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Push Plugin for NativeScript

This plugin is deprecated. Feel free to use the Firebase Plugin for implementing push notifications in your NativeScript app. If you already have an app that use the Push Plugin, read the migrate-to-firebase doc for initial guidance.

The code for the Push Plugin for NativeScript.

• Installation
• Configuration
  • Android
  • iOS
• Usage
  • Using the plugin in Android
  • Using the plugin in iOS
• API Reference
  • Methods
  • Android only
  • iOS only
• Troubleshooting
  • Troubleshooting issues in Android
  • Troubleshooting issues in iOS
• Android Configuration for using Firebase Cloud Messaging
  • Receive and Handle Messages from FCM on Android
• Contribute
• Get Help

Installation

In the Command prompt / Terminal navigate to your application root folder and run:

tns plugin add nativescript-push-notifications

Configuration

Android

See the Android Configuration for using Firebase Cloud Messaging for information about how to add Firebase to your project.

• Edit the package.json file in the root of application, by changing the bundle identifier to match the Firebase's project package name. For example:

  "id": "org.nativescript.PushNotificationApp"
  

• Edit the app/App_Resources/Android/app.gradle file of your application, by changing the application ID to match the bundle identifier from the package.json. For example:

  android {
  // ...
      defaultConfig {
          applicationId = "org.nativescript.PushNotificationApp"
      }
  // ...
  }
  

• Go to the application folder and add the Android platform to the application

  tns platform add android
  

• Add the google-settings.json file with the FCM configuration to the app/App_Resources/Android folder in your app. If this file is not added, building the app for android will fail.

The plugin will default to version 12.0.1 of the firebase-messaging SDK. If you need to change the version, you can add a project ext property firebaseMessagingVersion:

    // in the root level of /app/App_Resources/Android/app.gradle:
    project.ext {
        firebaseMessagingVersion = "+" // OR the version you wish
    }

iOS

• Ensure you have set up an App in your Apple Developer account, with Push Notifications enabled and configured. More on this in the Apple's AddingCapabilities documentation > Configuring Push Notifications section.

• Edit the package.json file in the root of application, by changing the bundle identifier to match the App ID. For example:

  "id": "org.nativescript.PushNotificationApp"
  

• Go to the application folder and add the iOS platform to the application

  tns build ios
  

• Go to (application folder)/platforms/ios and open the XCode project. Enable Push Notifications in the project Capabilities options. In case you don't have XCode, go to (application folder)/platforms/ios/(application folder name) , find *.entitlements file and add to it aps-environment key and its value as shown below:

  <plist version="1.0">
  <dict>
      <key>aps-environment</key>
      <string>development</string>
  </dict>
  </plist>
  

Usage

Using the plugin in Android

Add code in your view model or component to subscribe and receive messages (don't forget to enter your Firebase Cloud Messaging Sender ID in the options of the register method):

TypeScript

import * as pushPlugin from "nativescript-push-notifications";
private pushSettings = {
    senderID: "<ENTER_YOUR_PROJECT_NUMBER>", // Required: setting with the sender/project number
    notificationCallbackAndroid: (stringifiedData: String, fcmNotification: any) => {
        const notificationBody = fcmNotification && fcmNotification.getBody();
        this.updateMessage("Message received!\n" + notificationBody + "\n" + stringifiedData);
    }
};
pushPlugin.register(pushSettings, (token: String) => {
    alert("Device registered. Access token: " + token);;
}, function() { });

Javascript

var pushPlugin = require("nativescript-push-notifications");
var pushSettings = {
        senderID: "<ENTER_YOUR_PROJECT_NUMBER>", // Required: setting with the sender/project number
        notificationCallbackAndroid: function (stringifiedData, fcmNotification) {
            var notificationBody = fcmNotification && fcmNotification.getBody();
            _this.updateMessage("Message received!\n" + notificationBody + "\n" + stringifiedData);
        }
    };
pushPlugin.register(pushSettings, function (token) {
    alert("Device registered. Access token: " + token);
}, function() { });

• Run the app on the phone or emulator:

  tns run android
  

• The access token is written in the console and displayed on the device after the plugin sucessfully subscribes to receive notifications. When a notification comes, the message will be displayed in the notification area if the app is closed or handled directly in the notificationCallbackAndroid callback if the app is open.

Using the plugin in iOS

Add code in your view model or component to subscribe and receive messages:

TypeScript

import * as pushPlugin from "nativescript-push-notifications";
const iosSettings = {
    badge: true,
    sound: true,
    alert: true,
    interactiveSettings: {
        actions: [{
            identifier: 'READ_IDENTIFIER',
            title: 'Read',
            activationMode: "foreground",
            destructive: false,
            authenticationRequired: true
        }, {
            identifier: 'CANCEL_IDENTIFIER',
            title: 'Cancel',
            activationMode: "foreground",
            destructive: true,
            authenticationRequired: true
        }],
        categories: [{
            identifier: 'READ_CATEGORY',
            actionsForDefaultContext: ['READ_IDENTIFIER', 'CANCEL_IDENTIFIER'],
            actionsForMinimalContext: ['READ_IDENTIFIER', 'CANCEL_IDENTIFIER']
        }]
    },
    notificationCallbackIOS: (message: any) => {
        alert("Message received!\n" + JSON.stringify(message));
    }
};

pushPlugin.register(iosSettings, (token: String) => {
    alert("Device registered. Access token: " + token);

    // Register the interactive settings
    if(iosSettings.interactiveSettings) {
        pushPlugin.registerUserNotificationSettings(() => {
            alert('Successfully registered for interactive push.');
        }, (err) => {
            alert('Error registering for interactive push: ' + JSON.stringify(err));
        });
    }
}, (errorMessage: any) => {
    alert("Device NOT registered! " + JSON.stringify(errorMessage));
});

Javascript

var pushPlugin = require("nativescript-push-notifications");
var iosSettings = {
    badge: true,
    sound: true,
    alert: true,
    interactiveSettings: {
        actions: [{
            identifier: 'READ_IDENTIFIER',
            title: 'Read',
            activationMode: "foreground",
            destructive: false,
            authenticationRequired: true
        }, {
            identifier: 'CANCEL_IDENTIFIER',
            title: 'Cancel',
            activationMode: "foreground",
            destructive: true,
            authenticationRequired: true
        }],
        categories: [{
            identifier: 'READ_CATEGORY',
            actionsForDefaultContext: ['READ_IDENTIFIER', 'CANCEL_IDENTIFIER'],
            actionsForMinimalContext: ['READ_IDENTIFIER', 'CANCEL_IDENTIFIER']
        }]
    },
    notificationCallbackIOS: function (data) {
        alert("message", "" + JSON.stringify(data));
    }
};

pushPlugin.register(iosSettings, function (data) {
    alert("Device registered. Access token" + data);

    // Register the interactive settings
        if(iosSettings.interactiveSettings) {
            pushPlugin.registerUserNotificationSettings(function() {
                alert('Successfully registered for interactive push.');
            }, function(err) {
                alert('Error registering for interactive push: ' + JSON.stringify(err));
            });
        }
}, function() { });

• Run the app on the phone or simulator:

  tns run ios
  

• [HINT] Install the pusher app to send notifications to the device being debugged on. In the 'device push token' field paste the device access token generated in the {N} CLI / XCode debug console after launching the app.

API Reference

Methods

register(options, successCallback, errorCallback) - subscribe the device with Apple/Google push notifications services so the app can receive notifications

The interactiveSettings object for iOS can contain the following:

The actions array from the iOS interactive settings contains:

The categories array from the iOS interactive settings contains:

For more information about iOS interactive notifications, please visit the Apple Developer site

var settings = {
    badge: true,
    sound: true,
    alert: true,
    interactiveSettings: {
        actions: [{
            identifier: 'READ_IDENTIFIER',
            title: 'Read',
            activationMode: "foreground",
            destructive: false,
            authenticationRequired: true
        }, {
        identifier: 'CANCEL_IDENTIFIER',
            title: 'Cancel',
            activationMode: "foreground",
            destructive: true,
            authenticationRequired: true
        }],
        categories: [{
            identifier: 'READ_CATEGORY',
            actionsForDefaultContext: ['READ_IDENTIFIER', 'CANCEL_IDENTIFIER'],
            actionsForMinimalContext: ['READ_IDENTIFIER', 'CANCEL_IDENTIFIER']
        }]
    },
    notificationCallbackIOS: function(message) {
        alert(JSON.stringify(message));
    }
};


pushPlugin.register(settings,
    // Success callback
    function(token){
        // Register the interactive settings
        if(settings.interactiveSettings) {
            pushPlugin.registerUserNotificationSettings(function() {
                alert('Successfully registered for interactive push.');
            }, function(err) {
                alert('Error registering for interactive push: ' + JSON.stringify(err));
            });
        }
    },
    // Error Callback
    function(error){
        alert(error.message);
    }
);

unregister(successCallback, errorCallback, options) - unsubscribe the device so the app stops receiving push notifications. The options object is the same as on the register method

pushPlugin.unregister(
    // Success callback
    function(result) {
        alert('Device unregistered successfully');
    },
    // Error Callback
    function(errorMessage) {
        alert(errorMessage);
    },
    // The settings from the registration phase
    settings
);

areNotificationsEnabled(successCallback) - check if push notifications are enabled (iOS only, always returns true on Android)

pushPlugin.areNotificationsEnabled(function(areEnabled) {
        alert('Are Notifications enabled: ' + areEnabled);
    });

Android only

onMessageReceived(callback) DEPRECATED - register a callback function to execute when receiving a notification. You should set this from the notificationCallbackAndroid registration option instead

The fcmNotification object contains the following methods:

onTokenRefresh(callback) - register a callback function to execute when the old token is revoked and a new token is obtained. Note that the token is not passed to the callback as an argument. If you need the new token value, you'll need to call register again or add some native code to obtain the token from FCM

pushPlugin.onTokenRefresh(function() {
        alert("new token obtained");
});

iOS only

registerUserNotificationSettings(successCallback, errorCallback) - used to register for interactive push on iOS

Troubleshooting

In case the application doesn't work as expected. Here are some things you can verify

Troubleshooting issues in Android

• When the application is started using tns run android (i.e. in debug mode with livesync) some background notifications might not be received correctly. This happens because the app is not started in a normal way for debugging and the resume from background happens differently. To receive all notifications correctly, stop the app (swipe it away it from the recent apps list) and start it again by tapping the app icon on the device.

• Thе google-services plugin is added automatically. If this fails, you can try adding it manually:

• • Navigate to the project platforms/android/ folder and locate the application-level build.gradle file
• • Add the google-services plugin to the list of other dependencies in your app's build.gradle file

    dependencies {
    	// ...
    	classpath "com.google.gms:google-services:3.0.0"
    	// ...
    }
    

• • Add the following line be at the bottom of your build.gradle file to enable the Gradle plugin

    apply plugin: 'com.google.gms.google-services'
    

• Ensure that the AndroidManifest.xml located at platforms/android/build/... (do not add it in your "App_Resources/Android/AndroidManifest.xml" file) contains the following snippets for registering the GCM listener:

  <activity android:name="com.telerik.pushplugin.PushHandlerActivity"/>
  <receiver
      android:name="com.google.android.gms.gcm.GcmReceiver"
      android:exported="true"
      android:permission="com.google.android.c2dm.permission.SEND" >
      <intent-filter>
          <action android:name="com.google.android.c2dm.intent.RECEIVE" />
          <category android:name="com.pushApp.gcm" />
      </intent-filter>
  </receiver>
  <service
      android:name="com.telerik.pushplugin.PushPlugin"
      android:exported="false" >
      <intent-filter>
          <action android:name="com.google.android.c2dm.intent.RECEIVE" />
      </intent-filter>
  </service>
  

• Ensure that the AndroidManifest.xml located at platforms/android/build/... contains the following permissions for push notifications:

  <uses-permission android:name="android.permission.WAKE_LOCK" />
  <uses-permission android:name="com.google.android.c2dm.permission.RECEIVE" />
  

Troubleshooting issues in iOS

• Error "Error registering: no valid 'aps-environment' entitlement string found for application" - this means that the certificates are not correctly set in the xcodeproject. Open the xcodeproject, fix them and you can even run the application from xcode to verify it's setup correctly. The bundle identifier in xcode should be the same as the "id" in the package.json file in the root of the project. Also make sure that "Push Notifications" is switched ON in the "Capabilities" page of the project settings.

Android Configuration for using Firebase Cloud Messaging

The nativescript-push-notifications module for Android relies on the Firebase Cloud Messaging (FCM) SDK. In the steps below you will be guided to complete a few additional steps to prepare your Android app to receive push notifications from FCM.

1. Add the google-services.json file

   To use FCM, you need this file. It contains configurations and credentials for your Firebase project. To obtain this follow the instructions for adding Firebase to your project from the official documentation. Scroll down to the Manually add Firebase section.

   Place the file in your app's App_Resources/Android folder

2. Obtain the FCM Server Key (optional)

   This key is required to be able to send programmatically push notifications to your app. You can obtain this key from your Firebase project.

Receive and Handle Messages from FCM on Android

The plugin allows for handling data, notification, and messages that contain both payload keys which for the purposes of this article are reffered to as mixed. More specifics on these messages are explained here.

The plugin extends the FirebaseMessagingService and overrides its onMessageReceived callback. In your app you need to use the notificationCallbackAndroid setting when calling the register method of the plugin.

The behavior of the callback in the module follows the behavior of the FCM service.

Handling Data Messages

The notificationCallbackAndroid method of the plugin is called each time a data notification is received.

If the app is stopped or suspended, NO notification is constructed and placed in the tray. Tapping the app icon launches the app and invokes the notificationCallbackAndroid callback where you will receive the notification data.

If the app is active and in foreground, the notificationCallbackAndroid callback is invoked immediately with the notification data (fcmNotification).

Handling Notification Messages

If the app is active and in foreground, it invokes the notificationCallbackAndroid callback with two arguments (stringifiedData, fcmNotification).

If the app is in background, a notification is put in the tray. When tapped, it launches the app, but does not invoke the notificationCallbackAndroid callback.

Handling Mixed Messages

Mixed messages are messages that contain in their load both data and notification keys. When such message is received:

• The app is in foreground, the notificationCallbackAndroid callback is invoked with parameters (stringifiedData, fcmNotification)
• The app is in background, the notificationCallbackAndroid callback is not invoked. A notification is placed in the system tray. If the notification in the tray is tapped, the data part of the mixed message is available in the extras of the intent of the activity and are available in the respective application event of NativeScript.

Example of handling the data part in the application resume event (e.g. the app was brought to the foreground from the notification):

application.on(application.resumeEvent, function(args) {
    if (args.android) {
        var act = args.android;
        var intent = act.getIntent();
        var extras = intent.getExtras();
        if (extras) {
            // for (var key in extras) {
            //     console.log(key + ' -> ' + extras[key]);
            // }
            var msg = extras.get('someKey');
        }
    }
});

Parameters of the notificationCallbackAndroid Callback

Depending on the notification event and payload, the notificationCallbackAndroid callback is invoked with two arguments.

• stringifiedData - String. A stringified JSON representation of the data value in the notification payload.
• fcmNotification - RemoteMessage.Notification. A representation of the RemoteMessage.Notification class which can be accessed according to its public methods. This parameter is available in case the callback was called from a message with a notification key in the payload.

Setting Notification Icon and Color

The plugin automatically handles some keys in the data object like message, title, color, smallIcon, largeIcon and uses them to construct a notification entry in the tray.

Custom default color and icon for notification messages can be set in the AndroidManifest.xml inside the application directive:

<meta-data
    android:name="com.google.firebase.messaging.default_notification_icon"
    android:resource="@drawable/ic_stat_ic_notification" />
<meta-data
    android:name="com.google.firebase.messaging.default_notification_color"
    android:resource="@color/colorAccent" />

For more info visit the Edit the app manifest article.

Contribute

We love PRs! Check out the contributing guidelines. If you want to contribute, but you are not sure where to start - look for issues labeled help wanted.

Get Help

Please, use github issues strictly for reporting bugs or requesting features. For general questions and support, check out Stack Overflow or ask our experts in NativeScript community Slack channel.