How to Handle Action Buttons in Push Notifications

Question

Working on Apple Watch Notifications:- so if i add button in Notification Interface (from object Lib) then the error is :

Buttons are not Supported in Notification Interface

PushNotificationPayload.apns has the WatchKit Simulator Actions Like This :

"WatchKit Simulator Actions": 
[
    {
        "title": "View",
        "identifier": "firstButtonAction"
    }
],

and the Simulator Shows this to me

Now my Question is, How can I Handle this View Button when send a PushNotification from server,

If the aps file contain the action button is the only option for Apple Watch,

How to send it from server in Notification Dictionary with specified Key?

How to Change the Action button BG Color?

Will anyone please give me the sample aps file that include ActionButton for Device the Apple Watch not for the Simulator

I just test by changing the WatchKit Simulator Actions Key to WatchKit Actions Key but it shows no Action Button.

As suggested by @vivekDas in Answer, I checked by replacing in the aps as :

"alert" : {
     "body" : "Acme message received from Johnny Appleseed",
     "action-loc-key" : "VIEW",
     "action" : [
        {
           "id" : "buttonTapped",
           "title" : "View"
        }
     ]
  }

but simulator in Xcode does show an action button.

I think this may run on Device Apple Watch, is this...?

What would you suggest to me on this.

Solution

I've been struggling with this for two Hours, so this is how I do for notifications buttons in production, via real APNS Serv,

1) Register for the category in your appDelegate's parent app :

- (void)registerSettingsAndCategories {
    // Create a mutable set to store the category definitions.
    NSMutableSet* categories = [NSMutableSet set];

    // Define the actions for a meeting invite notification.
    UIMutableUserNotificationAction* acceptAction = [[UIMutableUserNotificationAction alloc] init];
    acceptAction.title = NSLocalizedString(@"Repondre", @"Repondre commentaire");
    acceptAction.identifier = @"respond";
    acceptAction.activationMode = UIUserNotificationActivationModeForeground; //UIUserNotificationActivationModeBackground if no need in foreground.
    acceptAction.authenticationRequired = NO;

    // Create the category object and add it to the set.
    UIMutableUserNotificationCategory* inviteCategory = [[UIMutableUserNotificationCategory alloc] init];
    [inviteCategory setActions:@[acceptAction]
                    forContext:UIUserNotificationActionContextDefault];
    inviteCategory.identifier = @"respond";

    [categories addObject:inviteCategory];

    // Configure other actions and categories and add them to the set...

    UIUserNotificationSettings* settings = [UIUserNotificationSettings settingsForTypes:
                                            (UIUserNotificationTypeAlert | UIUserNotificationTypeBadge | UIUserNotificationTypeSound)
                                                                             categories:categories];

    [[UIApplication sharedApplication] registerUserNotificationSettings:settings];
}

2) From your Apns server add the category (for me "respond")

{"aps":{"alert":"bla","category":"respond","badge":2}}

3) In your WatchKitExtention, you have the data passed in :

- (void)handleActionWithIdentifier:(NSString *)identifier  forRemoteNotification:(NSDictionary *)remoteNotification{

     if ([identifier isEqualToString:@"respond"]) {
//Do stuff Here to handle action... 
     }
}

4) In your Parent app's appDelegate :

- (void) application:(UIApplication *)application
handleActionWithIdentifier:(NSString *)identifier
     forRemoteNotification:(NSDictionary *)userInfo
         completionHandler:(void (^)())completionHandler {
    completionHandler();
}

Warning ! you'll have to handle this action too in your Parent app ( because the respond button will be visible too on iphone when you pan down the notification. in the :

- (void)application:(UIApplication *)application didReceiveRemoteNotification:(NSDictionary *)userInfo {

Comments

[vivekDas]

You cant check push notifications in Simulator.

[user1872384]

Hey having the same issue... Did you manage to solve it?

[vivekDas]

And on clicking on "view button" you will get a callback in the UIApplication delegate method "- (void)application:(UIApplication*)application didReceiveRemoteNotification:(NSDictionary*)userInfo" there you have to handle the action.

[user1872384]

He's not asking for this.... He wants to display a button in the push notification on the apple watch (device). The json sample you've given doesn't have a action button

[Jeremy Luisetti]

it's exactly what the code is doing. once you've register for the category (step 1) the json in step 2 display the button in my exemple "Repondre" this is the way to display the button on actual device (without the watchkit simulator action, this does'nt work on real device.)

[user1872384]

Got it thanks! Your solution works.... got confuse by the "WatchKit Simulator Actions" json provided inside Xcode.

[Jeremy Luisetti]

No problem.. the "WatchKit Simulator Actions" got me confuse too at first... I have tried WatchKit Actions in my aps server at first beleving that's the way to do it..

[MayNotBe]

@JeremyLuisetti: in the handleActionWithIdentifier method //Do stuff here... what stuff do I need to do to present an interface controller? I tried [self pushControllerWithName...] but thats not an option and reloadRootControllerWithNames ...just opens the watch app, it doesn't go to the particular page I'd like

[Jeremy Luisetti]

for this i'd use "presentControllerWithName" but warning, the "handleActionWithIdentifier" is executed in main interface controller only...

[OxenBoxen]

The above apns structure worked for me as well. Don't wory about 'actions' keys or anything, if you set up the category correctly with associated actions, all you need to send is the 'category' key with optional 'title', 'body' keys