I'm able to create and save files using cordova-plugin-file, and have been saving and accessing them from within the app to cordova.file.documentsDirectory.
The problem it seems is that all the directories that one can save to are private, Cordova-plugin-file documentation
I would like to be able to have these files saved in (or moved to) the ios blue "files" folder, so that they can be opened by other apps such as Numbers, Pages, etc. It seems so simple there has to be a way to do this, but I can't find it after more than a few evenings of searching and trying different ways.
I'd be grateful if someone could point me in the right direction.
From what I can tell you can save to the documents directory "cordova.file.documentsDirectory". By default this directory is shared with iCloud, so a file saved here could be opened through the ios File folder and a user could then select the files and hit the share icon to open with the appropriate app, such as Numbers etc.
In order to turn on iCloud you have to pay the developer fee to Apple and select the options to do so. I found the article "Working with the Files App in iOS 11" to be helpful in starting this process.
I don't have the paid developer account yet, but from what I'm reading it should work once I activate one. I'm open to a better solution or critique.
Related
I want to inspect one of the applications that I have downloaded from the iPad app store on my iPad 15.
I assume that it comes with an ipa file.
To locate the app folder or any ipa file, I open the "Files" app and enter "ipa".
Nothing is found.
Are these files hidden from the user?
How do I access / find them?
Thank you!
ps: The app is only available on the iPad app store, not for Mac.
ps2: I know that this board does not fit 100%.
However, I don't see which other board might fit.
ps3:
When I search for "How do I access files on an iPad", I find hundreds of entries explaining how to find documents that the user has created on an iPad, but not where the apps themselves are stored.
AppStore hides this information due to security reasons, so you would not be able to access or locate the ipa file so one would be prevented performing reverse engineering or any other ways to violate the security and data that app provides.
I am working on a library with a very verbose logger module that, on iOS, writes xml logs to NSDocumentDirectory in a consistent file tree. I want to come up with a way for the user of this library to easily access these logs.
I know it is simple to programatically retrieve files from this directory, but is it possible to access this directory on an iOS physical device in any way from outside Xcode to retrieve these logs? I feel like I have seen it somewhere before, something in the manner of extracting the .ipa file and going into the package contents, but I could be wrong.
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This (Browse the files created on a device by the IOS application I'm developing, on workstation?) is how to do it with Xcode on a device, but I have to assume that there is some way we can create that gets the logs off of a device for a user.
is it possible to access this directory on an iOS physical device in any way from outside Xcode to retrieve these logs?
It is possible to expose the Documents directory by enabling iTunes file sharing. When file sharing is enabled through this method, the contents of Documents directory would be visible to the user in iTunes, which can also be exported. The documents would also be visible for export through some third party desktop apps like iExplorer.
Here is the link to Apple documentation. You may also refer this thread to understand how this is done.
If you're using a simulator (apparently your task doesn't seem to need te real device) you are in luck.
You should go to a folder similar to this one:
/Users/[YOUR_USER_NAME]/Library/Developer/CoreSimulator/Devices/[RANDOM_HASH_YOU_SHOULD_DISCOVER]/data/Containers/Data/Application/[RANDOM_HASH_2_YOU_SHOULD_ALSO_DISCOVER]
Once there, with finder, you'll get the "documents" folder of the simulator and the app you're trying to retrieve your logs from.
You might say: I don't know which 2 RANDOM_HASHES should I go to.
Yes, you're right. If you have MANY simulators installed and or being used, it might be tricky to discover which one is the one you're trying to debug.
The same thing with your APP, your app will live in another RANDOM_HASH folder, and you should browse them, one by one, and then discover your documents folder.
Someone needed to solve this "mess" and created a Xcode Alcatraz Extension that leads you to the exact live simulator and APP you're debugging in any given moment, and then you don't need to guess which 2 random_hash paths you need to navigate to.
If Xcode + Alcartaz plugin extension manager is somewhat out of your reach, you might need to google it. It's not a difficult process.
PS: That magical Alcatraz Extension is named "XCodeWay" (in case you are brave enough to install Alcatraz onto your copy of XCode).
EDIT: Useful link to get Alcatraz: http://alcatraz.io/ Follow its easy instructions and you're done.
EDIT2: If Xcode cannot be used, then the last question in this other thread might come in handy: Browse the files created on a device by the IOS application I'm developing, on workstation?
(Still, an external application in your users machine will be needed )
Having only worked with Android/web dev before I am having a hard time figuring out where in the world my file should be getting copied to in iOS. After reading the file browser documentation on the iOS developer resource page it says that each app is an "island" which contains its own folder system. If I want to have my user be able to copy a file from my app's sdk to their iOS device, where should I put it?
I downloaded a file browser app from the app store on my iOS testing device but am I right in thinking that there is no global file browsing system?
I am using a Cordova plugin called Asset2sd which works perfectly for me in Android, getting the root storage folder and downloading the file to there. It has no iOS alternative so I'm going to have to figure something else out, I just need to know where to start. Do I have to have the user access my app's internal files somehow? Can I create a folder for them to look in when they download my app? Some documentation or something would be wonderful. I am totally lost.
Thanks!
You're right. Apps don't have access to the global file system. Each app only has access to their own app directory. Here's in-depth information on Sandboxing: https://developer.apple.com/app-sandboxing/
In your app's sandbox, you basically can manage files as you want, i.e. download, copy, move, delete, etc. So you can create a folder Downloads in your apps documents directory and then display the contents of this folder for instance in a table view.
Related documentation/links:
https://developer.apple.com/library/prerelease/ios/documentation/Cocoa/Reference/Foundation/Classes/NSFileManager_Class/index.html
https://stackoverflow.com/a/6907432/967327
https://developer.apple.com/library/ios/documentation/iPhone/Conceptual/iPhoneOSProgrammingGuide/iPhoneAppProgrammingGuide.pdf
I can successfully read and write a text file within the user's Documents directory for my iOS app. However, I will need to view this text file myself, retrieving it from the user's iPad.
I looked into sending it via email, but all of the links pointed me to MFMailComposer rather than some automated way of sending email. I looked into FTP uploading, but Apple doesn't seem to want me to use password protected FTP in my app. How can I go about making a text file in the user's Documents directory accessible from my own computer? I feel as if there must be some easier options for this task.
Well, there's iTunes File Sharing. It is probably the most "direct" way to do it, as it doesn't require any 3rd party service and frameworks. Read more about it at Ray Wenderlich's - the tutorial is a bit dated, but should still be valid for the most part.
For over the air sharing, I'd recommend dropbox. It is easy to use within your app and many of your future users will have an account already.
Lastly, if you require the functionality for your development purposes, you might want to take a look at iExplorer (formerly iPhone Explorer). It will allow you direct access to your apps documents folder and doesn't require you to alter your app in any way to work.
Go to your App-Info.plist and add a row under Information Property List.
Name that row Application supports iTunes file sharing. You should see it auto completing.
Set the value to YES
That's all you need to do. Now you can access the files from your iTunes.
As of August 4, 2014, open up iTunes. In the top right corner, click on your device, but NOT the eject button. It might say iPhone. Click on the Apps tab and scroll to the bottom to File Sharing. Click on the desired app and the documents will appear.
I have recently bought a perfect file manager app for my iPad. Everything in this app is great, besides that it cannot handle some specific file types.
So for example if I try to download the file in mobile safari and try to save it into the file manager (for further upload to dropbox, email and so on), I cannot do this because the app is not listed in the "open In" list.
The question is, how to associate this app with this specific file types? I've searched google and found out that app's file association information is stored in Info.plist file in the CFBundleDocumentTypes section.
So I just modified Info.plist but id didn't help. I also found the cracked version of this app and placed info.plist into the IPA file, reinstalled the app on the iPad and it also didn't help.
Any suggestions how to solve the problem?
You cannot just add the file types. The app also has to be coded to accept the request to open the file.
Try contacting the developer and ask for them to add this feature.
The problem is probably not the APP but a limitation on IOS: it is a random selection and only shows 10. I don't know if it randomly selects based on the ones you use most or what. You cannot change this other than to delete apps you don't use as often. But having said this, the app must also support the extension of the document you are trying to send: not just as a document it stores, but as a document it accepts as a transfer from another app. You can try to convert it first into a PDF and then open, if that's possible. Hope this helps.