Handle multiple ad requests

  • The IMA SDK allows for multiple concurrent ad requests, useful for preloading ads or managing multiple video players.

  • Developers can use the UserContext field to associate a custom object with each ad request for easy identification.

  • This object can be retrieved later using getUserRequestContext() in the AdsManagerLoadedEvent and AdErrorEvent handlers.

  • This approach simplifies associating the correct AdsManager with its corresponding video element and context.
Select platform: HTML5 Android iOS tvOS

Most uses of the IMA SDK only require managing a single ad request at a time. However some edge case implementations, such as preloading ad data before the user selects a video, may require making multiple concurrent requests. Since ad requests are made asynchronously, ensuring the proper ad manager is associated with the correct context can seem to be a daunting task.

To simplify the process of differentiating multiple ad managers, the IMA SDK for HTML5 allows publishers to pass in any value or object to the UserContext field of any ad request. This value or object can then be retrieved in the AdsManagerLoadedEvent handler, by using the method getUserRequestContext().

Example

...
adsLoader.addEventListener(
      google.ima.AdsManagerLoadedEvent.Type.ADS_MANAGER_LOADED,
      onAdsManagerLoaded,
      false);
adsLoader.addEventListener(
      google.ima.AdErrorEvent.Type.AD_ERROR,
      onAdsManagerError,
      false);
const contextA = {id: "Request A", element: videoElementA};
const contextB = {id: "Request B", element: videoElementB}
adsLoader.requestAds(adsRequestA, contextA);
adsLoader.requestAds(adsRequestB, contextB);
...

function onAdsManagerLoaded(adsManagerLoadedEvent) {
  const context = adsManagerLoadedEvent.getUserRequestContext();
  adsManager = adsManagerLoadedEvent.getAdsManager(context.element);
  console.log("Successfully loaded ID: " + context.id);
}

function onAdsManagerError(adsManagerErrorEvent) {
  const context = adsManagerErrorEvent.getUserRequestContext();
  console.log("Error with AdRequest ID: " + context.id);
}
...