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 ofPNHeartbeatNotifySuccess
andPNHeartbeatNotifyFailure
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 encryptmessages
pushed toPubNub
service and decryptmessages
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.
Default310
.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.
Default10
.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.
DefaultYES
.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.
DefaultYES
.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 ifPubNub
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
Default100
.completeRequestsBeforeSuspension
BOOL No Whether client should try complete all API call which is done before application will be completely suspended.
DefaultYES
.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. If you don't set the UUID
, you won't be able to connect to PubNub.
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];
- (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
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. If you don't set the UUID
, you won't be able to connect to PubNub.
#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
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. If you don't set the UUID
, you won't be able to connect to PubNub.
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
-
Note
Always set the
UUID
to uniquely identify the user or device that connects to PubNub. ThisUUID
should be persisted, and should remain unchanged for the lifetime of the user or the device. If you don't set theUUID
, you won't be able to connect to PubNub.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. ThisUUID
should be persisted, and should remain unchanged for the lifetime of the user or the device. If you don't set theUUID
, you won't be able to connect to PubNub.PNConfiguration *configuration = [PNConfiguration configurationWithPublishKey:@"" subscribeKey:@"demo"]; self.client = [PubNub clientWithConfiguration:configuration];
-
Set a custom
UUID
to identify your users.Note
Always set the
UUID
to uniquely identify the user or device that connects to PubNub. ThisUUID
should be persisted, and should remain unchanged for the lifetime of the user or the device. If you don't set theUUID
, you won't be able to connect to PubNub.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
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. If you don't set the UUID
, you won't be able to connect to PubNub.
// 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. ThisUUID
should be persisted, and should remain unchanged for the lifetime of the user or the device. If you don't set theUUID
, you won't be able to connect to PubNub.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
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;
}];
// 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
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. If you don't set the UUID
, you won't be able to connect to PubNub.
PNConfiguration *configuration = [PNConfiguration configurationWithPublishKey:@"demo"
subscribeKey:@"demo"];
self.client = [PubNub clientWithConfiguration:configuration];
self.client.filterExpression = @"(senderID=='PubNub')";
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).