Using APNS mode for auto sync

For the HCL Verse and HCL To Do apps, you can set the applications to be pushed notifications from the HCL Traveler server utilizing APNS (Apple Push Notification Service).

Note: This does not apply to the Mail, Calendar and Contacts apps that are built into the Apple devices. For more information on customizing the notifications for those applications, see How do I customize my account?.

Based on the device configuration, APNS messages can cause the device to change the app badge count, show an alert, and so on. For the Verse app, APNS messages can also cause the app to sync in the background; see How do I set up mail notifications? for more details.

APNS messages may contain the standard APNS fields of a badge count, sound and body. These fields are device controlled, even if the user cannot pick them all individually. For the badge count, it will vary per app. For the Verse app, this is the number of unread documents in the Inbox within the specified sync period; for the To Dos app, the badge count indicates how many types of changes (adds, updates, or deletes) are pending to be synced and not the number of items that need to be synced. By default, the body contains information on the originator or sender of the information; for mail and notices, this is the person who sent the mail or meeting notice. Optionally, the body may contain additional summary information, such as the subject. The content of the body is controlled by the administrator using the NTS_PUSH_ALERTS_ALLOW_SENDER, NTS_PUSH_ALERTS_ALLOW_SUMMARY, and NTS_PUSH_ALERTS_ALLOW_ABSTRACT settings. See the notes.ini settings documentation for further information.

Note: The To Dos app does not support background sync. It will only sync when opened or as a result of a manual sync.

For the Verse app messages, they may also contain some custom APNS fields. These fields are hidden from the user.

TIMESTAMP: The time that the server sent the message. Number of milliseconds since January 1, 1970 (epoch time).
UNID: Domino UNID of the document to which this alert refers.
LGUID: Sync ID of the document to which this alert refers.
FLAGS: Change flags, indicating which applications need to sync. APNS messages only contain applications that need to be synced or security operations that need to be performed. There are no user names or contents (mail, calendar, contacts, journal or ToDos) contained in the message. APNS messages only trigger the device to perform a sync for the given applications or take the appropriate security actions, at which point the device receives the relevant sensitive information, such as user names and data contents.

Traveler utilizes HTTP/2 for communication with Apple's APNS servers. APNS is enabled on the server by default, but it can be configured as needed using the settings described in Notes.ini settings and Push messaging through a proxy.