Setting up google cloud messaging platform

• Create a google console project and enable google cloud messaging api in it, take a note of your google gcm key and your google project number, Click here for set up
• Create a simple node server
• Install express $ npm install express
• Install node js google cloud messaging module $ npm install node-gcm
• Your server.js should be finally

var express = require('express');
var gcm = require('node-gcm');
var app = express();
var gcmApiKey = 'XXXXXXXXXXXXX'; // GCM API KEY OF YOUR GOOGLE CONSOLE PROJECT

var server = app.listen(3000, function () {
    console.log('server is just fine!');
});

app.get('/', function (req, res) {
    res.send("This is basic route");
});

app.get('/push', function (req, res) {
    var device_tokens = []; //create array for storing device tokens
    
    var retry_times = 4; //the number of times to retry sending the message if it fails
    var sender = new gcm.Sender(gcmApiKey); //create a new sender
    var message = new gcm.Message(); //create a new message
    message.addData('title', 'PushTitle');
    message.addData('message', "Push message");
    message.addData('sound', 'default');
    message.collapseKey = 'Testing Push'; //grouping messages
    message.delayWhileIdle = true; //delay sending while receiving device is offline
    message.timeToLive = 3; //number of seconds to keep the message on 
    //server if the device is offline
    
    //Take the registration id(lengthy string) that you logged 
    //in your ionic v2 app and update device_tokens[0] with it for testing.
    //Later save device tokens to db and 
    //get back all tokens and push to multiple devices
    device_tokens[0] = "XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX";
    sender.send(message, device_tokens[0], retry_times, function (result) {
        console.log('push sent to: ' + device_tokens);
        res.status(200).send('Pushed notification ' + device_tokens);
    }, function (err) {
        res.status(500).send('failed to push notification ');
    });
});
										

Prerequites for ionic2 apps

• Andorid sdk version 23 or above(or else your ionic v2 app wont build)
• Latest android build and platform tools
• Latest ionic version(ionic2 beta25 or above), ionic cli.
• Latest cordova, cordova cli

Setting up ionic2 app

• Create a sample ionic version 2 typescript project $ ionic start pushapp tutorial --v2 --ts
• Add cordova push plugin $ cordova plugin add phonegap-plugin-push --variable SENDER_ID="XXXXXXXXX" here XXXXX is your google project number
• Update the app's package.json with following code

"cordovaPlugins": [
    {
      "variables": {
        "SENDER_ID": "XXXXXXXXXX"
      },
      "locator": "phonegap-plugin-push"
    }
  ]

• Open app.ts and import push import {Push} from 'ionic-native';
• Update the app.ts's initializeApp method with

initializeApp() {
    this.platform.ready().then(() => {
      StatusBar.styleDefault();
      var push = Push.init({
        android: {
          senderID: "XXXXXXXXX"
        },
        ios: {
          alert: "true",
          badge: true,
          sound: 'false'
        },
        windows: {}
      });
      push.on('registration', (data) => {
        console.log(data.registrationId);
        alert(data.registrationId.toString());
      });
      push.on('notification', (data) => {
        console.log(data);
        alert("Hi, Am a push notification");
      });
      push.on('error', (e) => {
        console.log(e.message);
      });
    });
  }
										

• Create android platform $ ionic platform add android
• Build android $ ionic build android
• Deploy to android device $ ionic run android

Testing push notifications

• Open browser or any rest client say post man
• hit http://localhost:3000/push
• Boom! You get a notification in your device