How to properly use CFNotificationCenterAddObserver in Swift for iOS

Question

Pulling my hair out getting CFNotificationCenterAddObserver to work in Swift.

        CFNotificationCenterAddObserver(CFNotificationCenterGetDa         


        

Answer 1

I wrote this to pass a notification from a Share Extension to it's parent App, when in iPadOS, both could be active simultaneously.

These are placed in a library shared by both the App and the Extension. The App uses the ExtensionListener, the Extension uses the ExtensionEvent.

final public class ExtensionListener: NSObject {

    // the inter-process NotificationCenter
    private let center = CFNotificationCenterGetDarwinNotifyCenter()
    private var listenersStarted = false
    fileprivate static let notificationName = "com.example.CrossProcessExtensionAction" as CFString

    public override init() {
        super.init()
        // listen for an action in the Share Extension
        startListeners()
    }

    deinit {
        // don't listen anymore
        stopListeners()
    }

    //    MARK: listening
    fileprivate func startListeners() {
        if !listenersStarted {
            self.listenersStarted = true
            CFNotificationCenterAddObserver(center, Unmanaged.passRetained(self).toOpaque(), { (center, observer, name, object, userInfo) in
                // send the equivalent internal notification
                NotificationCenter.default.post(name: NSNotification.Name.SomeInternalExtensionAction, object: nil)
            }, Self.notificationName, nil, .deliverImmediately)
        }
    }

    fileprivate func stopListeners() {
        if listenersStarted {
            CFNotificationCenterRemoveEveryObserver(center, Unmanaged.passRetained(self).toOpaque())
            listenersStarted = false
        }
    }
}

final public class ExtensionEvent: NSObject {
    public static func post() {
        CFNotificationCenterPostNotification(CFNotificationCenterGetDarwinNotifyCenter(), CFNotificationName(rawValue: ExtensionListener.notificationName), nil, nil, true)
    }
}