I'm in trouble with paths, relative paths, NSBundle and all the path/file related operations :)
While i run the simulator everthing goes right but all the file changes are not permanent, so everytime i run my app i have to repeat the initial setup of my app.
The question:
What is the proper way to read and write files (from resource dir) and make all the file changes permanent (updated into the project folder) ?
Thanks
EDIT: i write a simple method to do it, it's correct ?
-(NSString *) getPath:(NSString *)forResource
{
NSString *pathRes, *docPath, *destPath;
NSArray *foundPaths;
NSFileManager *fs = [[NSFileManager alloc] init];
foundPaths = NSSearchPathForDirectoriesInDomains(NSDocumentDirectory,NSUserDomainMask, YES);
docPath = [foundPaths objectAtIndex:0];
destPath = [[NSString stringWithFormat:#"%#/%#",docPath,forResource] stringByStandardizingPath];
if(![fs fileExistsAtPath:destPath])
{
pathRes = [[NSBundle mainBundle] pathForResource:forResource ofType:nil];
[fs copyItemAtPath:pathRes toPath:destPath error:nil];
}
return destPath;
}
You cannot write to the application folder on the device. Write any persistent data to your documents directory. You can copy files from the resources directory to the documents directory on the first run to keep your existing logic.
NSSearchPathForDirectoriesInDomains( NSDocumentDirectory , NSUserDomainMask , YES );
Related
I am creating an epub reader. In that I want to list out .epub files from iphone. So I want to know is there any possible way to list out the .epub files from iphone (not just from the project directory path but also anywhere else in the phone)?
No, this is not possible.
Since there is no filesystem access, except the the directory with in apps sandbox.
All apps have to store the files they use with there sandbox, you tell iOS that you app can op .epub files. Which will allow the user to open the file from, example an email in your app.
As answered by #rckoenes, it is not possible to access the filesystem other than your app bundle.
You can access the files in your app bundle like this:
NSString *bundlePathName = [[NSBundle mainBundle] bundlePath];
NSError *error;
NSArray *bundleContents = [[NSFileManager defaultManager] contentsOfDirectoryAtPath:bundlePathName error:&error];
for (NSString *currentItem in bundleContents) {
if ([currentItem rangeOfString:#"." options:NSBackwardsSearch].location != NSNotFound) {
int tempIndex = (int)([fileName rangeOfString:#"." options:NSBackwardsSearch].location);
tempIndex++;
NSString *aStrExtension = [[fileName substringWithRange:NSMakeRange(tempIndex, [fileName length]-tempIndex)] lowercaseString];
if ([aStrExtension isEqualToString:#"epub"]) {
//Add this file to an array, to make it available for choosing and view its details
}
}
}
If you mean you want to open ePub files saved not inside your application bundle, then you cant, you will have access only to the files inside your app sandbox
As per the #rckoenes: Any files out of App bundle is not accessible,
So I retrieved .epub files like this way.
NSString *bundleRoot = [[NSBundle mainBundle] bundlePath];
NSFileManager *manager = [NSFileManager defaultManager];
NSDirectoryEnumerator *direnum = [manager enumeratorAtPath:bundleRoot];
NSString *filename;
while ((filename = [direnum nextObject] )) {
if ([filename hasSuffix:#".epub"]) { //change the suffix to what you are looking for
[arrayListofEpub addObject:[filename stringByDeletingPathExtension]];
}
}
I will try describe my problem as best as I can. I have created a sqlite database using the console on the mac. I've added the file to my project, by right clicking and hitting "add files to (projectname)" and it adds the database. I am able to read the database, however when I try and update the database, although my debugging has confirmed the statements (update statements) succeed, the data in the database is not updating. I am gathering this is because the pointer to the database file is pointing to the .sql file in my documents (which is where the original file that I added is located), however I thought by adding the file to the project, a copy of that file would go within the project folder.
My question is how can I add a .sql file to my project where it is not referenced from the desktop, and be able to update the information that is located within the database.
No the file is not the one on your desktop, the file be bundled in the .app bundle.
The database is located in the app bundle which is readonly, you will need to move the database to the document directory on first startup.
place something like this in the - (BOOL)application:(UIApplication *)application didFinishLaunchingWithOptions:(NSDictionary *)launchOptions
NSString *documentDirectory = [NSSearchPathForDirectoriesInDomains(NSDocumentDirectory, NSUserDomainMask,YES) objectAtIndex:0];
NSString *sqlFile =[documentDirectory stringByAppendingPathComponent:#"yourdb.sql"];
if (![[NSFileManager defaultManager] fileExistsAtPath:sqlFile]) {
NSString *bundleSql = [[NSBundle mainBundle] pathForResource:#"yourdb" ofType:#"sql"];
NSError *error = nil;
[[NSFileManager defaultManager] copyItemAtPath:bundleSql toPath:sqlFile error:&error];
if (error) {
NSLog(#"Could not copy json file: %#", error);
}
}
Get your SQL file's directory path on your bundle by :
NSString *sqlFilePath = [[NSBundle mainBundle] pathForResource:#"YourSQLFileName" ofType:#"sql"];
Next copy the sql file to your sandbox directory using this command :
NSArray *documentPaths = NSSearchPathForDirectoriesInDomains(NSDocumentDirectory, NSUserDomainMask, YES);
NSString *sandboxDirectoryPath = [documentPaths objectAtIndex:0];
NSString *newSQLFilePath = [NSString stringWithFormat:#"%#/YourSQLFileName.sql", sandboxDirectoryPath];
[[NSFileManager defaultManager] copyItemAtPath:sqlFilePath toPath:newSQLFilePath error:error]
In the Simulator I can save an NSMutableArray to a file and read it back with the following code:
NSFileManager *fileManager = [NSFileManager defaultManager];
if ([fileManager fileExistsAtPath:#"RiskValues"]){ // If file exists open into table
NSLog(#"Risk Values File Exists");
NSArray *paths = NSSearchPathForDirectoriesInDomains
(NSDocumentDirectory, NSUserDomainMask, YES);
NSString *documentsDirectory = [paths objectAtIndex:0];
NSString *fullFileName = [NSString stringWithFormat:#"RiskValues", documentsDirectory];
gRiskValues = [[NSMutableArray alloc] initWithContentsOfFile:fullFileName];
gRiskValuesAlreadyInitialised = YES;
} else {
NSLog(#"Can't find RiskValues file, so initialising gRiskValues table");
Do something else .......
}
This doesn't work on the device. I have tried to locate the file using the following but it still doesn't work:
NSString *fullFileName = [documentsDirectory stringByAppendingPathComponent#"RiskValues"];
What am I doing wrong?
Great answers from everyone. I have resolved the file path and existence issues at a stroke. Many, many thanks.
You have to provide absolute path here:
if ([fileManager fileExistsAtPath:#"RiskValues"])
So it must look like this:
NSArray *paths = NSSearchPathForDirectoriesInDomains
(NSDocumentDirectory, NSUserDomainMask, YES);
NSString *documentsDirectory = [paths objectAtIndex:0];
NSString *fullFileName = [documentsDirectory stringByAppendingPathComponent:#"RiskValues"];
NSFileManager *fileManager = [NSFileManager defaultManager];
if ([fileManager fileExistsAtPath: fullFileName]){ // If file exists open into table
NSLog(#"Risk Values File Exists");
gRiskValues = [[NSMutableArray alloc] initWithContentsOfFile:fullFileName];
gRiskValuesAlreadyInitialised = YES;
} else {
NSLog(#"Can't find RiskValues file, so initialising gRiskValues table");
Do something else .......
}
NSString *fullFileName = [NSString stringWithFormat:#"RiskValues", documentsDirectory];
this line, you're not creating your full path string right. what you should do is
NSString *fullFileName = [documentsDirectory stringByAppendingPathComponent:#"RiskValues"];
also this check
if ([fileManager fileExistsAtPath:#"RiskValues"])
Will never pass on iOS as it is not a full path to any place you are allowed to write at in your sandbox. I suppose it works on the simulator because on the mac it's looking up relatively to the HD root (or something, not sure how the mac file system works :) ), but on the iOS you're going to have to give it a path to a file/directory in your documents (maybe by appending #"RiskValues" to it or whatever)
1) [NSString stringWithFormat:#"RiskValues", documentsDirectory] is just #"RiskValues". So this name points to file in application's directory.
2) [fileManager fileExistsAtPath:#"RiskValues"] searches for file in application directory. It's available for read/write in simulator (it's in your computer file system after all) but it's read-only on device.
BTW (NSFileManager Class Reference)
Attempting to predicate behavior based
on the current state of the file
system or a particular file on the
file system is not recommended. Doing
so can cause odd behavior in the case
of file system race conditions. It's
far better to attempt an operation
(such as loading a file or creating a
directory), check for errors, and
handle any error gracefully than it is
to try to figure out ahead of time
whether the operation will succeed.
Solution:
1) Do not check file presence. Just try to make dictionary with initWithContentsOfFile:encoding:error:
2) You want it to be in documents directory so construct path like this
[documentsDirectory stringByAppendingPathComponent:#"RiskValues"];
I am building an add-on to my app where the user can search for an item in a list that is pre-populated with data from a .plist file. It is an NSDictionary. If the term, the user searched for, does not exist, the user can tap a + button and add it so it is there the next time.
First of I thought it would be as easy as using the NSUserDefaults, but a few problems arises.
To have the list included I must place it in the bundle, but if it is there I can not add new key/value pairs to it. This I can only do with files situated in the Documents folder.
So I guess I have to bundle the plist, then on first run I'll move it to the documents folder and access it there.
This opens up the problem when I need to update the app, I guess it will overwrite the values the user put in.
Is there a secure, easy-understandable, right way to achieve the functionality I describe?
Thanks for any help given:)
Edit: **** the actual approach, as suggested by TheSquad and TomH *****
+ (NSMutableDictionary*) genericProducts {
NSFileManager *fileManager = [NSFileManager defaultManager];
NSArray *documentPaths = NSSearchPathForDirectoriesInDomains(NSDocumentDirectory, NSUserDomainMask, YES);
NSString *documentsDirectory = [documentPaths objectAtIndex:0];
NSString *documentPlistPath = [documentsDirectory stringByAppendingPathComponent:#"GenericProducts.plist"];
NSString *bundlePath = [[NSBundle mainBundle] bundlePath];
NSString *bundlePlistPath = [bundlePath stringByAppendingPathComponent:#"GenericProducts.plist"];
if([fileManager fileExistsAtPath:documentPlistPath]){
NSMutableDictionary *documentDict = [NSMutableDictionary dictionaryWithContentsOfFile:documentPlistPath];
return documentDict;
} else {
NSError *error;
BOOL success = [fileManager copyItemAtPath:bundlePlistPath toPath:documentPlistPath error:&error];
if (success) {
NSMutableDictionary *newlySavedDict = [NSMutableDictionary dictionaryWithContentsOfFile:documentPlistPath];
return newlySavedDict;
}
return nil;
}
}
And for adding a new product to the list:
+ (void) addItemToGenericProducts:(NSString*) newProduct {
NSArray *documentPaths = NSSearchPathForDirectoriesInDomains(NSDocumentDirectory, NSUserDomainMask, YES);
NSString *documentsDirectory = [documentPaths objectAtIndex:0];
NSString *documentPlistPath = [documentsDirectory stringByAppendingPathComponent:#"GenericProducts.plist"];
NSMutableDictionary *documentDict = [NSMutableDictionary dictionaryWithContentsOfFile:documentPlistPath];
[documentDict setObject:newProduct forKey:[MD5Checksum cheksum:newProduct]];
[documentDict writeToFile:documentPlistPath atomically:YES];
}
I had the same thoughts with my sqlite database...
I end up doing exactly that, copy the bundled file into documents in order to be able to modify it.
What I have done is checking at each startup if the file exist, if it does not, copy it.
If you do an update of your App, the documents folder will not be touch, this means the copied file from the previous version will still be present.
The only issue is that if you want your plist to be upgraded you will have to handle that in your application. If you have to do so I suggest you use the NSUserDefault to check if a previous version of the app existed before...
The contents of the documents directory is not altered when an application is updated.
The contents of the documents directory are deleted when the user deletes the app.
When the app is run the first time write a flag to NSUserDefaults. On subsequent runs of the app, check for existence of the flag. (alternatively, you can just check for existence of the plist in he documents directory)
I'm writing an app that copies some contents of the bundle into the applications Document's directory, mainly images and media. I then access this media throughout the app from the Document's directory.
This works totally fine in the Simulator, but not on the device. The assets just come up as null. I've done NSLog's and the paths to the files look correct, and I've confirmed that the files exist in the directory by dumping a file listing in the console.
Any ideas? Thank you!
EDIT
Here's the code that copies to the Document's directory
NSString *pathToPublicationDirectory = [NSString stringWithFormat:#"install/%d",[[[manifest objectAtIndex:i] valueForKey:#"publicationID"] intValue]];
NSString *manifestPath = [[NSBundle mainBundle] pathForResource:#"content" ofType:#"xml" inDirectory:pathToPublicationDirectory];
[self parsePublicationAt:manifestPath];
// Get actual bundle path to publication folder
NSString *bundlePath = [[[NSBundle mainBundle] resourcePath] stringByAppendingPathComponent:pathToPublicationDirectory];
// Then build the destination path
NSString *destinationPath = [documentsDirectory stringByAppendingPathComponent:[NSString stringWithFormat:#"%d", [[[manifest objectAtIndex:i] valueForKey:#"publicationID"] intValue]]];
NSError *error = nil;
// If it already exists in the documents directory, delete it
if ([fileManager fileExistsAtPath:destinationPath]) {
[fileManager removeItemAtPath:destinationPath error:&error];
}
// Copy publication folder to documents directory
[fileManager copyItemAtPath:bundlePath toPath:destinationPath error:&error];
I am figuring out the path to the docs directory with this method:
- (NSString *)applicationDocumentsDirectory {
return [NSSearchPathForDirectoriesInDomains(NSDocumentDirectory, NSUserDomainMask, YES) objectAtIndex:0];
}
And here's an example of how I'm building a path to an image
path = [NSString stringWithFormat:#"%#/%d/%#", [self applicationDocumentsDirectory], [[thisItem valueForKey:#"publicationID"] intValue], [thisItem valueForKey:#"coverImage"]];
It turned out to be an issue where the bundle was not being updated on the device and apparently didn't have the same set of files that the Simulator had. This blog post helped a bit: http://majicjungle.com/blog/?p=123
Basically, I cleaned the build and delete the app and installed directly to the device first instead of the simulator. Interesting stuff.
I don't see where documentsDirectory is defined.
NSString *destinationPath = [documentsDirectory stringByAppendingPathComponent:[NSString stringWithFormat:#"%d", [[[manifest objectAtIndex:i] valueForKey:#"publicationID"] intValue]]];
Perhaps the following will do the trick
NSString *destinationPath = [[self applicationDocumentsDirectory] stringByAppendingPathComponent:[NSString stringWithFormat:#"%d", [[[manifest objectAtIndex:i] valueForKey:#"publicationID"] intValue]]];
Your copy code looks fine, and you say you're getting no errors.
But I'm intrigued by "The assets just come up as null." Are you sure you're accessing the file name later with the exact same name?
Unlike the simulator, a real iPhone has a case sensitive file system.