Presence API for PubNub C-Core SDK

Presence enables you to track the online and offline status of users and devices in real time, as well as store custom state information. Presence provides authoritative information on:

• When a user has joined or left a channel
• Who, and how many, users are subscribed to a particular channel
• Which channel(s) an individual user is subscribed to
• Associated state information for these users

Learn more about our Presence feature here.

Here Now

Requires Presence add-on

This method requires that the Presence add-on is enabled for your key in the Admin Portal. Read the support page on enabling add-on features on your keys.

You can obtain information about the current state of a channel including a list of unique user-ids currently subscribed to the channel and the total occupancy count of the channel by calling the pubnub_here_now() function in your application.

Cache

This method has a 3 second response cache time.

Method(s)

To call Here Now you can use the following method(s) in the C-Core SDK:

enum pubnub_res pubnub_here_now (
  pubnub_t *p,
  const char *channel,
  const char *channel_group
)

Parameter	Type	Required	Description
p	pubnub_t*	Yes	Pointer to PubNub client context.
channel	const char*	Optional	The string with the channel name (or comma-delimited list of channel names) to get presence info for.
channel_group	const char*	Optional	The string with the channel name (or comma-delimited list of channel group names) to get presence info for.

Basic Usage

Get a list of uuids subscribed to channel

// Sync

pubnub_here_now(ctx, "my_channel", NULL);
pbresult = pubnub_await(ctx);
if (PNR_OK == pbresult) {
    char const *json_response = pubnub_get(ctx);
}

//callback

int here_now(pubnub_t *pn) {
  char const *chan = "my_channel";
  char const *msg;
  enum pubnub_res res;

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Rest Response from Server

The pubnub_here_now() function returns a list of user_id s currently subscribed to the channel.

• uuids:["String","String", ... ,"String"] - List of UUIDs currently subscribed to the channel.
• occupancy: Number - Total current occupancy of the channel.

{
    occupancy : 4,
    uuids : ['123123234t234f34fq3dq', '143r34f34t34fq34q34q3', '23f34d3f4rq34r34rq23q', 'w34tcw45t45tcw435tww3']
}

Extended Here Now

Extended Here Now Options structure

Options for extended here now, global or not, doesn't matter.

Method(s)

Declaration

struct pubnub_here_now_options {
    char const* channel_group;
    bool disable_uuids;
    bool state;
}

Members

Member	Type	Description
channel_group	char const*	Channel group (a comma-delimited list of channel group names). If NULL, will not be used.
disable_uuids	bool	If true will not give uuids associated with occupancy.
state	bool	If true (and if disable_uuds is false), will give associated state alongside uuid info.

Initialize extended Here Now options

This returns the default options for here-now transactions. Will set channel_group = NULL, disable_uuids=true and state = false.

Method(s)

Declaration

struct pubnub_here_now_options pubnub_here_now_defopts(void)

Parameters

This method doesn't take any arguments.

Basic Usage

struct pubnub_here_now_options opts = pubnub_here_now_defopts();

Returns

Type	Value	Description
struct pubnub_here_now_options		The default options for here-now.

Extended Here Now

The extended here now. It is basically the same as the pubnub_here_now(), just adding a few options that will be sent. Also, channel_group parameter is moved to options, it is not a regular function parameter, but, it's behavior is otherwise the same.

Method(s)

Declaration

enum pubnub_res pubnub_here_now_ex(
  pubnub_t *p,
  const char *channel,
  struct pubnub_here_now_options opt
)

Parameters

Parameter	Type	Required	Description
p	pubnub_t*	yes	The Pubnub context.
channel	char const*	yes	The string with the channel name (or comma-delimited list of channel names) to subscribe for.
opt	struct pubnub_here_now_options	yes	Here-now options.

Basic Usage

struct pubnub_here_now_options opt = pubnub_here_now_defopts();
opt.state = 1;
pbresult = pubnub_here_now_ex(pn, "my_channel", opt);

Returns

Type	Value	Description
enum pubnub_res	PNR_STARTED	Success.
	other	Indicates the type of error.

Where Now

Requires Presence add-on

This method requires that the Presence add-on is enabled for your key in the Admin Portal. Read the support page on enabling add-on features on your keys.

You can obtain information about the current list of channels to which a user_id is subscribed to by calling the pubnub_where_now() function in your application.

Timeout events

If the app is killed/crashes and restarted (or the page containing the PubNub instance is refreshed on the browser) within the heartbeat window no timeout event is generated.

Method(s)

To call pubnub_where_now() you can use the following method(s) in the C-Core SDK:

enum pubnub_res pubnub_where_now (
  pubnub_t *p,
  const char *user_id
)

Parameter	Type	Required	Description
p	pubnub_t*	Yes	Pointer to PubNub client context.
user_id	const char*	Optional	The user_id of the user to get the channel presence. If NULL, the current user_id of the p context will be used.

Basic Usage

You simply need to define the user_id and the callback function to be used to send the data to as in the example below.

Get a list of channels a USER_ID is subscribed to

// Sync

char const *msg;
enum pubnub_res res;

res = pubnub_where_now(pn, "my_user_id");
if (res != PNR_STARTED) {
  printf("pubnub_where_now() returned unexpected: %d\n", res);
  return -1;
}

res = pubnub_await(pn);

if (res == PNR_STARTED) {
  printf("pubnub_await() returned unexpected: PNR_STARTED(%d)\n", res);

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Rest Response from Server

The pubnub_where_now() function returns a list of channels a user_id is subscribed to.

• channels:["String","String", ... ,"String"] - List of channels a user_id is subscribed to.

Example Response

{
    "channels": [
        "lobby",
        "game01",
        "chat"
    ]
}

User State

Requires Presence add-on

This method requires that the Presence add-on is enabled for your key in the Admin Portal. Read the support page on enabling add-on features on your keys.

The state API is used to set/get key/value pairs specific to a subscriber user_id.

State information is supplied as a JSON object of key/value pairs.

Method(s)

Set State

enum pubnub_res pubnub_set_state (
  pubnub_t *p,
  char const *channel,
  char const *channel_group,
  const char *user_id,
  char const *state
)

Parameter	Type	Required	Description
p	pubnub_t*	Yes	Pointer to PubNub client context.
channel	char const*	Optional	The string with the channel name (or comma-delimited list of channel names) to set state for.
channel_group	char const*	Optional	The string with the channel name (or comma-delimited list of channel group names) to set state for.
user_id	const char*	Yes	The user_id of the user for which to set state for. If NULL, the current user_id of the p context will be used.
state	char const*	Yes	Has to be a JSON object

Get State

enum pubnub_res pubnub_state_get (
  pubnub_t *p,
  char const *channel,
  char const *channel_group,
  const char *user_id
)

Parameter	Type	Required	Description
p	pubnub_t*	Yes	Pointer to Pubnub Client Context
channel	char const*	Optional	The string with the channel name (or comma-delimited list of channel names) to get the state for.
channel_group	char const*	Optional	The string with the channel name (or comma-delimited list of channel group names) to get the state for.
user_id	const char*	Optional	The user_id of the user for which to get the state for. If NULL, the current user_id of the p context will be used.

Basic Usage

Set State

pubnub_set_state(ctx, "hello_world", NULL, NULL, NULL);
pbresult = pubnub_await(ctx);
if (PNR_OK == pbresult) {
    printf("Set success\n");
}

Get State

pubnub_get_state(ctx, "my_channel", NULL, NULL);
pbresult = pubnub_await(ctx);
if (PNR_OK == pbresult) {
    char const *json_response = pubnub_get(ctx);
}

Returns

The state API returns a JSON object containing key value pairs.

{
    first   : "Robert",
    last    : "Plant",
    age     : 59,
    region  : "UK"
}

Extended Set State

Requires Presence add-on

This method requires that the Presence add-on is enabled for your key in the Admin Portal. Read the support page on enabling add-on features on your keys.

Extended Set State Options structure

Parameter	Type	Required	Description
p	pubnub_t*	Yes	Pointer to PubNub client context.
channel_group	char const*	Optional	The string with the channel name (or comma-delimited list of channel group names) to set state for.
user_id	const char*	Yes	The user_id of the user for which to set state for. If NULL, the current user_id of the p context will be used.
heartbeat	bool	Yes	If set to true, you can set the state and make a heartbeat call at the same time via the /heartbeat endpoint.

Description

The extended state API is used to set/get key/value pairs specific to a subscriber user_id with extra options.

State information is supplied as a JSON object of key/value pairs.

Method(s)

Set State with options

enum pubnub_res pubnub_set_state_ex(
  pubnub_t* p, 
  const char* channel, 
  const char* state, 
  struct pubnub_set_state_options opts
)

Parameter	Type	Required	Description
p	pubnub_t*	Yes	Pointer to PubNub client context.
channel	char const*	Optional	The string with the channel name (or comma-delimited list of channel names) to set state for.
state	char const*	Yes	Has to be a JSON object.
opts	pubnub_set_state_options	Yes	Refer to Extended set state options structure.

Basic Usage

Set State with Heartbeat

struct pubnub_set_state_options opt = pubnub_set_state_defopts();
opt.heartbeat = true;
pbresult = pubnub_set_state_ex(pn, "my_channel", "{}", opt);

Returns

The state API returns the result of the transaction.

State was set: {"status": 200, "message": "OK", "service": "Presence"}

Heartbeat

Requires Presence add-on

This method requires that the Presence add-on is enabled for your key in the Admin Portal. Read the support page on enabling add-on features on your keys.

This method notifies channels and channel groups about a client's presence. You can send heartbeats to channels you are not subscribed to.

Method(s)

enum pubnub_res pubnub_heartbeat(
  pubnub_t*   pb,
  const char* channel,
  const char* channel_group
)

Parameter	Type	Required	Description
pb	pubnub_t*	Yes	Pointer to PubNub client context.
channel	char const*	Optional	The string with the channel name (or comma-delimited list of channel names) to notify.
channel_group	char const*	Optional	The string with the channel_group name (or comma-delimited list of channel group names) to notify.

Basic Usage

res = pubnub_heartbeat(pbp, chan, NULL);
if (PNR_STARTED == res) {
    res = pubnub_await(pbp);
}
if (PNR_OK == res) {
    puts("Heartbeated! Got messages:");
}
else {
    printf("Heartbeating failed with code: %d('%s')\n",
            res,
            pubnub_res_2_string(res));
}

Returns

This method returns a PubNub result enum or an error, depending on the status of the transaction.