Identity Notifications

Creating New Identity Notification Types

This skill guides you through the complete process of creating a new identity notification type in the 6529 SEIZE Backend.

Overview

Identity notifications alert users about activities relevant to them (mentions, votes, replies, etc.). Creating a new notification type involves eight steps:

1. Add enum value to IdentityNotificationCause
2. Define data interface and notification type
3. Add mapper case for database-to-domain conversion
4. Create notifier method in UserNotifier
5. Wire up the notifier call in the triggering code
6. Add push notification handler
7. Add API service mapping (two switch cases)
8. Update OpenAPI schema and regenerate

Required Information

Before implementing, gather these details using AskUserQuestion:

1. Notification Type Name

• What should the notification be called?
• Use UPPER_SNAKE_CASE for the enum value
• Examples: DROP_PINNED, WAVE_ARCHIVED, PROFILE_UPDATED

2. Data Fields

• What information does this notification need to store?
• Available entity columns (use these when possible):
  • identity_id - WHO receives the notification (required)
  • additional_identity_id - WHO triggered it (nullable)
  • related_drop_id + related_drop_part_no - Primary drop reference (nullable)
  • related_drop_2_id + related_drop_2_part_no - Secondary drop reference (nullable)
  • wave_id - Associated wave (nullable)
  • visibility_group_id - Group visibility restriction (nullable)
  • additional_data - JSON column for custom fields

3. Trigger Location

• Where in the codebase should this notification be created?
• Common locations:
  • Drop actions: src/drops/create-or-update-drop.use-case.ts
  • Voting: src/drops/vote-for-drop.use-case.ts
  • Reactions: src/reactions/reactions.service.ts
  • Waves: src/api-serverless/src/waves/wave.api.service.ts
  • Subscriptions: src/api-serverless/src/identity-subscriptions/identity-subscriptions.api.service.ts

4. Push Notification Content

• What should the push notification title say?
• What should the body contain?
• What deep link should it open? (profile, waves, etc.)

Implementation Steps

Step 1: Add Enum Value

File: src/entities/IIdentityNotification.ts

Add the new cause to the enum:

export enum IdentityNotificationCause {
  // ... existing values
  YOUR_NEW_CAUSE = 'YOUR_NEW_CAUSE'
}

Step 2: Define Type Interfaces

File: src/notifications/user-notification.types.ts

Add three things:

2a. Data interface (what gets stored):

export interface YourNewNotificationData {
  actor_id: string;        // Who triggered it
  recipient_id: string;    // Who receives it
  drop_id?: string;        // Related drop if applicable
  wave_id?: string;        // Related wave if applicable
  // Add custom fields as needed
}

2b. Full notification interface:

export interface YourNewNotification extends UserNotificationBase {
  cause: IdentityNotificationCause.YOUR_NEW_CAUSE;
  data: YourNewNotificationData;
}

2c. Add to union type (at the end of file):

export type UserNotification =
  | IdentitySubscriptionNotification
  // ... existing types
  | YourNewNotification;  // Add here

Step 3: Add Mapper Case

File: src/notifications/user-notification.mapper.ts

3a. Add case to switch in entityToNotification():

case IdentityNotificationCause.YOUR_NEW_CAUSE:
  return this.mapYourNewNotification(entity);

3b. Add mapping method:

private mapYourNewNotification(
  entity: IdentityNotificationDeserialized
): YourNewNotification {
  return {
    id: entity.id,
    created_at: entity.created_at,
    read_at: entity.read_at,
    cause: IdentityNotificationCause.YOUR_NEW_CAUSE,
    data: {
      actor_id: entity.additional_identity_id!,
      recipient_id: entity.identity_id,
      drop_id: entity.related_drop_id ?? undefined,
      wave_id: entity.wave_id ?? undefined
      // Map additional_data fields if needed:
      // custom_field: entity.additional_data.custom_field
    }
  };
}

Important: Use ! only when the field is guaranteed to be populated for this notification type.

Step 4: Create Notifier Method

File: src/notifications/user.notifier.ts

4a. Import your new type at the top:

import {
  // ... existing imports
  YourNewNotificationData
} from './user-notification.types';

4b. Add notifier method:

public async notifyOfYourNewThing(
  data: YourNewNotificationData,
  visibility_group_id: string | null,
  connection?: ConnectionWrapper<any>
) {
  // Skip self-notifications
  if (data.actor_id === data.recipient_id) {
    return;
  }

  await this.identityNotificationsDb.insertNotification(
    {
      identity_id: data.recipient_id,
      additional_identity_id: data.actor_id,
      related_drop_id: data.drop_id ?? null,
      related_drop_part_no: null,
      related_drop_2_id: null,
      related_drop_2_part_no: null,
      wave_id: data.wave_id ?? null,
      cause: IdentityNotificationCause.YOUR_NEW_CAUSE,
      additional_data: {
        // Custom JSON fields here
      },
      visibility_group_id
    },
    connection
  );
}

Step 5: Wire Up the Trigger

In the identified service/use-case, call your notifier:

await userNotifier.notifyOfYourNewThing(
  {
    actor_id: actorIdentityId,
    recipient_id: recipientIdentityId,
    drop_id: dropId,
    wave_id: waveId
  },
  visibilityGroupId,
  connection  // Pass if inside transaction
);

Important considerations:

• Call AFTER the primary action succeeds
• Pass connection if inside a database transaction
• Consider if notification failure should fail the whole operation

Step 6: Add Push Notification Handler

File: src/pushNotificationsHandler/identityPushNotifications.ts

6a. Add case to generateNotificationData():

case IdentityNotificationCause.YOUR_NEW_CAUSE:
  return handleYourNewThing(notification, additionalEntity);

6b. Add handler function:

async function handleYourNewThing(
  notification: IdentityNotificationEntity,
  additionalEntity: ApiIdentity
) {
  // Fetch related data if needed
  const dropSerialNo = await getDropSerialNo(notification.related_drop_id);

  const title = `${additionalEntity.handle} did something`;
  const body = 'View details';
  const imageUrl = additionalEntity.pfp;
  const data = {
    redirect: 'waves',  // or 'profile'
    wave_id: notification.wave_id,
    drop_id: dropSerialNo
  };

  return { title, body, data, imageUrl };
}

Available helpers:

• getDropSerialNo(dropId) - Get drop's serial number for deep linking
• getDropPart(notification, handle?) - Get drop content for body text
• getDrop(notification) - Get full drop entity
• getWaveEntityOrThrow(notificationId, waveId) - Get wave entity

Step 7: Add API Service Mapping

File: src/api-serverless/src/notifications/notifications.api.service.ts

7a. Add case to getAllRelatedIds() (~line 154):

case IdentityNotificationCause.YOUR_NEW_CAUSE: {
  const data = notification.data;
  profileIds.push(data.actor_id);
  if (data.drop_id) {
    dropIds.push(data.drop_id);
  }
  break;
}

7b. Add case to mapToApiNotification() (~line 225):

case IdentityNotificationCause.YOUR_NEW_CAUSE: {
  const data = notification.data;
  return {
    id: notification.id,
    created_at: notification.created_at,
    read_at: notification.read_at,
    cause: enums.resolveOrThrow(ApiNotificationCause, notificationCause),
    related_identity: profiles[data.actor_id],
    related_drops: data.drop_id ? [drops[data.drop_id]] : [],
    additional_context: {
      wave_id: data.wave_id
      // Add custom context for frontend
    }
  };
}

Step 8: Update OpenAPI Schema

File: src/api-serverless/openapi.yaml

Find ApiNotificationCause enum (~line 7668) and add your value:

ApiNotificationCause:
  type: string
  enum:
    - IDENTITY_SUBSCRIBED
    - IDENTITY_MENTIONED
    # ... existing values
    - YOUR_NEW_CAUSE  # Add here

Then regenerate types:

cd src/api-serverless && npm run restructure-openapi && npm run generate

Verification Checklist

After implementation, verify:

• Enum value added to IdentityNotificationCause in src/entities/IIdentityNotification.ts
• Data interface created in src/notifications/user-notification.types.ts
• Notification interface created and added to UserNotification union
• Mapper case added in src/notifications/user-notification.mapper.ts
• Notifier method created in src/notifications/user.notifier.ts
• Notifier wired up in trigger location
• Push handler added in src/pushNotificationsHandler/identityPushNotifications.ts
• getAllRelatedIds() case added in notifications API service
• mapToApiNotification() case added in notifications API service
• OpenAPI schema updated with new enum value
• Types regenerated (cd src/api-serverless && npm run restructure-openapi && npm run generate)
• Tests pass (npm test)
• Code builds (npm run build)

Common Patterns

Pattern: Simple Identity Action

• Use For: One user does something to another (follow, block)
• Entity Fields: identity_id (recipient), additional_identity_id (actor)
• Push: "{actor} did X to you"

Pattern: Drop-Related Action

• Use For: Actions on drops (vote, react, quote, reply, mention)
• Entity Fields: + related_drop_id, wave_id
• Push: "{actor} did X to your drop" with drop content preview

Pattern: Multi-Drop Action

• Use For: Actions involving two drops (quote, reply)
• Entity Fields: + related_drop_id (new drop), related_drop_2_id (original drop)
• Push: Deep link to new drop in wave context

Pattern: Wave Action

• Use For: Wave-level notifications (invited, archived)
• Entity Fields: + wave_id
• Push: Deep link to wave

Files Reference

Environment Requirements

For notifications to work:

• USER_NOTIFIER_ACTIVATED=true - Enable notification creation
• PUSH_NOTIFICATIONS_ACTIVATED=true - Enable push sending

Important Considerations

1. Self-notifications: Always skip notifying users of their own actions
2. Transaction handling: Pass connection if inside a database transaction
3. Wave muting: Push notifications are automatically skipped for muted waves
4. Deleted entities: Handle cases where referenced profile/drop/wave was deleted
5. TypeScript exhaustiveness: The assertUnreachable pattern ensures you don't miss switch cases

Next Steps

1. Use AskUserQuestion to gather the four required pieces of information:
   • Notification type name
   • Data fields needed
   • Trigger location
   • Push notification content
2. Implement each step in order (1-8)
3. Run npm run build to verify TypeScript compilation
4. Run npm test to verify tests pass
5. Test locally with USER_NOTIFIER_ACTIVATED=true

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