Swift - How to wait for something without making the app hanging - swift

Question

I have a code like this:
print("Migration Execution: Successfully uninstalled MCAfee")
migrationInfoPicture.image = NSImage(named: "Unroll")
migrationInfoText.stringValue = NSLocalizedString("Unrolling from old server... Please wait!", comment: "Unrolling")
while(!readFile(path:logfilePath)!.contains("result: 2 OK")) {
searchLogForError(scriptPath: scriptOnePath)
}
print("Migration Execution: Successfully unrolled from old server")
migrationInfoText.stringValue = NSLocalizedString("Setting up MDM profile... Please wait!", comment: "Setting up MDM")
while(!readFile(path:logfilePath)!.contains("result: 3 OK")) {
searchLogForError(scriptPath: scriptOnePath)
}
It actually works in the background, reading from the file works and logging works but since the GUI will be hanging executing a while loop with a quickly completed task, the image and the text changes will not be visible.
Code for searchForLogError is:
func searchLogForError(scriptPath:String) {
if((readFile(path:logfilePath)!.filter { $0.contains("ERROR") }).contains("ERROR")) {
print("Migration abborted")
migrationInfoPicture.image = NSImage(named: "FatalError")
migrationInfoText.stringValue = NSLocalizedString("An error occured: \n", comment: "Error occurence") + readFile(path:logfilePath)!.filter { $0.contains("ERROR") }[0]
migrationWarningText.stringValue = NSLocalizedString("In order to get further help, please contact: mac.workplace#swisscom.com", comment: "Error support information")
self.view.window?.level = .normal
btnExitApplicationOutlet.isHidden = false
getScriptProcess(path:scriptPath).terminate()
return
}
}
How can I achieve a visible change of NSImage and NSLocalizedString while constantly looking for log file change without a hanging GUI (or even with a hanging GUI, but with enough time to change the visible elements between the while-loops)?

Answer 1

Polling file system resources is a horrible practice. Don't do that. There are dedicated APIs to observe file system resources for example DispatchSourceFileSystemObject
Create a property
var fileSystemObject : DispatchSourceFileSystemObject?
and two methods to start and stop the observer. In the closure of setEventHandler insert the code to read the file
func startObserver(at url: URL)
{
if fileSystemObject != nil { return }
let fileDescriptor : CInt = open(url.path, O_EVTONLY);
if fileDescriptor < 0 {
print("Could not open file descriptor"))
return
}
fileSystemObject = DispatchSource.makeFileSystemObjectSource(fileDescriptor: fileDescriptor, eventMask: [.write, .rename], queue: .global())
if fileSystemObject == nil {
close(fileDescriptor)
print"Could not create Dispatch Source"))
return
}
fileSystemObject!.setEventHandler {
if self.fileSystemObject!.mask.contains(.write) {
// the file has been modified, do something
}
}
fileSystemObject!.setCancelHandler {
close(fileDescriptor)
}
fileSystemObject!.resume()
}
func stopObserver()
{
fileSystemObject?.cancel()
fileSystemObject = nil
}