The Windows Push Notification Service is use to enable developer to send Toast, tile and badge. WNS is providing a mechanism to deliver new update to user.
Before we are going to learn Windows Push Notification I would like to describe
Package.appmanifest file and its settings. This file is automatically created
when you create new Metro style project. This is an XML file that can contain
project configuration settings, let we have a quick look of all these setting
which are in Package.appmanifest file
This file allow us to set four kind of settings (Application UI, Capabilities,
Declarations, Packaging) as you can see in the below image. Application UI and
Packaging settings are important in order to do Windows Push Notification.
[Remember] : In the above image all setting are ok but Toast capable
settings is (not set), it means our application cannot send Toast. In order to
allow our application to send toast we need to set yes in place of (Not Set.
Below image is shows packaging settings.
Packaging settings are allow us to set our live SDK setting, Look at the Package
name , It is a place where we need to add our package name and we can get this
package name after we register our application on Windows Live Dashboard, please
click here
to know how to register application on Live dashboard.
Now we move back on the Push notification, Let we see how WNS server work, In
order to send Toast, Tile and badge
The above image showing 6 steps, let we see all these steps one by one.
- Metro style application uses WinRT APIs to open a new Channel URI to server, so our application sent request to Notification Client Platform.
- Notification Client makes a request to WNS server and get channel URI as response.
- Notification Client give this Channel URI to our metro style application
Any 3rd party application need to obtain its client ID (SID) and client secret in order to communicate with cloud service. In order to get application client ID (SID) and client secret we need to register our application on live Dashboard (This article is push notification vie using live SDK). Please click here to know how to register application on live dashboard.
- Metro style application send request to the Cloud server to get Authentication token.
[Remember] we need to use Channel URI, Client Secret and Client ID (SID) in order to get access token from cloud service.
OAuthToken class is just have 2 property (Access Token and Token Type), It has sated by OnAuthenticate() method.
- Cloud Service creates a request to the WNS Server by using Channel URI and Authentication Token. If everything is going very smooth then WNS return status 200 as its response
[Remember]:PushWNS() method using Notification type and Notification XML. Please look at the below table to get idea of Notification Type and Notification XML.
Notification Name
Notification Type
Notification XML
Badge
"wns/badge"
"<?xml version='1.0' encoding='utf-8'?><badge value=\"2\"/>"
Tile
"wns/tile"
"<tile><visual version=\"1\"><binding template=\"TileWideText03\"> <text id=\"1\">Hello World! My tile notification</text></binding><binding template=\"TileSquareText04\"><text id=\"1\">Hello World!</text></binding></visual></tile>"
Toast
"wns/toast"
"<?xml version='1.0' encoding='utf-8'?><toast><visual version='1'><binding template='ToastText01'><text id='1'>My first Toast</text></binding></visual></toast>"
- Notification Client can get this response and send it to our application.
When I was starting learning this I was confused how to verify these Badge, Tile and toast are pushed or not, so let me tell you how to verify it
- Badge: Once you send badge successfully, please go to win8 Dashboard and check your application. Look at the below image
- Tile: Once you send Tile successfully, please go to win8 Dashboard and check your application. Look at the below image
- Toast: Once you send Toast successfully, just wait 2-3 second you will get a popup message. Look at the below image
If you are using my project which was attached
by this article then please make sure in your machine Win8 RC was installed.
I hope This article will help you to send push notification by using metro style
application.
Gaurav GuptaPosted Nov 27, 2012, 1:17 AM
Hi. Is it necessary to registered the app to Windows Live Dashboard to receive notification....
Naren ChejaraeditedPosted Oct 10, 2012, 11:12 AMEdited Oct 10, 2012, 11:14 AM
I think you just do the simple C# code and try to dynamically generate xml and call to PushWNS() Method by passing your xml(which you generate dynamically). You can also add some timing related code so your application call pushWNS() method for every 5 second. It is good Question, I will try to implement it soon and let you know
akil panduPosted Oct 10, 2012, 1:26 AM
Here I have 10 items in my service and for every 5 secs I want to display a single item-description on my tile.What should i need to add to above concept?
Naren ChejaraPosted Oct 9, 2012, 10:16 AM
I am using below xml to add 2 "<?xml version='1.0' encoding='utf-8'?><badge value=\"2\"/>" if you want to change it then you can change its value <badge value=\"{Your value}\"/>"
akil panduPosted Oct 9, 2012, 9:28 AM
@Srivastava,thank you for your valuable information,Can you tell me how you displayed 2 on above tiles concept?Is it no.of binding tags or anything?I want to change that number in my app. Thank you.