and in the driver app it will listen to serviceRequests childs and get the location of the user. Yes i understand those words. Tell me if i wasnt cl
thanks,
I understand.
from your screenshot I cannot understand where you want to get a taglist from realtime DB (firebase)
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### Author:  [@User81](https://community.thunkable.com/u/User81)
#### Post date: [October 4, 2018, 4:41pm UTC](https://community.thunkable.com/t/how-to-use-firebase-in-ios-without-get-taglist-component/19992/19 "2018-10-04T16:41:27Z")
this thread is all about a taglist.
This thread was opened for everyone, who wants to get a taglist from firebase in thunkable X apps 🙂
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### Author:  [@emilio1](https://community.thunkable.com/u/emilio1)
#### Post date: [October 4, 2018, 4:43pm UTC](https://community.thunkable.com/t/how-to-use-firebase-in-ios-without-get-taglist-component/19992/20 "2018-10-04T16:43:30Z")
I understand. With taglist you mean in my case, a list of userId’s in serviceRequests. Right?
---
### Author:  [@User81](https://community.thunkable.com/u/User81)
#### Post date: [October 4, 2018, 4:44pm UTC](https://community.thunkable.com/t/how-to-use-firebase-in-ios-without-get-taglist-component/19992/21 "2018-10-04T16:44:32Z")
I think so.
Do you want to get a list from firebase of all userIDs under the node serviceRequests?
[Next page](https://community.thunkable.com/t/how-to-use-firebase-in-ios-without-get-taglist-component/19992.md?page=2)