Configuration API for PubNub C# SDK

C# V4 complete API reference for building real-time applications on PubNub, including basic usage and sample code.

Configuration

Description

PNConfiguration instance is storage for user-provided information which describe further PubNub client behavior. Configuration instance contain additional set of properties which allow to perform precise PubNub client configuration.

Method(s)

To create configuration instance you can use the following function in the C# V4 SDK:

PNConfiguration pnConfiguration = new PNConfiguration(new UserId("myUniqueUserId"));
PropertiesTypeRequiredDescription
SubscribeKeystringYesSubscribeKey from Admin Portal.
PublishKeystringOptionalPublishKey from Admin Portal (only required if publishing).
SecretKeystringOptionalSecretKey (only required for access operations, keep away from Android).
CipherKeystringOptionalIf cipher is passed, all communications to/from PubNub will be encrypted.
UserIdUserIdYesUserId to use. The UserId object takes string as an argument. You should set a unique identifier for the user or the device that connects to PubNub.
If you don't set the userId, you won't be able to connect to PubNub.
LogVerbosityPNLogVerbosityYesSet PNLogVerbosity.BODY to enable debugging. To disable debugging use the option PNLogVerbosity.NONE
AuthKeystringOptionalIf Access Manager is utilized, client will use this AuthKey in all restricted requests.
SecureboolOptionalUse SSL.
SubscribeTimeoutintOptionalHow long to keep the subscribe loop running before disconnect.The value is in seconds.
NonSubscribeRequestTimeoutintOptionalOn non subscribe operations, how long to wait for server response.The value is in seconds.
FilterExpressionstringOptionalFeature to subscribe with a custom filter expression.
HeartbeatNotificationOptionPNHeartbeatNotificationOptionOptionalHeartbeat notifications, by default, the SDK will alert on failed heartbeats (equivalent to: PNHeartbeatNotificationOption.FAILURES).
Other options such as all heartbeats (PNHeartbeatNotificationOption.ALL) or no heartbeats (PNHeartbeatNotificationOption.NONE) are supported.
OriginstringOptionalCustom Origin if needed.
ReconnectionPolicyPNReconnectionPolicyOptionalSet to PNReconnectionPolicy.LINEAR for automatic reconnects. Use option PNReconnectionPolicy.NONE to disable automatic reconnects.
Use option PNReconnectionPolicy.EXPONENTIAL to set exponential retry interval.
PresenceTimeoutintOptionalThe setting with set the custom presence server timeout.The value is in seconds.
PresenceIntervalintOptionalThe setting with set the custom presence server timeout along with the custom interval to send the ping back to the server.The value is in seconds.
ProxyProxyOptionalInstruct the SDK to use a Proxy configuration when communicating with PubNub servers.
PubnubLogIPubnubLogOptionalPass the instance of a class that implements IPubnubLog to capture logs for troubleshooting.
UseClassicHttpWebRequestboolOptionalUse HttpWebRequest to support ASP.NET/MVC and other IIS hosting applications.
EnableTelemetryboolOptionalEnables the SDK to capture analytics in terms of response time and sends them to PubNub server.
It is enabled by default.
RequestMessageCountThresholdNumberOptionalPNRequestMessageCountExceededCategory is thrown when the number of messages into the payload is above of requestMessageCountThreshold.
SuppressLeaveEventsboolOptionalWhen true the SDK doesn't send out the leave requests.
DedupOnSubscribeboolOptionalWhen true duplicates subscribe messages will be filtered out when devices cross regions.
MaximumMessagesCacheSizeintOptionalIt is used with DedupOnSubscribe to cache message size.Default is 100.
FileMessagePublishRetryLimitintOptionalThe number of tries made in case of Publish File Message failure.Default is 5.
UseRandomInitializationVectorboolOptionalWhen true the IV will be random for all requests and not just file upload. When false the IV will be hardcoded for all requests except File Upload.Default false.
UuidstringYesThis parameter is deprecated, use userId instead.

UUID to use. You should set a unique UUID to identify the user or the device that connects to PubNub.
If you don't set the UUID, you won't be able to connect to PubNub.

Basic Usage

Note

Always set the UserId to uniquely identify the user or device that connects to PubNub. This UserId should be persisted, and should remain unchanged for the lifetime of the user or the device. If you don't set the UserId, you won't be able to connect to PubNub.

// UserId passed during ini
PNConfiguration pnConfiguration = new PNConfiguration(new UserId("myUniqueUserId"));
// subscribeKey from Admin Portal
pnConfiguration.SubscribeKey = "SubscribeKey"; // required
// publishKey from Admin Portal (only required if publishing)
pnConfiguration.PublishKey = "PublishKey";
// secretKey (only required for access operations)
pnConfiguration.SecretKey = "SecretKey";
// if cipherKey is passed, all communicatons to/from pubnub will be encrypted
pnConfiguration.CipherKey = "cipherKey";
// Enable Debugging
pnConfigurationr.LogVebosity = PNLogVerbosity.BODY;
// if Access Manager is utilized, client will use this AuthKey in all restricted
// requests
pnConfiguration.AuthKey = "authKey";
// use SSL.
pnConfiguration.Secure = true;
// how long to keep the subscribe loop running before disconnect
pnConfiguration.SubscribeTimeout = 310;
// on non subscribe operations, how long to wait for server response
pnConfiguration.NonSubscribeRequestTimeout = 300;
// PSV2 feature to subscribe with a custom filter expression
pnConfiguration.FilterExpression = "such=wow";
// heartbeat notifications, by default, the SDK will alert on failed heartbeats.
// other options such as all heartbeats or no heartbeats are supported.
pnConfiguration.HeartbeatNotificationOption = PNHeartbeatNotificationOption.All;
pnConfiguration.SetPresenceTimeoutWithCustomInterval(120, 59);
pnConfiguration.PresenceTimeout = 120;
// Use HttpWebRequest to support ASP.NET/MVC and other IIS hosting applications
pnConfiguration.UseClassicHttpWebRequest= true;

Initialization

Include the code 

using PubnubApi;

Description

This function is used for initializing the PubNub Client API context. This function must be called before attempting to utilize any API functionality in order to establish account level credentials such as PublishKey and SubscribeKey.

Method(s)

To Initialize PubNub you can use the following method(s) in the C# V4 SDK:

new Pubnub(pnConfiguration);
ParameterTypeRequiredDescription
pnConfigurationPNConfigurationYesGoto Configuration for more details.

Basic Usage

Initialize the PubNub client API:

Note

Always set the UserId to uniquely identify the user or device that connects to PubNub. This UserId should be persisted, and should remain unchanged for the lifetime of the user or the device. If you don't set the UserId, you won't be able to connect to PubNub.

PNConfiguration pnConfiguration = new PNConfiguration(new UserId("myUniqueUserId"));
pnConfiguration.PublishKey = "my_pubkey";
pnConfiguration.SubscribeKey = "my_subkey";
pnConfiguration.Secure = true;
Pubnub pubnub = new Pubnub(pnConfiguration);

Returns

It returns the PubNub instance for invoking PubNub APIs like Publish(), Subscribe(), History(), HereNow(), etc.

Other Examples

  1. Initialize a non-secure client:

    Note

    Always set the UserId to uniquely identify the user or device that connects to PubNub. This UserId should be persisted, and should remain unchanged for the lifetime of the user or the device. If you don't set the UserId, you won't be able to connect to PubNub.

    PNConfiguration pnConfiguration = new PNConfiguration(new UserId("myUniqueUserId"));
pnConfiguration.PublishKey = "my_pubkey";
pnConfiguration.SubscribeKey = "my_subkey";
pnConfiguration.Secure = false;
Pubnub pubnub = new Pubnub(pnConfiguration);

  2. Initialization for a Read-Only client:

    In the case where a client will only read messages and never publish to a channel, you can simply omit the PublishKey when initializing the client:

    Note

    Always set the UserId to uniquely identify the user or device that connects to PubNub. This UserId should be persisted, and should remain unchanged for the lifetime of the user or the device. If you don't set the UserId, you won't be able to connect to PubNub.

    PNConfiguration pnConfiguration = new PNConfiguration(new UserId("myUniqueUserId"));
pnConfiguration.SubscribeKey = "my_subkey";
Pubnub pubnub = new Pubnub(pnConfiguration);

  3. Initializing with SSL Enabled:

    This examples demonstrates how to enable PubNub Transport Layer Encryption with SSL. Just initialize the client with Secure set to true. The hard work is done, now the PubNub API takes care of the rest. Just subscribe and publish as usual and you are good to go.

    Note

    Always set the UserId to uniquely identify the user or device that connects to PubNub. This UserId should be persisted, and should remain unchanged for the lifetime of the user or the device. If you don't set the UserId, you won't be able to connect to PubNub.

    PNConfiguration pnConfiguration = new PNConfiguration(new UserId("myUniqueUserId"));
pnConfiguration.PublishKey = "my_pubkey";
pnConfiguration.SubscribeKey = "my_subkey";
pnConfiguration.Secure = true;
Pubnub pubnub = new Pubnub(pnConfiguration);

  4. Initializing with Access Manager: Requires Access Manager add-onRequires that the Access Manager add-on is enabled for your key. See this page on enabling add-on features on your keys:
    https://support.pubnub.com/hc/en-us/articles/360051974791-How-do-I-enable-add-on-features-for-my-keys-

    Note

    Anyone with the SecretKey can grant and revoke permissions to your app. Never let your SecretKey be discovered, and to only exchange it / deliver it securely. Only use the SecretKey on secure server-side platforms.

    When you init with SecretKey, you get root permissions for the Access Manager. With this feature you don't have to grant access to your servers to access channel data. The servers get all access on all channels.

    For applications that will administer Access Manager permissions, the API is initialized with the SecretKey as in the following example:

    Note

    Always set the UserId to uniquely identify the user or device that connects to PubNub. This UserId should be persisted, and should remain unchanged for the lifetime of the user or the device. If you don't set the UserId, you won't be able to connect to PubNub.

    PNConfiguration pnConfiguration = new PNConfiguration(new UserId("myUniqueUserId"));
pnConfiguration.PublishKey = "my_pubkey";
pnConfiguration.SubscribeKey = "my_subkey";
pnConfiguration.SecretKey = "my_secretkey";
pnConfiguration.Secure = true;

Pubnub pubnub = new Pubnub(pnConfiguration);

    Now that the pubnub object is instantiated the client will be able to access the Access Manager functions. The pubnub object will use the SecretKey to sign all Access Manager messages to the PubNub Network.

Event Listeners

Description

You can be notified of connectivity status, message and presence notifications via the listeners.

Listeners should be added before calling the method.

Method 1 to add listener

// Adding listener.
pubnub.AddListener(new SubscribeCallbackExt(
    delegate (Pubnub pnObj, PNMessageResult<object> pubMsg)
    {
        Console.WriteLine(pubnub.JsonPluggableLibrary.SerializeToJsonString(pubMsg));
        var channelName = pubMsg.Channel;
        var channelGroupName = pubMsg.Subscription;
        var pubTT = pubMsg.Timetoken;
        var msg = pubMsg.Message;
        var publisher = pubMsg.Publisher;
    },
    delegate (Pubnub pnObj, PNPresenceEventResult presenceEvnt)
    {
        Console.WriteLine(pubnub.JsonPluggableLibrary.SerializeToJsonString(presenceEvnt));
        var action = presenceEvnt.Event; // Can be join, leave, state-change or timeout
        var channelName = presenceEvnt.Channel; // The channel for which the message belongs
        var occupancy = presenceEvnt.Occupancy; // No. of users connected with the channel
        var state = presenceEvnt.State; // User State
        var channelGroupName = presenceEvnt.Subscription; //  The channel group or wildcard subscription match (if exists)
        var publishTime = presenceEvnt.Timestamp; // Publish timetoken
        var timetoken = presenceEvnt.Timetoken;  // Current timetoken
        var uuid = presenceEvnt.Uuid; // UUIDs of users who are connected with the channel
    },
    delegate (Pubnub pnObj, PNSignalResult<object> signalMsg)
    {
        Console.WriteLine(pubnub.JsonPluggableLibrary.SerializeToJsonString(signalMsg));
        var channelName = signalMsg.Channel; // The channel for which the signal belongs
        var channelGroupName = signalMsg.Subscription; // The channel group or wildcard subscription match (if exists)
        var pubTT = signalMsg.Timetoken; // Publish timetoken
        var msg = signalMsg.Message; // The Payload
        var publisher = signalMsg.Publisher; //The Publisher
    },
    delegate (Pubnub pnObj, PNObjectEventResult objectEventObj)
    {
        var channelName = objectEventObj.Channel; // Channel
        var channelMetadata = objectEventObj.ChannelMetadata; //Channel Metadata
        var uidMetadata = objectEventObj.UuidMetadata; // UUID metadata
        var evnt = objectEventObj.Event; // Event
        var type = objectEventObj.Type; // Event type
        if (objectEventObj.Type == "uuid") {
                /* got uuid metadata related event. */
            }
        else if (objectEventObj.Type == "channel") {
                /* got channel metadata related event. */
            }
        else if (objectEventObj.Type == "membership") {
                /* got membership related event. */
            }
        Console.WriteLine(pubnub.JsonPluggableLibrary.SerializeToJsonString(objectEventObj));
    },
    delegate (Pubnub pnObj, PNMessageActionEventResult msgActionEvent)
    {
        //handle message action
        var channelName = msgActionEvent.Channel; // The channel for which the message belongs
        var msgEvent = msgActionEvent.Action; // message action added or removed
        var msgActionType = msgActionEvent.Event; // message action type
        var messageTimetoken = msgActionEvent.MessageTimetoken; // The timetoken of the original message
        var actionTimetoken = msgActionEvent.ActionTimetoken; //The timetoken of the message action
    },
    delegate (Pubnub pnObj, PNFileEventResult fileEvent)
    {
        //handle file message event
        var channelName = fileEvent.Channel;
        var chanelGroupName = fileEvent.Subscription;
        var fieldId = (fileEvent.File != null) ? fileEvent.File.Id : null;
        var fileName = (fileEvent.File != null) ? fileEvent.File.Name : null;
        var fileUrl = (fileEvent.File != null) ? fileEvent.File.Url : null;
        var fileMessage = fileEvent.Message;
        var filePublisher = fileEvent.Publisher;
        var filePubTT = fileEvent.Timetoken;
    },
    delegate (Pubnub pnObj, PNStatus pnStatus)
    {
        Console.WriteLine("{0} {1} {2}", pnStatus.Operation, pnStatus.Category, pnStatus.StatusCode);
        var affectedChannelGroups = pnStatus.AffectedChannelGroups; // The channel groups affected in the operation, of type array.
        var affectedChannels = pnStatus.AffectedChannels; // The channels affected in the operation, of type array.
        var category = pnStatus.Category; //Returns PNConnectedCategory
        var operation = pnStatus.Operation; //Returns PNSubscribeOperation
    }
));

//Add listener to receive Signal messages
SubscribeCallbackExt signalSubscribeCallback = new SubscribeCallbackExt(
    delegate (Pubnub pubnubObj, PNSignalResult<object> message) {
        // Handle new signal message stored in message.Message
    },
    delegate (Pubnub pubnubObj, PNStatus status)
    {
        // the status object returned is always related to subscribe but could contain
        // information about subscribe, heartbeat, or errors
    }
);
pubnub.AddListener(signalSubscribeCallback);

SubscribeCallbackExt eventListener = new SubscribeCallbackExt(
    delegate (Pubnub pnObj, PNObjectEventResult objectEvent)
    {
        string channelMetadataId = objectEvent.Channel; // The channel
        string uuidMetadataId = objectEvent.Uuid; // The UUID
        string objEvent = objectEvent.Event; // The event name that occurred
        string eventType = objectEvent.Type; // The event type that occurred
        PNUuidMetadataResult uuidMetadata = objectEvent.UuidMetadata; // UuidMetadata
        PNChannelMetadataResult channelMetadata = objectEvent.ChannelMetadata; // ChannelMetadata
    },
    delegate (Pubnub pnObj, PNStatus status)
    {

    }
);
pubnub.AddListener(eventListener);

Method 2 to add listener

public class DevSubscribeCallback : SubscribeCallback
    {
        public override void Message<T>(Pubnub pubnub, PNMessageResult<T> message)
        {
            // Handle new message stored in message.Message
        }

        public override void Presence(Pubnub pubnub, PNPresenceEventResult presence)
        {
            // handle incoming presence data
        }

        public override void Signal<T>(Pubnub pubnub, PNSignalResult<T> signal)
        {
            // Handle new signal message stored in signal.Message
        }

        public override void Status(Pubnub pubnub, PNStatus status)
        {
            // the status object returned is always related to subscribe but could contain
            // information about subscribe, heartbeat, or errors
            // use the PNOperationType to switch on different options
            switch (status.Operation)
            {
                // let's combine unsubscribe and subscribe handling for ease of use
            case PNOperationType.PNSubscribeOperation:
            case PNOperationType.PNUnsubscribeOperation:
                // note: subscribe statuses never have traditional
                // errors, they just have categories to represent the
                // different issues or successes that occur as part of subscribe
                switch (status.Category)
                {
                    case PNStatusCategory.PNConnectedCategory:
                        // this is expected for a subscribe, this means there is no error or issue whatsoever
                        break;
                    case PNStatusCategory.PNReconnectedCategory:
                        // this usually occurs if subscribe temporarily fails but reconnects. This means
                        // there was an error but there is no longer any issue
                        break;
                    case PNStatusCategory.PNDisconnectedCategory:
                        // this is the expected category for an unsubscribe. This means there
                        // was no error in unsubscribing from everything
                        break;
                    case PNStatusCategory.PNUnexpectedDisconnectCategory:
                        // this is usually an issue with the internet connection, this is an error, handle appropriately
                        break;
                    case PNStatusCategory.PNAccessDeniedCategory:
                        // this means that Access Manager does allow this client to subscribe to this
                        // channel and channel group configuration. This is another explicit error
                        break;
                    default:
                        // More errors can be directly specified by creating explicit cases for other
                        // error categories of `PNStatusCategory` such as `PNTimeoutCategory` or `PNMalformedFilterExpressionCategory` or `PNDecryptionErrorCategory`
                        break;
                }
                break;
            case PNOperationType.PNHeartbeatOperation:
                // heartbeat operations can in fact have errors, so it is important to check first for an error.
                if (status.Error)
                {
                    // There was an error with the heartbeat operation, handle here
                }
                else
                {
                    // heartbeat operation was successful
                }
                break;
            default:
                // Encountered unknown status type
                break;
            }
        }

        public override void ObjectEvent(Pubnub pubnub, PNObjectEventResult objectEvent)
        {
            // handle incoming user, space and membership event data
        }

        public override void MessageAction(Pubnub pubnub, PNMessageActionEventResult messageAction)
        {
            // handle incoming message action events
        }
    }

// Usage of the above listener
DevSubscribeCallback regularListener = new DevSubscribeCallback();
pubnub.AddListener(regularListener);

Removing Listeners

SubscribeCallbackExt listenerSubscribeCallack = new SubscribeCallbackExt(
    (pubnubObj, message) => { },
    (pubnubObj, presence) => { },
    (pubnubObj, status) => { });

pubnub.AddListener(listenerSubscribeCallack);

// some time later
pubnub.RemoveListener(listenerSubscribeCallack);

Listener status events

CategoryDescription
PNNetworkIssuesCategoryThe SDK is not able to reach the PubNub Data Stream Network because the machine or device are not connected to Internet or this has been lost, your ISP (Internet Service Provider) is having to troubles or perhaps or the SDK is behind of a proxy.
PNUnknownCategoryPubNub SDK could return this Category if the captured error is insignificant client side error or not known type at the time of SDK development.
PNBadRequestCategoryPubNub C# SDK will send PNBadRequestCategory when some parameter is missing like subscribe key, publish key.
PNTimeoutCategoryProcessing has failed because of request time out.
PNReconnectedCategorySDK was able to reconnect to pubnub.
PNConnectedCategorySDK subscribed with a new mix of channels (fired every time the channel / channel group mix changed).

UserId

Description

These functions are used to set/get a user ID on the fly.

Property(s)

To set/get UserId you can use the following property(s) in C# V4 SDK:

config.UserId = new UserId("myUserId");
PropertyTypeRequiredDescription
UserIdstringYesUserId to be used as a device identifier. If you don't set the UserId, you won't be able to connect to PubNub.
 
pubnub.GetCurrentUserId();

This method doesn't take any arguments.

Basic Usage

Set User ID:

Note

Always set the UserId to uniquely identify the user or device that connects to PubNub. This UserId should be persisted, and should remain unchanged for the lifetime of the user or the device. If you don't set the UserId, you won't be able to connect to PubNub.

PNConfiguration pnConfiguration = new PNConfiguration pnConfiguration = new PNConfiguration(new UserId("myUniqueUserId"));
config.UserId = new UserId("myUserId");

Get User ID: 

var currentUserId = pubnub.GetCurrentUserId();

Authentication Key

Description

Setter and getter for users auth key.

Property(s)

AuthKey
PropertyTypeRequiredDescription
AuthKeystringYesIf Access Manager is utilized, client will use this AuthKey in all restricted requests.
 
pnConfiguration.AuthKey;

This method doesn't take any arguments.

Basic Usage

Set Auth Key 

PNConfiguration pnConfiguration = new PNConfiguration pnConfiguration = new PNConfiguration(new UserId("myUniqueUserId"));
pnConfiguration.AuthKey = "authKey";

Get Auth Key 

var sampleAuthKey = pnConfiguration.AuthKey;

Returns

Get Auth key returns the current authentication key.

Filter Expression

Requires Stream Controller add-onRequires that the Stream Controller add-on is enabled for your key. See this page on enabling add-on features on your keys:
https://support.pubnub.com/hc/en-us/articles/360051974791-How-do-I-enable-add-on-features-for-my-keys-

Description

Stream filtering allows a subscriber to apply a filter to only receive messages that satisfy the conditions of the filter. The message filter is set by the subscribing client(s) but it is applied on the server side thus preventing unwanted messages (those that do not meet the conditions of the filter) from reaching the subscriber.

To set/get filters you can use the following property. To learn more about filtering,refer to the Publish Messages documentation.

Property(s)

FilterExpression
PropertyTypeRequiredDescription
FilterExpressionstringYesPSV2 feature to Subscribe with a custom filter expression.
 
pnConfiguration.FilterExpression;

This method doesn't take any arguments.

Basic Usage

Set Filter Expression

Note

Always set the UserId to uniquely identify the user or device that connects to PubNub. This UserId should be persisted, and should remain unchanged for the lifetime of the user or the device. If you don't set the UserId, you won't be able to connect to PubNub.

PNConfiguration pnConfiguration = new PNConfiguration pnConfiguration = new PNConfiguration(new UserId("myUniqueUserId"));
pnConfiguration.FilterExpression = "such=wow";

Get Filter Expression 

var sampleFilterExp = pnConfiguration.FilterExpression;
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