iOS 8 Apple Push Notification Service

• Apple Configuration

• 1. create Apple ID in Apple Developer Website
• 2. check on "Push Notification" in the functionality
• 3. configure for Push Notification in Development: create certificate
  • 3.1 upload the certificate file which is generated by keychain access.
    • how to generating the Certificate Signing Request (CSR):
    • 3.1.1 keychain access -> certificate assistant -> request a certificate from a certificate authority
    • 3.1.2 save the certificate file to the disk as "your name.certSigningRequest", which will be used to be uploaded.
  • 3.2 download SSL Certificate and save as “aps_development.cer”
  • 3.3 click the “aps_development.cer” to install, you will see it in keychain access, export as .p12 file
  • 3.4 use command line to transform it from .p12 to .pem, which will be used in the server. keep in mind for the password, which will also be used in the server
    • $ openssl pkcs12 -in cert.p12 -out apple_push_notification.pem -nodes -clcerts
• 4. create provision file for this Apple ID: generate and drag it to Xcode

• Xcode Side

In AppDelegate.m, implement the methods below:

//---------------------------------------------
#pragma mark - App Delegate
//---------------------------------------------
- (BOOL)application:(UIApplication *)application didFinishLaunchingWithOptions:(NSDictionary *)launchOptions {
    // Override point for customization after application launch.

    //---------------------------------------------
    // set push notification
    //---------------------------------------------
    if ([application respondsToSelector:@selector(isRegisteredForRemoteNotifications)])
    {
        // iOS 8 Notifications
        [application registerUserNotificationSettings:[UIUserNotificationSettings settingsForTypes:(UIUserNotificationTypeSound | UIUserNotificationTypeAlert | UIUserNotificationTypeBadge) categories:nil]];

        [application registerForRemoteNotifications];
    }
    else
    {
        // iOS < 8 Notifications
        [application registerForRemoteNotificationTypes:
         (UIRemoteNotificationTypeBadge | UIRemoteNotificationTypeAlert | UIRemoteNotificationTypeSound)];
    }

    //---------------------------------------------
    //Accept push notification when app is not open
    //---------------------------------------------
    NSDictionary *remoteNotification = [launchOptions objectForKey: UIApplicationLaunchOptionsRemoteNotificationKey];
    if (remoteNotification) {
        //        [self handleRemoteNotification:application userInfo:remoteNotif];
    }
    else{
        // do nothing ..
    }

    return YES;
}

//---------------------------------------------
#pragma mark - Push Notifications Delegate
//---------------------------------------------
- (void)application:(UIApplication*)application didRegisterForRemoteNotificationsWithDeviceToken:(NSData*)deviceToken
{
    NSLog(@"This device token is: %@", deviceToken);
    NSString *token = [[[[deviceToken description]
                         stringByReplacingOccurrencesOfString: @"<" withString: @""]
                        stringByReplacingOccurrencesOfString: @">" withString: @""]
                       stringByReplacingOccurrencesOfString: @" " withString: @""];

    // call the server function to register this device
    // ..
}

- (void)application:(UIApplication*)application didFailToRegisterForRemoteNotificationsWithError:(NSError*)error
{
    NSLog(@"Failed to get token, error: %@", error);
}

- (void)application:(UIApplication *)application didReceiveRemoteNotification:(NSDictionary *)userInfo{
    NSLog(@"didReceiveRemoteNotification");

    UIApplicationState applicationState = application.applicationState;
    if ( applicationState == UIApplicationStateActive ){
        // app was already in the foreground
        NSLog(@"Content: %@", [[userInfo objectForKey: @"aps"] objectForKey: @"alert"]);

        UIRemoteNotificationType enabledTypes = [[UIApplication sharedApplication] enabledRemoteNotificationTypes];
        if (enabledTypes & UIRemoteNotificationTypeBadge) {
            //badge number is enabled
        }
        if (enabledTypes & UIRemoteNotificationTypeSound) {
            //sound is enabled
        }
        if (enabledTypes & UIRemoteNotificationTypeAlert) {
            //alert msg is enabled
        }
    }
    else{
        // app was just brought from background to foreground
    }
}

• Server Side(Ruby on Rails):

Gem Recomend: https://github.com/nomad/Houston

• Reference:

[1]http://www.raywenderlich.com/32960/apple-push-notification-services-in-ios-6-tutorial-part-1

[2]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_3YlqWWnI6s