XCode : why launchOptions in didFinishLaunchingWithOptions always nil?

Question

I want my app to do specific things when the app is launched by a click on a notification. I want to do these specific things when the app is already running into background BUT ALSO when the app is started FROM SCRATCH (not running into background) by a click on the notification.

When the app is started from background by a click on the notification, I get the notification via:

- (void)application:(UIApplication *)application didReceiveLocalNotification:(UILocalNotification *)notification

=> NO PROBLEM !

When the app is started from scratch by a click on the notification, I would like to get the notification via:

- (BOOL)application:(UIApplication *)application didFinishLaunchingWithOptions:(NSDictionary *)launchOptions
{

     UILocalNotification *localNotif = [launchOptions objectForKey:UIApplicationLaunchOptionsLocalNotificationKey];

}

But launchOptions is always nil !! It is nil when the app is started from scratch via a click on the app icon (normal) but also when the app is started from scratch via a click on a notification (not normal).

Anybody knows how to solve this issue ?

Thanks !!!

EDIT 1

Here is how my notifications are created (Joe question):

  NSDictionary *userInfo = [NSDictionary dictionaryWithObjects:
[NSArray arrayWithObjects:notifText,latitudeString,longitudeString,nil]
forKeys:[NSArray arrayWithObjects:@"notifText",@"latitude",@"longitude", nil]];

    UILocalNotification *localNotif = [[UILocalNotification alloc] init];
    localNotif.fireDate = itemDate;
    localNotif.timeZone = [NSTimeZone defaultTimeZone];
    localNotif.alertBody =msg;
    localNotif.alertAction = @"Ok";
    localNotif.soundName = UILocalNotificationDefaultSoundName;
    localNotif.applicationIconBadgeNumber = 1;
    localNotif.userInfo = userInfo;

    [[UIApplication sharedApplication] scheduleLocalNotification:localNotif];
    [localNotif release];

EDIT 2 (ANSWER TO MY QUESTION! :))

Here is the procedure I used to debug my app but...this procedure is wrong!!

1. I set up my debugger with the "Wait for MyApp.app to launch" option in the "Edit Scheme" menu
2. I launched my app with XCode a first time (launch from scratch) XCode displays the "Waiting for my MyApp to launch" => I CLICKED ON MY APP ICON to launch the app
3. The app is launched => I clicked on the home button => the notification is displayed
4. I clicked on the stop button in XCode to close the app I relaunched it with XCode => XCode displays again the "Waiting for my MyApp to launch" message => I CLICKED ON THE NOTIFICATION in the status bar to launch the app
5. => launchOptions is nil !

launchOptions equal to nil is due to the fact that relaunching the app with XCode (in this case with the "Waiting for my MyApp to launch" option) deletes the notifications even if it is still displayed in the status bar...

To be able to debug check what is the content of launchOptions after a relaunch of the app from scratch by a click on a notification, it seems that the only way is to display this content in a UIAlert as mentioned in answer by Tammo Freese. So, use the following to debug in this specific case:

- (BOOL)application:(UIApplication *)application didFinishLaunchingWithOptions:(NSDictionary *)launchOptions
{
    UIAlertView *alertView = [[UIAlertView alloc] initWithTitle:@"options" message:[launchOptions[UIApplicationLaunchOptionsLocalNotificationKey] description] delegate:nil cancelButtonTitle:@"OK" otherButtonTitles:nil];
    [alertView show];
    return YES;
}

Thanks all for your help !!!!

Answer 1

I could not find an error in the code you shared. Normally this should work both in the simulator, and on the device. Here is an example that worked for me: First generate a new Single View iPhone app (ARC and Storyboards on). Then change two methods in the AppDelegate as follows:

- (BOOL)application:(UIApplication *)application didFinishLaunchingWithOptions:(NSDictionary *)launchOptions
{
    UIAlertView *alertView = [[UIAlertView alloc] initWithTitle:@"options" message:[launchOptions[UIApplicationLaunchOptionsLocalNotificationKey] description] delegate:nil cancelButtonTitle:@"OK" otherButtonTitles:nil];
    [alertView show];
    return YES;
}

- (void)applicationDidEnterBackground:(UIApplication *)application
{
    [[UIApplication sharedApplication] cancelAllLocalNotifications];

    UILocalNotification *localNotif = [[UILocalNotification alloc] init];
    localNotif.fireDate = [NSDate dateWithTimeInterval:10.0 sinceDate:[NSDate date]];
    localNotif.timeZone = [NSTimeZone defaultTimeZone];
    localNotif.alertBody = @"Just some text";
    localNotif.alertAction = @"OK";
    localNotif.soundName = UILocalNotificationDefaultSoundName;
    localNotif.applicationIconBadgeNumber = 1;
    localNotif.userInfo = @{@"test": @YES};

    [[UIApplication sharedApplication] scheduleLocalNotification:localNotif];
}

Then start this app, press the home button, then stop the app. If you tap on the local notification which comes in 10 seconds after pressing the home button, you should see something like this, which shows the local notification has been passed to -application:didFinishLaunchingWithOptions::

My advice is: First get the example I posted above to work to make sure nothing has gone awry with your setup, then check what you are doing differently in your code.

Edit

This applies to Edit 2 of the question: Local notifications also seem to work for me when waiting for the app to launch (in the simulator, not on the device). Try this:

1. Install the sample app described above and launch it with "Wait for MyApp.app to launch" disabled.
2. Click on the home button, then stop the app via Xcode or via the task bar.
3. Enable "Wait for MyApp.app to launch".
4. If you now tap the notification in the notification center, it is shown in the alert view.

Answer 2

Dont know if this is what your looking for, but are you missing 'return YES;'? Because i use this to perform a segue to a new view from a notification and it works fine

- (BOOL)application:(UIApplication *)application didFinishLaunchingWithOptions:(NSDictionary *)launchOptions
{
    UINavigationController *navigation = (UINavigationController *) self.window.rootViewController;

    [navigation.visibleViewController performSegueWithIdentifier:@"Ident" sender:nil];

    return YES;
}

Answer 3

My conclusion and suggestion if it can hep anyone, refer below

Every time you have new build to test your app, you must test the notification click actions with the notifications generated by latest app. If you keep on testing of click actions with old notifications generated by older build then It will behave unexpectedly (means somehow its able to launch the app but it will not return you any valid info in didFinishLaunchingWithOptions:)

Answer 4

Please forgive me, I am still new when it comes to Apple's Push Notification service, but I did some reading through their documentation and my guess is that there may be something in the creation of your local notification that is causing the problem.

I would double check how you are creating your local notification with Apple's Example as shown here in Listing 2-1 just to rule out that possibility. Since some of the code that is used for creating your local notification isn't displayed to us in this thread, it makes it difficult to assess if the instantiation of your local notification is indeed correct. It could end up being as simple as something being wrong with the fire date or something else in the notification not being set up correctly.