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MNPHP January 5, 2012ZF: Push Notifications By Mike Willbanks Software Engineering Manager CaringBridge

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About Mike… • Software Engineering Manager at CaringBridge • Open Source Contributor • Where you can find me:  Twitter: mwillbanks  G+: Mike Willbanks  IRC (freenode): lubs  Blog: http://blog.digitalstruct.com2

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Agenda • Overview of Push Notifications • Overview of Zend_Mobile [_Push]  Not currently implemented in ZF 1.x; maybe ZF 1.12. • Android Push Notifications (C2DM) • Apple Push Notifications (APNS) • Microsoft Push Notifications • BlackBerry Push Notifications • Questions  Although you can bring them up at anytime!3

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OverviewWhat are they?What is the benefit?High level; how do these things work?

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What Are They • Push Notifications…  Are a message pushed to a central location and delivered to you.  Are (often) the same thing at a pub/sub model.  In the Mobile Space… • These messages often contain other technologies such as alerts, tiles, or raw data.5

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In Pictures…6

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Benefits of Push NotificationsThe benefits of push notifications are numerous; thequestion is if you have an app and you are running servicesto poll; why would you do such a thing!

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One word… Battery Life8

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Impact of Polling9

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Battery Life • Push notification services for mobile are highly efficient; it runs in the device background and enables your application to receive the message. • The other part of this; if you implemented it otherwise you would be polling. This not only wastes precious battery but also wastes their bandwidth.  NOTE: This is not always true; if you are sending data to the phone more often than a poll would do in 15 minutes; you are better off implementing polling.10

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Can We Deliver?11

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Delivery • When you poll; things are generally 15+ minutes out to save on battery. In a push notification these happen almost instantly.  We’ve generally seen within 1-3s between sending a push notification to seeing it arrive on the device. • Additionally; push notifications can be sent to the device even if it is offline or turned off. • However, not all messages are guaranteed for delivery  You may hit quotas  Some notification servers only allow a single message to be in queue at 1 time (some group by collapse key), and others remove duplicates.12

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How These Things WorkThe 10,000 foot view.

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10,000 Foot View of C2DM14

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10,000 Foot View of APNS15

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10,000 Foot View of Windows Push16

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10,000 Foot View of BlackBerry17

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Overview of Zend_Mobile_Push • Created Zend_Mobile component in November because I was irritated with the other libraries that currently existed. • More fluid way of sending push notifications. • Requires Zend Framework 1.x  Hopefully will make it into the ZF 1.12 release planned within the next month or two. • Handles sending push notifications to 3 systems  APNS, C2DM and MPNS • Library is located in my GitHub account  https://github.com/mwillbanks/Zend_Mobile18

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Setting up the Library • Git clone the package somewhere you would like it to live. • Adjust your include_path (likely set in index.php) • You’re ready to rock! • Hopefully; in the future you won’t have to do anything 19

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Walking Through AndroidUnderstanding C2DMAnatomy of a MessagePushing MessagesDisplaying Items on the Client

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Understanding C2DM • It allows third-party application servers to send lightweight messages to their Android applications. • C2DM makes no guarantees about delivery or the order of messages. • An application on an Android device doesn’t need to be running to receive messages. • It does not provide any built-in user interface or other handling for message data. • It requires devices running Android 2.2 or higher that also have the Market application installed. • It uses an existing connection for Google services (Through the Google Market)21

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Registering for C2DM • First things first – you must sign up to actually utilize C2DM  http://code.google.com/android/c2dm/signup.html  C2DM only works on Android w/ Google Market • Basically excludes: Amazon Kindle Fire.22

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Anatomy of the Mobile App23

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How the Application Works • We must update the Manifest file to state additional permissions. • We will then create a broadcast receiver that will handle the messages and registration.24

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Example Manifest25

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Handling the Registration (or Unregistering) • Registration / Registration Updates and Unregistering. • Registration is generally on app start up. • Be nice and allow your users to unregister from the push notification service 26

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Example Receiver More at: http://bit.ly/bxOoMO towards end of article.27

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Implementing a Server • Some limitations  200K messages per day by default; use them wisely however you may request more.  1K message payload maximum.  You must implement incremental back off.28

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How the Server Works29

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Using Zend_Mobile_Push_C2dm30

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Apple Push NotificationsA brief walk-through on implementing notifications on theiPhone.

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Understanding APNS • The maximum size allowed for a notification payload is 256 bytes. • It allows third-party application servers to send lightweight messages to their iPhone/iPad applications. • Apple makes no guarantees about delivery or the order of messages. • An application on an iPhone/iPad device doesn’t need to be running to receive messages. • Message adheres to strict JSON but is abstracted away for us in how we will be using it today. • Messages should be sent in batches. • A feedback service must be listened to.32

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Preparing to Implement Apple Push Notifications • You must create a SSL certificate and key from the provisioning portal • After this is completed the provisioning profile will need to be utilized for the application. • Lastly, you will need to install the certificate and key on the server.  In this case; you will be making a pem certificate.33

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Anatomy of the Application34

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How the Application Works • Registration  The application calls the registerForRemoteNotificationTypes: method.  The delegate implements the application:didRegisterForRemoteNotificationsWithDeviceToken: method to receive the device token.  It passes the device token to its provider as a non-object, binary value. • Notification  By default this just works based on the payload; for syncing you would implement this on the launch.35

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Example of Handling Registration36

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Example of Handling Remote Notification37

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Implementing the Server • Some Limitations  Don’t send too many through at a time; meaning around 100K  • Every once in a while use a usleep  Max payload is 256 bytes38

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How the Server Works39

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Using Zend_Mobile_Push_Apns40

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Using Zend_Mobile_Push_Apns Feedback41

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Microsoft Push NotificationsWell, I am not certain if they will find the market share yetbut hey; some people need to build apps for it!

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Understanding MPNS • It allows third-party application servers to send lightweight messages to their Windows Mobile applications. • Microsoft makes no guarantees about delivery or the order of messages. (See a pattern yet?) • 3 types of messages: Tile, Toast or Raw • Limitations:  One push channel per app, 30 push channels per device, additional adherence in order to send messages  3K Payload, 1K Header • http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/ff402537.aspx43

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Preparing to Implement MPNS • Upload a TLS certificate to Windows Marketplace  The Key-Usage value of the TLS certificate must be set to include client authentication.  The Root Certificate Authority (CA) of the certificate must be one of the CAs listed at: SSL Root Certificates for Windows Phone.  Stays authenticated for 4 months.  Set Service Name to the Common Name (CN) found in the certificates Subject value.  Install the TLS certificate on your web service and enable HTTP client authentication.44

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Anatomy of MPNS45

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Registering for Push46

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Implementing the Callbacks for Notifications47

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Using Zend_Mobile_Push_Mpns Raw Messages48

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Using Zend_Mobile_Push_Mpns Toast Messages49

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Using Zend_Mobile_Push_Mpns Tile Messages50

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BlackBerry Push NotificationsAre these even going to be needed in another year?I keep thinking about adding them in; but I am completelyunsure if they work…

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Understanding BlackBerry Push • It allows third-party application servers to send lightweight messages to their BlackBerry applications. • Allows a whopping 8K or the payload • Uses WAP PAP 2.2 as the protocol • Mileage may vary…52

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Anatomy of BB Push53

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Application Code • They have a “Sample” but it is deep within their Push SDK. Many of which are pre-compiled.  Documentation is hard to follow and the sample isn’t exactly straight forward: • Install the SDK then go to BPSS/pushsdk-low-level/sample-push- enabled-app/ and unzip sample-push-enabled-app-1.1.0.16-sources.jar  Since I do not touch blackberry; or have the desire, I would ensure the library works for people that want it; just help me test it!54

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Preparing to Implement • You need to register with BlackBerry and have all of the application details ready to go:  https://www.blackberry.com/profile/?eventId=8121 • Download the PHP library:  Updated to be OO; non-tested and a bit sloppy: https://github.com/mwillbanks/BlackBerryPush  Original source: http://bit.ly/nfbHXp55

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Implementing BB Push w/ PHP • Be aware… this code is highly alpha – never been tested. • If you do use BlackBerry push messages; please connect with me so that I can include this in the Zend_Mobile_Push component.56

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Moving on…The future, resources and the end!

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Next steps • ZF 2  If / when this library makes it into ZF 1.x; I will be working on it for 2.x. My first focus is ensuring it’s successful addition to ZF 1.x. I have some code for the 2.x version but some minor refactoring is due to fit the new model. • BlackBerry  Who knows where they will end up. All I know is that developing for it seems painful and the documentation is certainly not what I would like to see.  There is a large need for a quality implementation but at the same point developers are not highly interested in their platform.58

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Resources • Main Sites  Apple Push Notifications: http://developer.apple.com/library/ios/#documentation/NetworkingInternet/Con ceptual/RemoteNotificationsPG/Introduction/Introduction.html  Google C2DM (Android): http://code.google.com/android/c2dm/  Microsoft Push Notifications: http://msdn.microsoft.com/en- us/library/ff402558(v=vs.92).aspx  BlackBerry Push Notifications: http://us.blackberry.com/developers/platform/pushapi.jsp • Push Clients:  Zend_Mobile: https://github.com/mwillbanks/Zend_Mobile  BlackBerry: https://github.com/mwillbanks/BlackBerryPush • Might be broken but at least better than what I found anywhere else 59

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Questions?These slides will be posted to SlideShare after the meetup. Slideshare: http://www.slideshare.net/mwillbanks Twitter: mwillbanks G+: Mike Willbanks IRC (freenode): lubs Blog: http://blog.digitalstruct.com