Cordova Ionic Native File plugin - Where does it store the files in iOS? - ionic-framework

Question

I been trying to save a file on iOS. Right now I been running through Xcode right to my phone.
When I run the app it says that is saved successfully. But I don’t see any file when I use a file manager app like FileApp, FileManager, iCloud and the Apple crappy Files app.
My question is that I heard from a web search that in order to save the file iOS creates a sandbox folder for the app.
If I been saving it to this.file.documentDirectory, how can a user open it in let’s say Pages or Numbers apps? (You know Apple’s Word and Excel replacement for the uninitiated.)
Here’s the code.
writeToIOS(opts : {
fileName: string,
text: any
}) : Promise < IResponse < any >> {
let response: IResponse < boolean > = {
success: false,
error: '',
data: false
};
const options: IWriteOptions = {
replace: true
};
return new Promise((resolve, reject) => {
const path = this.file.documentsDirectory;
const directory = 'Attendance Log';
this
.file
.checkDir(path, directory)
.then(res => {
this
.file
.writeFile(path + directory, opts.fileName, opts.text, options)
.then(res => {
response = {
...response,
success: true,
error: res,
data: res
};
resolve(response);
})
.catch(error => reject(error));
})
.catch(() => {
this
.file
.createDir(path, directory, true)
.then(directory => {
this
.file
.writeFile(path + directory.name, opts.fileName, opts.text, options)
.then(res => {
response = {
...response,
success: true,
error: res,
data: res
};
resolve(response);
})
.catch(error => reject(error));
})
.catch(error => reject(error));
});
});
}
EDIT:
What the client/user should do is be able to choose the file and open it in his/her favorite app. That being a File Manager app or a Writer or Spreadsheet app.

Answer 1

I don't have too much experience with iOS, but I think you have chosen good dir.
cordova.file.documentsDirectory - Files private to the app, but that
are meaningful to other application (e.g. Office files). Note that for
OSX this is the user's ~/Documents directory. (iOS, OSX)
In iOS i would search /var/mobile/Applications/<UUID>/Documents

Answer 2

This is using the cordova-plugin-fileopener2 in conjuction with ionic native file opener:
const options = {
replace: true
};
const path = this.file.documentsDirectory;
const directory = 'Attendance Log';
this.file
.checkDir(path, directory)
.then(res => {
this.file
.writeFile(path + directory, opts.fileName, opts.text, options)
.then(res => {
this.fileOpener
.open(`${path}${directory}/${opts.fileName}` , 'application/vnd.openxmlformats-officedocument.spreadsheetml.sheet')
.then(() => ...)
.catch(error => ...);
})
.catch(error => ...);