Configuration API for PubNub Cocoa Objective-C SDK

Cocoa 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 Cocoa SDK:

+ (instancetype)configurationWithPublishKey:(NSString *)publishKey subscribeKey:(NSString *)subscribeKey;

Parameter	Type	Required	Description
`publishKey`	NSString	Yes	Key which allow client to use data push API.
`subscribeKey`	NSString	Yes	Key which allow client to subscribe on live feeds pushed from PubNub service.
`heartbeatNotificationOptions`	PNHeartbeatNotificationOptions	No	These are bitmask options, they can be combined. When client instances are notified about heartbeat operations, this happens through the `PNObjectEventListener` callback for statuses. `PNHeartbeatNotifySuccess`: explicitly tells client to notify on successful heartbeat operations. `PNHeartbeatNotifyFailure`: explicitly tells client to notify on failed heartbeat operations (default is only this option) `PNHeartbeatNotifyAll`: This is a combination of `PNHeartbeatNotifySuccess` and `PNHeartbeatNotifyFailure` `PNHeartbeatNotifyNone`: This means the client will not provide any callback notifications for heartbeat operations.
`stripMobilePayload`	BOOL	No	Stores whether client should strip out received messages (real-time and history) from data which has been appended by client (like mobile payload for push notifications).
`cipherKey`	NSString	No	`Key` which is used to encrypt `messages` pushed to `PubNub` service and decrypt `messages` received from live feeds on which client subscribed at this moment.
`subscribeMaximumIdleTime`	NSTimeInterval	No	Maximum number of seconds which client should wait for events from live feed. Default `310`.
`nonSubscribeRequestTimeout`	NSTimeInterval	No	Number of seconds which is used by client during non-subscription operations to check whether response potentially failed with `timeout` or not. Default `10`.
`presenceHeartbeatValue`	NSInteger	No	Number of seconds which is used by server to track whether client still subscribed on remote data objects live feed or not.
`presenceHeartbeatInterval`	NSInteger	No	Number of seconds which is used by client to issue heartbeat requests to `PubNub` service.
`keepTimeTokenOnListChange`	BOOL	No	Whether client should keep previous timetoken when subscribe on new set of remote data objects live feeds. Default `YES`.
`catchUpOnSubscriptionRestore`	BOOL	No	Whether client should try to catch up for events which occurred on previously subscribed remote data objects feed while client was off-line. Default `YES`.
`applicationExtensionSharedGroupIdentifier`	NSString	No	Reference on group identifier which is used to share request cache between application extension and it's containing application. This property should be set to valid registered group only if `PubNub` client is used inside of application's extension (iOS 8.0+, macOS 10.10+).
`requestMessageCountThreshold`	NSUInteger	No	Number of maximum expected messages from `PubNub` service in single response.
`maximumMessagesCacheSize`	NSUInteger	No	Messages de-duplication cache size Default `100`.
`completeRequestsBeforeSuspension`	BOOL	No	Whether client should try complete all API call which is done before application will be completely suspended. Default `YES`.
`suppressLeaveEvents`	BOOL	No	If `YES`, the client shouldn't send presence leave events during the unsubscribe process.
`origin`	NSString	No	If a custom domain is required, SDK accepts it here.

Basic Usage

Note

Always set the UUID to uniquely identify the user or device that connects to PubNub. This UUID should be persisted, and should remain unchanged for the lifetime of the user or the device. Not setting the UUID can significantly impact your billing if your account uses the Monthly Active Users (MAUs) based pricing model, and can also lead to unexpected behavior if you have Presence enabled.

PNConfiguration *config = [PNConfiguration configurationWithPublishKey:@"demo"
                                                          subscribeKey:@"demo"];
config.uuid = @"myUniqueUUID";
self.client = [PubNub clientWithConfiguration:config];
[self.client addListener:self];

Returns

Configured and ready to use client configuration instance.

Other Examples

Configure heartbeat notifications PNConfiguration:

PNConfiguration *config = [PNConfiguration configurationWithPublishKey:@"<pub key>" subscribeKey:@"<sub key>"];
/**
 This is where you need to adjust the PNConfiguration object for the types of heartbeat notifications you want.
 This is a bitmask of options located at https://github.com/pubnub/objective-c/blob/1f1c7a41a3bd8c32b644a6ad98fe179d45397c2b/PubNub/Misc/PNStructures.h#L24
 */
config.heartbeatNotificationOptions = PNHeartbeatNotifyAll;

self.client = [PubNub clientWithConfiguration:config];
[self.client addListener:self];

Listener:

- (void)client:(PubNub *)client didReceiveStatus:(PNStatus *)status {

    if (status.operation == PNHeartbeatOperation) {

        /**
         Heartbeat operations can in fact have errors, so it is important to check first for an error.
         For more information on how to configure heartbeat notifications through the status
         PNObjectEventListener callback, consult http://www.pubnub.com/docs/sdks/objective-c/api-reference/configuration#configuration_basic_usage
         */

        if (!status.isError) { /* Heartbeat operation was successful. */ }
        else { /* There was an error with the heartbeat operation, handle here. */ }
    }
}

Initialization

To include PubNub SDK in your project you need to use CocoaPods.

Install CocoaPods gem by following the procedure defined under How to Get It To add the PubNub SDK to your project with CocoaPods, there are four basic tasks to complete which are covered below:

Create new Xcode project.
Create Podfile in new Xcode project root folder
```
touch Podfile
```
The PubNub client can be added as module (only with a deployment target of OS X 10.9 and above):
```
source 'https://github.com/CocoaPods/Specs.git'
platform :osx, "10.9"
use_frameworks!

target 'application-target-name' do
    pod "PubNub", "~> 4.1"
end
```
If you have any other pods you'd like to include, or if you have other targets you'd to add (like a test target) add those entries to this Podfile as well. See the CocoaPods documentation for more information on Podfile configuration.
Install your pods by running pod install via the command line from the directory that contains your Podfile.

Note

After installing your Pods, you should only be working within the workspace generated by CocoaPods or specified by you in Podfile. Always open the newly generated workspace file, not the original project file!

To be able to use PubNub SDK within your application code you need to import it. Import PubNub SDK headers in implementation files for classes where you need to use it using this import statement:

#import <PubNub/PubNub.h>

Complete application delegate configuration

Add the PNObjectEventListener protocol to AppDelegate in implementation file to anonymous category:

Note

#import <PubNub/PubNub.h>

@interface AppDelegate () <PNObjectEventListener>

// Stores reference on PubNub client to make sure what it won't be released.
@property (nonatomic, strong) PubNub *client;

@end

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 Cocoa SDK:

```
+ (instancetype)clientWithConfiguration:(PNConfiguration *)configuration;
```
Parameter Type Required Description

configuration PNConfiguration Yes Reference on instance which store all user-provided information about how client should operate and handle events.

+ (instancetype)clientWithConfiguration:(PNConfiguration *)configuration callbackQueue:(dispatch_queue_t)callbackQueue;

Parameter	Type	Required	Description
`configuration`	PNConfiguration	Yes	Reference on instance which store all user-provided information about how client should operate and handle events.
`callbackQueue`	dispatch_queue_t	No	Reference on queue which should be used by client for completion block and delegate calls.

Basic Usage

Initialize the PubNub client API:

Note

PNConfiguration *configuration = [PNConfiguration configurationWithPublishKey:@"demo"
                                                                 subscribeKey:@"demo"];
configuration.TLSEnabled = YES;
configuration.uuid = @"myUniqueUUID";
self.client = [PubNub clientWithConfiguration:configuration];

Returns

It returns the PubNub instance for invoking PubNub APIs like publish, subscribeToChannels, historyForChannel, hereNowForChannel, etc.

Other Examples

Initialize the client:

Note

Always set the UUID to uniquely identify the user or device that connects to PubNub. This UUID should be persisted, and should remain unchanged for the lifetime of the user or the device. Not setting the UUID can significantly impact your billing if your account uses the Monthly Active Users (MAUs) based pricing model, and can also lead to unexpected behavior if you have Presence enabled.
```
PNConfiguration *configuration = [PNConfiguration configurationWithPublishKey:@"demo"
                                                                 subscribeKey:@"demo"];
configuration.uuid = @"myUniqueUUID";
self.client = [PubNub clientWithConfiguration:configuration];
```
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 UUID to uniquely identify the user or device that connects to PubNub. This UUID should be persisted, and should remain unchanged for the lifetime of the user or the device. Not setting the UUID can significantly impact your billing if your account uses the Monthly Active Users (MAUs) based pricing model, and can also lead to unexpected behavior if you have Presence enabled.
```
PNConfiguration *configuration = [PNConfiguration configurationWithPublishKey:@""
                                                                 subscribeKey:@"demo"];
self.client = [PubNub clientWithConfiguration:configuration];
```
Use a custom UUID

Set a custom UUID to identify your users.

Note

Always set the UUID to uniquely identify the user or device that connects to PubNub. This UUID should be persisted, and should remain unchanged for the lifetime of the user or the device. Not setting the UUID can significantly impact your billing if your account uses the Monthly Active Users (MAUs) based pricing model, and can also lead to unexpected behavior if you have Presence enabled.
```
PNConfiguration *configuration = [PNConfiguration configurationWithPublishKey:@"myPublishKey"
                                                                 subscribeKey:@"mySubscribeKey"];
configuration.uuid = @"myUniqueUUID";
self.client = [PubNub clientWithConfiguration:configuration];
```

UUID

Description

This function is used to set a user ID on the fly.

Method(s)

To set UUID you can use the following method(s) in Cocoa SDK:

@property (nonatomic, copy, setter = setUUID:) NSString *uuid;

Basic Usage

Note

// User authorized and we need to update used UUID
PNConfiguration *configuration = self.client.currentConfiguration;
configuration.uuid = @"myUniqueUUID";

__weak __typeof(self) weakSelf = self;
[self.client copyWithConfiguration:configuration completion:^(PubNub *client) {

    weakSelf.client = client;
}];

Other Examples

Creating a function to subscribe a unique channel name:

/**
 Subscription process results arrive to listener which should adopt to
 PNObjectEventListener protocol and registered using:
 */
[self.client addListener:self];
[self.client subscribeToChannels:@[[NSUUID UUID].UUIDString] withPresence:NO];

// Handle new message from one of channels on which client has been subscribed.
- (void)client:(PubNub *)client didReceiveMessage:(PNMessageResult *)message {

    // Handle new message stored in message.data.message
    if (![message.data.channel isEqualToString:message.data.subscription]) {

        // Message has been received on channel group stored in message.data.subscription.
    }
    else {

        // Message has been received on channel stored in message.data.channel.
    }

    NSLog(@"Received message: %@ on channel %@ at %@", message.data.message,
          message.data.channel, message.data.timetoken);
}

// Handle subscription status change.
- (void)client:(PubNub *)client didReceiveStatus:(PNStatus *)status {

    if (status.operation == PNSubscribeOperation) {

        // Check whether received information about successful subscription or restore.
        if (status.category == PNConnectedCategory || status.category == PNReconnectedCategory) {

            // Status object for those categories can be casted to `PNSubscribeStatus` for use below.
            PNSubscribeStatus *subscribeStatus = (PNSubscribeStatus *)status;
            if (subscribeStatus.category == PNConnectedCategory) {

                // This is expected for a subscribe, this means there is no error or issue whatsoever.
            }
            else {

                /**
                 This usually occurs if subscribe temporarily fails but reconnects. This means there was
                 an error but there is no longer any issue.
                 */
            }
        }
        else if (status.category == PNUnexpectedDisconnectCategory) {

            /**
             This is usually an issue with the internet connection, this is an error, handle
             appropriately retry will be called automatically.
             */
        }
        // Looks like some kind of issues happened while client tried to subscribe or disconnected from
        // network.
        else {

            PNErrorStatus *errorStatus = (PNErrorStatus *)status;
            if (errorStatus.category == PNAccessDeniedCategory) {

                /**
                 This means that PAM does allow this client to subscribe to this channel and channel group
                 configuration. This is another explicit error.
                 */
            }
            else {

                /**
                 More errors can be directly specified by creating explicit cases for other error categories
                 of `PNStatusCategory` such as: `PNDecryptionErrorCategory`,
                 `PNMalformedFilterExpressionCategory`, `PNMalformedResponseCategory`, `PNTimeoutCategory`
                 or `PNNetworkIssuesCategory`
                 */
            }
        }
    }
}

Initializing with a custom uuid:

Note

Always set the UUID to uniquely identify the user or device that connects to PubNub. This UUID should be persisted, and should remain unchanged for the lifetime of the user or the device. Not setting the UUID can significantly impact your billing if your account uses the Monthly Active Users (MAUs) based pricing model, and can also lead to unexpected behavior if you have Presence enabled.
```
PNConfiguration *configuration = self.client.currentConfiguration;
configuration.uuid = @"myUniqueUUID";

__weak __typeof(self) weakSelf = self;
[self.client copyWithConfiguration:configuration completion:^(PubNub *client) {

    // Store reference on new client with updated configuration.
    weakSelf.client = client;
}];
```

Creating a unique auth_key for PAM on initialization:

PNConfiguration *configuration = self.client.currentConfiguration;
configuration.authKey = [NSUUID UUID].UUIDString.lowercaseString;

__weak __typeof(self) weakSelf = self;
[self.client copyWithConfiguration:configuration completion:^(PubNub *client) {

    // Store reference on new client with updated configuration.
    weakSelf.client = client;
}];

Authentication Key

Description

Setter and getter for users auth key.

Method(s)

@property (nonatomic, nullable, copy) NSString *authKey;

@property (nonatomic, copy, setter = setUUID:) NSString *uuid;

Basic Usage

Set Auth Key

PNConfiguration *configuration = self.client.currentConfiguration;
configuration.authKey = @"my_new_authkey";

__weak __typeof(self) weakSelf = self;
[self.client copyWithConfiguration:configuration completion:^(PubNub *client) {

    // Store reference on new client with updated configuration.
    weakSelf.client = client;
}];

Get Auth Key

// Request current client configuration and pull out authorisation key from it.
NSString *authorizationKey = self.client.currentConfiguration.authKey;

Returns

Get Auth key returns the current authentication key.

Filter Expression

Requires Stream Controller add-on Requires 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.

Method(s)

@property (nonatomic, nullable, copy) NSString *filterExpression;

Basic Usage

Set Filter Expression

Note

PNConfiguration *configuration = [PNConfiguration configurationWithPublishKey:@"demo"
                                                                 subscribeKey:@"demo"];
self.client = [PubNub clientWithConfiguration:configuration];
self.client.filterExpression = @"(senderID=='PubNub')";

Get Filter Expression

NSLog(@"Filtering expression: %@", self.client.filterExpression);

Returns

Get Filter Expression returns the Current filtering expression.

Warning

If filter expression is malformed, PNObjectEventListener won't receive any messages and presence events from service (only error status).