NOTIFICATION_TESTING.md

Notification Testing Guide

Implementation Complete

All 6 notification implementation steps have been completed:

1. Firestore Rules - Added fcmTokens subcollection rules
2. Dependencies - flutter_local_notifications v19.5.0 confirmed
3. Background Handler - Enhanced with BigTextStyleInformation and logging
4. Cloud Functions - Improved with duplicate prevention, validation, and cleanup
5. Android Manifest - Added permissions and notification channels
6. Deployment - Cloud Functions deployed successfully

🧪 Testing Instructions

Step 1: Get Your FCM Token

1. Run the app on your Android device or emulator
2. Check the console/logs for a message with the 🔑 emoji:

   🔑 FCM Token: dX...
   

3. Copy the entire token (it will be a long string like dX1234567890abcdef...)

Step 2: Test from Firebase Console

1. Open Firebase Console: https://console.firebase.google.com/project/cm-app-90d65/overview
2. Navigate to Cloud Messaging (in the Engage section)
3. Click "Send your first message" or "New notification"
4. Fill in:
   • Notification title: "Test Notification"
   • Notification text: "This is a test from Firebase Console"
5. Click "Send test message"
6. Paste your FCM token from Step 1
7. Click "Test"

Step 3: Verify Notification Received

When App is in Foreground:

• You should see the notification displayed by flutter_local_notifications
• Rich notification with BigTextStyleInformation (expandable)
• Console should log: "📬 Received foreground notification: ..."

When App is in Background:

• Notification appears in system tray
• Has high importance (shows as heads-up notification)
• Clicking opens the app

When App is Terminated:

• Notification still appears
• Background handler processes it
• Check device logs for: " Background notification: ..."

📊 What Was Implemented

Cloud Functions

scheduleEventReminder

• Trigger: When new event is created
• What it does: Creates notification to send 1 hour before event
• Improvements:
  • ✅ Validates startTime exists and is future date
  • ✅ Checks for existing reminders (prevents duplicates)
  • ✅ Comprehensive error handling
  • ✅ Rich event data in notification

cleanupOldNotifications

• Schedule: Runs every 24 hours
• What it does: Deletes notifications older than 3 days
• Purpose: Prevents database bloat

processPendingNotifications

• Schedule: Runs every 1 minute
• What it does: Sends pending notifications when sendAt time is reached
• Features: Batch sending, token cleanup, error handling

Android Manifest Permissions

<uses-permission android:name="android.permission.POST_NOTIFICATIONS" />
<uses-permission android:name="android.permission.RECEIVE_BOOT_COMPLETED" />
<uses-permission android:name="android.permission.VIBRATE" />
<uses-permission android:name="android.permission.WAKE_LOCK" />

FCM Default Channel

<meta-data
    android:name="com.google.firebase.messaging.default_notification_channel_id"
    android:value="high_importance_channel" />

🐛 Troubleshooting

No Token in Logs

• Check Firebase initialization in main.dart
• Verify notification_service.dart is being called
• Ensure device has Google Play Services (for FCM)

Notification Not Received

• Verify token is correct and not expired
• Check Firestore rules allow token writes: firebase deploy --only firestore:rules
• Check Cloud Functions logs in Firebase Console
• Ensure app has notification permissions granted

Background Handler Not Working

• Check Android Manifest has required permissions
• Verify firebaseMessagingBackgroundHandler is defined in main.dart
• Look for errors in device logs

📝 Next Steps

1. Test event reminders: Create an event that starts in 1-2 hours
2. Monitor Cloud Functions: Check logs in Firebase Console
3. Test notification targeting: Send to specific user groups
4. Implement in-app notification list: Show notification history to users

🔗 Resources

• FCM Flutter Setup
• flutter_local_notifications
• Firebase Cloud Functions