How to Use Microsoft Azure Notification Hubs API in C#

Integrate Azure Notification Hubs in Your Project

• Ensure your project has references to Azure Notification Hubs libraries. If not, you can install the required NuGet packages by running:

dotnet add package Microsoft.Azure.NotificationHubs

• Include necessary namespaces in your C# file to interact with Notification Hubs:

using Microsoft.Azure.NotificationHubs;

Create Notification Hub Client

• Initialize the Notification Hub client using your connection string and Hub name. This enables your application to connect to the Notification Hub service.

string connectionString = "<Your-Connection-String>";
string hubName = "<Your-Hub-Name>";

NotificationHubClient hubClient = NotificationHubClient.CreateClientFromConnectionString(connectionString, hubName);

Send Notifications

• Define and send a notification. You can send notifications to a specific platform or multiple platforms using template definitions.

var alertMessage = "{\"aps\": { \"alert\": \"Hello from Azure Notification Hubs!\" } }";

await hubClient.SendAppleNativeNotificationAsync(alertMessage);

• For Android devices using FCM, leverage:

var androidMessage = "{\"data\":{\"message\":\"Hello from Azure Notification Hubs!\"}}";

await hubClient.SendFcmNativeNotificationAsync(androidMessage);

Manage Registrations

• Register devices for push notifications by obtaining device tokens and creating registrations. Consider using tags to target specific user segments.

var installationId = "<device-installation-id>";
var deviceToken = "<device-token>";
var installation = new Installation
{
    InstallationId = installationId,
    Platform = NotificationPlatform.Apns,
    PushChannel = deviceToken,
    Tags = new List<string> { "topic:news" }
};

await hubClient.CreateOrUpdateInstallationAsync(installation);

Handle Errors and Exceptions

• Implement exception handling to capture and respond to errors during API operations. This is crucial for maintaining service resilience and reliability.

try
{
    // Send notification or register a device
}
catch (MessagingException ex)
{
    Console.WriteLine($"Error: {ex.Message}");
    // Handle specific errors like throttling
    if (ex.State == MessagingExceptionDetailType.Throttling)
    {
        // Implement retry logic
    }
}