APNS Client Development Certificate Available Now

(1) You need to create an App ID without .* in the Program Portal (that means one cert for one app)

(2) Generate a certificate signing request from your Mac's keychain and save to disk

(3) Upload the CertificateSigningRequest.certSigningRequest to the Program Portal

(4) Wait for the generation of cert (about 1 min). Download the certificate (aps_developer_identity.cer) from the Program Portal (If you need to renew this cert, it is under the App ID that you created in step 1, and choose Action Configure)

(5) Keep (or rename them if you prefer) these 2 files (steps 2 and 4) in a safe place. You might need the CertificateSigningRequest.certSigningRequest file to request a new cert for a new app in the future or renew the old cert when expired.

(6) Suppose you have imported the aps_developer_identity.cer to the keychain. Then you have to export these new cert and the private key of this cert (not the public key) and saved as .p12 files.

(7) Then you use these commands to generate the cert and key in Mac's Terminal for PEM format (Privacy Enhanced Mail Security Certificate)

openssl pkcs12 -clcerts -nokeys -out cert.pem -in cert.p12
openssl pkcs12 -nocerts -out key.pem -in key.p12


(8) The cert.pem and key.pem files will be used by your own php script communicating with APNS.

(9) If you want to remove the passphase of private key in key.pem, do this

openssl rsa -in key.pem -out key.unencrypted.pem


Then combine the certificate and key

cat cert.pem key.unencrypted.pem > ck.pem


But please set the file permission of this unencrypted key by using chmod 400 and is only readable by root in a sever configuration.

(10) The testing APNS is at ssl://gateway.sandbox.push.apple.com:2195

(11) For the source codes to push payload message to the APNS, you can find them in the Developer Forum. This is the one that I used, for php script. Run this (after obtaining the device token from the testing device and with iPhone Client program setup)
php -f apns.php "My Message" 2

or if you put this php script and the ck.pem in a local web server, you can use this to test
http://127.0.0.1/apns/apns.php?message=test%20from%20javacom&badge=2&sound=received5.caf

Please be patient to get message from the sandbox server. Normally, you need 10 minutes+ to get the first message from push notification testing.

apns.php Select all


#!/usr/bin/env php
<?php
$deviceToken = '02da851dXXXXXXXXb4f2b5bfXXXXXXXXce198270XXXXXXXX0d3dac72bc87cd60'; // masked for security reason
// Passphrase for the private key (ck.pem file)
// $pass = '';

// Get the parameters from http get or from command line
$message = $_GET['message'] or $message = $argv[1] or $message = 'Message received from javacom';
$badge = (int)$_GET['badge'] or $badge = (int)$argv[2];
$sound = $_GET['sound'] or $sound = $argv[3];

// Construct the notification payload
$body = array();
$body['aps'] = array('alert' => $message);
if ($badge)
$body['aps']['badge'] = $badge;
if ($sound)
$body['aps']['sound'] = $sound;


/* End of Configurable Items */

$ctx = stream_context_create();
stream_context_set_option($ctx, 'ssl', 'local_cert', 'ck.pem');
// assume the private key passphase was removed.
// stream_context_set_option($ctx, 'ssl', 'passphrase', $pass);

$fp = stream_socket_client('ssl://gateway.sandbox.push.apple.com:2195', $err, $errstr, 60, STREAM_CLIENT_CONNECT, $ctx);
// for production change the server to ssl://gateway.push.apple.com:2195
if (!$fp) {
print "Failed to connect $err $errstr\n";
return;
}
else {
print "Connection OK\n";
}

$payload = json_encode($body);
$msg = chr(0) . pack("n",32) . pack('H*', str_replace(' ', '', $deviceToken)) . pack("n",strlen($payload)) . $payload;
print "sending message :" . $payload . "\n";
fwrite($fp, $msg);
fclose($fp);
?>


(12) For iPhone Client Program, you need to edit the bundle identifier to the App ID that you created and imported the new provisioning profile for that APP ID to the XCode and iPhone. And codesign with that new provisioning profile. Then implement the following methods in AppDelegate to Build & Go

AppDelegate.m Select all


- (void)applicationDidFinishLaunching:(UIApplication *)application {
NSLog(@"Registering Remote Notications");

[[UIApplication sharedApplication] registerForRemoteNotificationTypes:(UIRemoteNotificationTypeBadge | UIRemoteNotificationTypeSound | UIRemoteNotificationTypeAlert)];

// Override point for customization after app launch
[window addSubview:viewController.view];
[window makeKeyAndVisible];
}


// Delegation methods
- (void)application:(UIApplication *)app didRegisterForRemoteNotificationsWithDeviceToken:(NSData *)devToken {
const void *devTokenBytes = [devToken bytes];
// self.registered = YES;
NSLog(@"deviceToken: %@", devToken);
// [self sendProviderDeviceToken:devTokenBytes]; // custom method
}

- (void)application:(UIApplication *)app didFailToRegisterForRemoteNotificationsWithError:(NSError *)err {
NSLog(@"Error in registration. Error: %@", err);
}



(13) Additional tips for sandbox testing
- The feedback service is feedback.sandbox.push.apple.com:2195
- Send your messages to gateway.sandbox.push.apple.com:2195



Here is the feedback server request php code. For the sandbox feedback server, you have to create a second dummy app to make the first one works. May be the sandbox feedback server is buggy as the production push and feedback servers does not have this problem.

php -f feedback.php

feedback.php Select all


#!/usr/bin/env php
<?php

$ctx = stream_context_create();
stream_context_set_option($ctx, 'ssl', 'local_cert', 'ck.pem');
stream_context_set_option($ctx, 'ssl', 'verify_peer', false);
// assume the private key passphase was removed.
// stream_context_set_option($ctx, 'ssl', 'passphrase', $pass);


$fp = stream_socket_client('ssl://feedback.sandbox.push.apple.com:2196', $error, $errorString, 60, STREAM_CLIENT_CONNECT, $ctx);
// production server is ssl://feedback.push.apple.com:2196

if (!$fp) {
print "Failed to connect feedback server: $err $errstr\n";
return;
}
else {
print "Connection to feedback server OK\n";
}

print "APNS feedback results\n";
while ($devcon = fread($fp, 38))
{
$arr = unpack("H*", $devcon);
$rawhex = trim(implode("", $arr));
$feedbackTime = hexdec(substr($rawhex, 0, 8));
$feedbackDate = date('Y-m-d H:i', $feedbackTime);
$feedbackLen = hexdec(substr($rawhex, 8, 4));
$feedbackDeviceToken = substr($rawhex, 12, 64);
print "TIMESTAMP:" . $feedbackDate . "\n";
print "DEVICE ID:" . $feedbackDeviceToken. "\n\n";
}
fclose($fp);
?>


Hints: If you want to test the production push and feedback servers, use the adhoc distribution certificate and adhoc build to your devices. Moreover, the device tokens are different for the same device under sandbox and production servers.