Connection management

Handle subscription errors and restore connections when network issues occur.

You can use PubNub's functionality via Blueprints or directly in C++ code.

• In Blueprints, you can access PubNub from any Widget or Actor. Start by initializing chat using InitChat on UPubnubChatSubsystem. Afterwards, you can use the returned UPubnubChat object reference to call all Chat SDK functions.

Blueprint functions

The Blueprints provided in the documentation show how you can structure your application and may contain utility methods and elements like buttons that are not part of the Unreal Chat SDK and are meant to serve as guidance.

• In C++, you can use UPubnubChatSubsystem as any other Game Instance Subsystem.

  1
  

  Chat now allows you to call all Chat SDK functions, for example, Chat->GetChannel("my_channel").

Usage in Blueprints and C++

Asynchronous and synchronous method execution

Most PubNub Unreal SDK methods are available in both asynchronous and synchronous variants.

• Asynchronous methods (Async suffix) return void and take an optional delegate parameter that fires when the operation completes.

  1Chat->ReconnectSubscriptionsAsync(OnReconnectSubscriptionsResponseDelegate);

  You can also use native callbacks that accept lambdas instead of dynamic delegates. Native callback types have the Native suffix (for example, FOnPubnubChatOperationResponseNative).

• Synchronous methods (no suffix) block the main game thread until the operation completes and return a result struct directly.

  1FPubnubChatOperationResult Result = Chat->ReconnectSubscriptions();

Connection status listener

Monitor connection status in real time to track subscription state and react to network or authentication errors.

Method signature

Blueprint

C++ / Input parameters

GameMode.h

1// ...other code...
2void RegisterConnectionStatusListener();
3UFUNCTION()
4void OnConnectionStatusChanged(EPubnubChatConnectionStatus Status, const FPubnubChatConnectionStatusData& StatusData);
5// ...other code...

GameMode.cpp

1#include "PubnubChatSubsystem.h"
2

3// ...other code
4void AMyGameMode::RegisterConnectionStatusListener()
5{
6	UGameInstance* GameInstance = UGameplayStatics::GetGameInstance(this);
7	UPubnubChatSubsystem* PubnubChatSubsystem = GameInstance->GetSubsystem<UPubnubChatSubsystem>();
8

9	FPubnubChatInitChatResult InitResult = PubnubChatSubsystem->InitChat("demo", "demo", "MyChatUser");
10	UPubnubChat* Chat = InitResult.Chat;
11

12	Chat->OnConnectionStatusChanged.AddDynamic(this, &AMyGameMode::OnConnectionStatusChanged);
13	// there is also a native delegate for lambda functions: FOnPubnubChatConnectionStatusChangedNative OnConnectionStatusChangedNative;
14}
15

16void AMyGameMode::OnConnectionStatusChanged(EPubnubChatConnectionStatus Status, const FPubnubChatConnectionStatusData& StatusData)
17{
18	// Do something with status changed
19}

show all 19 lines

Parameter	Description
Status Type: EPubnubChatConnectionStatus	Enum describing the current connection status indicating whether the connection is online, offline, or has encountered an error.
StatusData Type: FPubnubChatConnectionStatusData	Object containing the error message and error code when the status is PCCS_ConnectionError. Empty for other status types.

Connection status types

The connection status listener reports the following status types:

Status	Description
PCCS_ConnectionOnline	The connection has been established and is ready to receive real-time updates.
PCCS_ConnectionOffline	The connection has been intentionally terminated.
PCCS_ConnectionError	The connection was unexpectedly lost or failed to establish. Contains error details.

Sample code

Reference code

This example is a self-contained code snippet ready to be run. Set up your Unreal project and follow the instructions in the lines marked with ACTION REQUIRED before running the code. Use it as a reference when working with other examples in this document.

Set up a connection status listener to monitor connection changes.

C++

Actor.h

1

Actor.cpp

1

Blueprint

Reconnect subscriptions

Restore previous subscriptions with all subscribed channels and listeners. Call after DisconnectSubscriptions() or when receiving PCCS_ConnectionError.

Method signature

1Chat->ReconnectSubscriptions(FString Timetoken = "");

* required

Parameter	Description
Timetoken Type: FString Default: ""	Optional timetoken to resume subscriptions from a specific point. If empty, resumes from the current time.

Output

Type	Description
FPubnubChatOperationResult	Operation result with Error (bool), ErrorMessage (FString), and StepResults (per-step details).

Sample code

Reconnect all subscriptions after a connection error.

1

Other examples

Reconnect with connection status listener

Actor.h

1

Actor.cpp

1

Disconnect subscriptions

Pause all active subscriptions and listeners.

Method signature

1Chat->DisconnectSubscriptions();

Output

Type	Description
FPubnubChatOperationResult	Operation result with Error (bool), ErrorMessage (FString), and StepResults (per-step details).

Sample code

Disconnect all subscriptions when you want to pause real-time updates.

1

Troubleshooting

Recommended workflow for handling subscription errors:

1. Initialize monitoring: Add the connection status listener immediately after creating the Chat instance.
2. Handle errors: On PCCS_ConnectionError, call ReconnectSubscriptions().
3. Manual control: Call DisconnectSubscriptions() when pausing real-time updates (for example, when the app backgrounds).
4. Restore connection: Call ReconnectSubscriptions() to resume.

This pattern maintains stable connectivity and automatic recovery from network issues.