APNS

A gem for the Apple Push Notification Service.

Install

sudo gem install apns

Setup

Convert your certificate

In Keychain access export your certificate as a p12. Then run the following command to convert it to a .pem

openssl pkcs12 -in cert.p12 -out cert.pem -nodes -clcerts

After you have your .pem file. Set what host, port, certificate file location on the APNS class:

APNS.host = 'gateway.push.apple.com' 
# gateway.sandbox.push.apple.com is default

APNS.pem  = '/path/to/pem/file'
# this is the file you just created
    
APNS.port = 2195 
# this is also the default. Shouldn't ever have to set this, but just in case Apple goes crazy, you can.

Example (Single notification)

Then to send a push notification you can either just send a string as the alert or give it a hash for the alert, badge and sound.

device_token = '123abc456def'

APNS.send_notification(device_token, 'Hello iPhone!' )

APNS.send_notification(device_token, :alert => 'Hello iPhone!', :badge => 1, :sound => 'default')

Example (Multiple notifications)

You can also send multiple notifications using the same connection to Apple:

device_token = '123abc456def'

n1 = APNS::Notification.new(device_token, 'Hello iPhone!' )

n2 = APNS::Notification.new(device_token, :alert => 'Hello iPhone!', :badge => 1, :sound => 'default')
    
APNS.send_notifications([n1, n2])

Send other info along with aps

You can send other application specific information as well.

APNS.send_notification(device_token, :alert => 'Hello iPhone!', :badge => 1, :sound => 'default',
                                     :other => {:sent => 'with apns gem'})

This will add the other hash to the same level as the aps hash:

{
  "aps": {
    "alert": "Hello iPhone!",
    "badge": 1,
    "sound": "default"
  },
  "sent": "with apns gem"
}

Getting your iPhone's device token

After you setup push notification for your application with Apple. You need to ask Apple for you application specific device token.

ApplicationAppDelegate.m

- (void)applicationDidFinishLaunching:(UIApplication *)application 
{    
    // Register with apple that this app will use push notification
    [[UIApplication sharedApplication] registerForRemoteNotificationTypes:(UIRemoteNotificationTypeAlert | 
      UIRemoteNotificationTypeSound | UIRemoteNotificationTypeBadge)];

    // Your app startup logic...
    return YES;
}

- (void)application:(UIApplication *)application didRegisterForRemoteNotificationsWithDeviceToken:(NSData *)deviceToken 
{
    // Convert the binary data token into an NSString (see below for the implementation of this function)
    NSString *deviceTokenAsString = stringFromDeviceTokenData(deviceToken);

    // Show the device token obtained from apple to the log
    NSLog(@"deviceToken: %@", deviceTokenAsString);
}

stringFromDeviceTokenData function

This snippet comes from this stackoverflow post's anwser:http://stackoverflow.com/a/1990880/855846.

NSString* stringFromDeviceTokenData(NSData *deviceToken)
{
  const char *data = [deviceToken bytes];
  NSMutableString* token = [NSMutableString string];
      
  for (int i = 0; i < [deviceToken length]; i++) {
    [token appendFormat:@"%02.2hhX", data[i]];
  }
      
  return [[token copy] autorelease];
}

For more information on Apple Push Notifications you can see Apple Developer Documentation at http://developer.apple.com/library/mac/documentation/NetworkingInternet/Conceptual/RemoteNotificationsPG/IPhoneOSClientImp/IPhoneOSClientImp.html#//apple_ref/doc/uid/TP40008194-CH103-SW2.

mat/APNS