swift: How to update NSUserDefault? - ios

So, I want to create my own mini social network. In registration page I have following lines of code:
var ns = NSUserDefaults.standardUserDefaults()
let array: [String] = ["\(login!)","\(password!)","\(nameSurname!)", "team", "university"] //team, university
ns.setObject(array, forKey: "\(login)")
I just create array and set it to NSUserDefaults.
And also I have page where users can change informations or datas about them, change their password for example. In this page i have following lines of code:
let login = loginTextField.text!
let password = passwordTextField.text!
let nameSurname = nameSurnameTextField.text!
let team = teamTextField.text!
let university = universityTextField.text!
let ns = NSUserDefaults.standardUserDefaults()
let array: [String] = ["\(login)","\(password)","\(nameSurname)", "\(team)", "\(university)"] //team, university course
ns.setObject(array, forKey: "\(login)")
Here I create new array and set this new array to KEY-Login. But my datas in NSUserDefaults doesn't change. How I can fix it? What I should do? Thanks)

Not sure what the issue is here. Firstly change this:
var ns = NSUserDefaults.standardUserDefaults()
//No need for " quotation marks you are using String vars
let array: [String] = [login!, password!, nameSurname!, team, university]
ns.setObject(array, forKey: "login")
//Save the changes
ns.synchronize()
//Now when we want to load the information
let ns = NSUserDefaults.standardUserDefaults()
let array = ns.objectForKey("login")
//This prints the users password
print(array![1])
//Make some changes
let newArray = ["new name", password!, nameSurname!, team, university]
ns.setObject(newArray, forKey: "login")
//Remember to save
ns.synchronize()
Maks sure you are using ns.synchronize().

Taken from the document about the Performance Tradeoffs in NSUserDefaults:
Reading from NSUserDefaults is extremely fast. It will cache values to
avoid reading from the disk, and takes about 0.5 microseconds to do
[[NSUserDefaults standardUserDefaults] boolForKey:] on a 2012 MacBook
Pro. It’s generally unnecessary (and even undesirable since it
prevents picking up new values) to cache the result of reading from
preferences.
However, writing to NSUserDefaults is a bit slower. In general, expect
it to take roughly as long as using NSPropertyListSerialization to
convert your key and value to plist data, plus a few 10s of
microseconds. For this reason, as well as memory usage, it’s generally
best to store relatively small data in CFPreferences.
Long story short, do not use synchronize in iOS 8 and later.

Related

In swift version 5.1.3 How is NSUserDefaults.standardUserDefaults().stringForKey used?

Hi I am learning by watching the video. Since it was an old version, it seemed that you were using NS, but I don’t know how to use it now, so I ask
Youtube video link
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PKOswUE731c >> 32:40
let userEmailStored = NSUserDefaults.standardUserDefaults().stringForKey("userEmail")
let userPasswordStored = NSUserDefulats.standardUserDefaults().stringForKey("userPassword")
In the current version, we know that you should use it without NS, but it is not used even if you subtract NS.
Cannot be used
I would appreciate it if you let me know.
You can use UserDefaults now and get the String values like this:
let userEmailStored = UserDefaults.standard.string(forKey: "userEmail")
let userPasswordStored = UserDefaults.standard.string(forKey: "userPassword")
You can use UserDefaults now and set the String values like this:
UserDefaults.standard.set("email", forKey: "userEmail")
UserDefaults.standard.set("password", forKey: "userPassword")

Swift Firebase -How to generate different .childByAutoId keys when using Fan Out

I have a chat system inside my app. When the user presses send to send the message data to different nodes inside the database -it works fine. The issue I'm having is since I'm using fan out I generate the .childByAutoIdkey before the data is sent. The user presses a send button to start the process but it's always the same exact .childByAutoId key so I'm just overwriting the previous message data. If the user pops the vc and comes back to it then a new key is created but obviously that's terrible ux for a messaging system?
How can I generate different .childByAutoId keys every time the user presses send to fan out?
#obj func sendMessageButtonPressed() {
// ***here's the problem, every time they press send, it's the same exact childByAutoId().key so I'm just overwriting the previous data at the messages/messageId path
guard let messageId = FirebaseManager.Database.database().reference().child("messages")?.childByAutoId().key else { return }
var messageIdDict: [String: Any] = [messageId: "1"]
var messageDict = [String: Any]() // has the fromId, toId, message, and timeStamp on it
let messageIdPath = "messages/\(messageId)"
let fromIdPath = "user-messages/\(currentUserId)"
let toIdPath = "user-messages/\(toId)"
var fanOutDict = [String: Any]()
fanOutDict.updateValue(messageDict, forKey: messageIdPath)
fanOutDict.updateValue(messageIdDict, forKey: fromIdPath)
fanOutDict.updateValue(messageIdDict, forKey: toIdPath)
let rootRef = Database.database().reference()
rootRef?.updateChildValues(fanOutDict)
}
The problem wasn't a new key was not getting generated. #FrankvanPuffelen pointed out in th comments that a new key should get generated every time which is exactly what was happening.
The problem was the fanout was overwriting what was originally written at these 2 paths:
let fromIdPath = "user-messages/\(currentUserId)"
let toIdPath = "user-messages/\(toId)"
It appeared the key was the same because the data kept getting overwritten.
The way I was generating the key works fine

Saving data (numbers) in an iOS app?

I'm learning application development working on a quiz game. I'd like to add statistics to the game. For example, the average score since the app has been downloaded. How can I store the scores on the device in order to reuse them after the app has been closed?
You should take a look at UserDefault. It's basically a dictionary that persists until the user uninstalls your app. I like to write a wrapper around it to get strong typing and ease of reference:
struct Preferences {
static func registerDefaults() {
UserDefaults.standard.register(defaults: [kAverageScore: 0])
}
// Define your key as a constant so you don't have to repeat a string literal everywhere
private static let kAverageScore = "averageScore"
static var averageScore: Double {
get { return UserDefaults.standard.double(forKey: kAverageScore) }
set { UserDefaults.standard.set(newValue, forKey: kAverageScore) }
}
}
Here's how to use it: before you call it for the first time in your app, you must register the defaults. These are the values that your app ships with. On iOS, it only really matters for the very first time the user launches your app. On OS X, do this every time your app starts because the user can delete the app's preferences from ~/Library/Application Support.
// You usually do this in viewDidLoad
Preferences.registerDefaults()
From then on, getting and setting the property is easy:
let averageScore = Preferences.averageScore
Preferences.averageScore = 5.5
You should take a look at UserDefaults
Example
let defaults = UserDefaults.standard
defaults.set(25, forKey: "Age")
defaults.set(true, forKey: "UseTouchID")
defaults.set(Double.pi, forKey: "Pi")
To read values back
let age = defaults.integer(forKey: "Age")
let useTouchID = defaults.bool(forKey: "UseTouchID")
let pi = defaults.double(forKey: "Pi")
UserDefaults

Storing a dictionary in NSUserDefaults

I read a lot on Stack Overflow regarding this question, namely, Swift NSUserDefaults not saving Dictionary?, Saving dictionary into NSUserDefaults, and Store and update a Swift Dictionary in NSUserDefaults Xcode. However, I cannot seem to find a solution that works.
Someone graciously provided snippet of code that worked for him or her but it's not working for me and I'm not exactly sure why. Here is what I tried:
var addressDict = Dictionary<Int, Array<String>>()
addressDict[3] = ["string1", "string2"] //some example values
let data = NSKeyedArchiver.archivedDataWithRootObject(addressDict) //archiving
let defaults = NSUserDefaults.standardUserDefaults()
defaults.setObject(data, forKey: "address") //storing
if let data2 = defaults.objectForKey("address") as? NSData { //reading
let addressDict2 = NSKeyedUnarchiver.unarchiveObjectWithData(data2) //unarchiving
print(addressDict2)
}
I ran this snippet of code. And then I commented out addressDict[3] = ["string1", "string2"] and ran the application again. However, it seemed to be not saved onto memory since when this line of code executed print(addressDict2), there was no data in the dictionary. Anybody have a solution to solve this? Thank you in advance for your help! :)

How to save local data in a Swift app?

I'm currently working on a iOS app developed in Swift and I need to store some user-created content on the device but I can't seem to find a simple and quick way to store/receive the users content on the device.
Could someone explain how to store and access local storage?
The idea is to store the data when the user executes an action and receive it when the app starts.
The simplest solution for storing a few strings or common types is UserDefaults.
The UserDefaults class provides convenience methods for accessing common types such as floats, doubles, integers, Boolean values, and URLs.
UserDefaults lets us store objects against a key of our choice, It's a good idea to store these keys somewhere accessible so we can reuse them.
Keys
struct DefaultsKeys {
static let keyOne = "firstStringKey"
static let keyTwo = "secondStringKey"
}
Setting
let defaults = UserDefaults.standard
defaults.set("Some String Value", forKey: DefaultsKeys.keyOne)
defaults.set("Another String Value", forKey: DefaultsKeys.keyTwo)
Getting
let defaults = UserDefaults.standard
if let stringOne = defaults.string(forKey: DefaultsKeys.keyOne) {
print(stringOne) // Some String Value
}
if let stringTwo = defaults.string(forKey: DefaultsKeys.keyTwo) {
print(stringTwo) // Another String Value
}
Swift 2.0
In Swift 2.0 UserDefaults was called NSUserDefaults and the setters and getters were named slightly differently:
Setting
let defaults = NSUserDefaults.standardUserDefaults()
defaults.setObject("Some String Value", forKey: DefaultsKeys.keyOne)
defaults.setObject("Another String Value", forKey: DefaultsKeys.keyTwo)
Getting
let defaults = NSUserDefaults.standardUserDefaults()
if let stringOne = defaults.stringForKey(DefaultsKeys.keyOne) {
print(stringOne) // Some String Value
}
if let stringTwo = defaults.stringForKey(DefaultsKeys.keyTwo) {
print(stringTwo) // Another String Value
}
For anything more serious than minor config you should consider using a more robust persistent store:
CoreData
Realm
SQLite
They Say Use NSUserDefaults
When I was implementing long term (after app close) data storage for the first time, everything I read online pointed me towards NSUserDefaults. However, I wanted to store a dictionary and, although possible, it was proving to be a pain. I spent hours trying to get type-errors to go away.
NSUserDefaults is Also Limited in Function
Further reading revealed how the read/write of NSUserDefaults really forces the app to read/write everything or nothing, all at once, so it isn't efficient. Then I learned that retrieving an array isn't straight forward. I realized that if you're storing more than a few strings or booleans, NSUserDefaults really isn't ideal.
It's also not scalable. If you're learning how to code, learn the scalable way. Only use NSUserDefaults for storing simple strings or booleans related to preferences. Store arrays and other data using Core Data, it's not as hard as they say. Just start small.
Update: Also, if you add Apple Watch support, there's another potential consideration. Your app's NSUserDefaults is now automatically sent to the Watch Extension.
Using Core Data
So I ignored the warnings about Core Data being a more difficult solution and started reading. Within three hours I had it working. I had my table array being saved in Core Data and reloading the data upon opening the app back up! The tutorial code was easy enough to adapt and I was able to have it store both title and detail arrays with only a little extra experimenting.
So for anyone reading this post who's struggling with NSUserDefault type issues or whose need is more than storing strings, consider spending an hour or two playing with core data.
Here's the tutorial I read:
http://www.raywenderlich.com/85578/first-core-data-app-using-swift
If you didn't check "Core Data"
If you didn't check "Core Data"when you created your app, you can add it after and it only takes five minutes:
http://craig24.com/2014/12/how-to-add-core-data-to-an-existing-swift-project-in-xcode/
http://blog.zeityer.com/post/119012600864/adding-core-data-to-an-existing-swift-project
How to Delete from Core Data Lists
Delete Data from Coredata Swift
Okey so thanks to #bploat and the link to http://www.codingexplorer.com/nsuserdefaults-a-swift-introduction/
I've found that the answer is quite simple for some basic string storage.
let defaults = NSUserDefaults.standardUserDefaults()
// Store
defaults.setObject("theGreatestName", forKey: "username")
// Receive
if let name = defaults.stringForKey("username")
{
print(name)
// Will output "theGreatestName"
}
I've summarized it here http://ridewing.se/blog/save-local-data-in-swift/
Using NSCoding and NSKeyedArchiver is another great option for data that's too complex for NSUserDefaults, but for which CoreData would be overkill. It also gives you the opportunity to manage the file structure more explicitly, which is great if you want to use encryption.
For Swift 4.0, this got easier:
let defaults = UserDefaults.standard
//Set
defaults.set(passwordTextField.text, forKey: "Password")
//Get
let myPassword = defaults.string(forKey: "Password")
Swift 5+
None of the answers really cover in detail the default built in local storage capabilities. It can do far more than just strings.
You have the following options straight from the apple documentation for 'getting' data from the defaults.
func object(forKey: String) -> Any?
//Returns the object associated with the specified key.
func url(forKey: String) -> URL?
//Returns the URL associated with the specified key.
func array(forKey: String) -> [Any]?
//Returns the array associated with the specified key.
func dictionary(forKey: String) -> [String : Any]?
//Returns the dictionary object associated with the specified key.
func string(forKey: String) -> String?
//Returns the string associated with the specified key.
func stringArray(forKey: String) -> [String]?
//Returns the array of strings associated with the specified key.
func data(forKey: String) -> Data?
//Returns the data object associated with the specified key.
func bool(forKey: String) -> Bool
//Returns the Boolean value associated with the specified key.
func integer(forKey: String) -> Int
//Returns the integer value associated with the specified key.
func float(forKey: String) -> Float
//Returns the float value associated with the specified key.
func double(forKey: String) -> Double
//Returns the double value associated with the specified key.
func dictionaryRepresentation() -> [String : Any]
//Returns a dictionary that contains a union of all key-value pairs in the domains in the search list.
Here are the options for 'setting'
func set(Any?, forKey: String)
//Sets the value of the specified default key.
func set(Float, forKey: String)
//Sets the value of the specified default key to the specified float value.
func set(Double, forKey: String)
//Sets the value of the specified default key to the double value.
func set(Int, forKey: String)
//Sets the value of the specified default key to the specified integer value.
func set(Bool, forKey: String)
//Sets the value of the specified default key to the specified Boolean value.
func set(URL?, forKey: String)
//Sets the value of the specified default key to the specified URL.
If are storing things like preferences and not a large data set these are perfectly fine options.
Double Example:
Setting:
let defaults = UserDefaults.standard
var someDouble:Double = 0.5
defaults.set(someDouble, forKey: "someDouble")
Getting:
let defaults = UserDefaults.standard
var someDouble:Double = 0.0
someDouble = defaults.double(forKey: "someDouble")
What is interesting about one of the getters is dictionaryRepresentation, this handy getter will take all your data types regardless what they are and put them into a nice dictionary that you can access by it's string name and give the correct corresponding data type when you ask for it back since it's of type 'any'.
You can store your own classes and objects also using the func set(Any?, forKey: String) and func object(forKey: String) -> Any? setter and getter accordingly.
Hope this clarifies more the power of the UserDefaults class for storing local data.
On the note of how much you should store and how often, Hardy_Germany gave a good answer on that on this post, here is a quote from it
As many already mentioned: I'm not aware of any SIZE limitation
(except physical memory) to store data in a .plist (e.g.
UserDefaults). So it's not a question of HOW MUCH.
The real question should be HOW OFTEN you write new / changed
values... And this is related to the battery drain this writes will
cause.
IOS has no chance to avoid a physical write to "disk" if a single
value changed, just to keep data integrity. Regarding UserDefaults
this cause the whole file rewritten to disk.
This powers up the "disk" and keep it powered up for a longer time and
prevent IOS to go to low power state.
Something else to note as mentioned by user Mohammad Reza Farahani from this post is the asynchronous and synchronous nature of userDefaults.
When you set a default value, it’s changed synchronously within your
process, and asynchronously to persistent storage and other processes.
For example if you save and quickly close the program you may notice it does not save the results, this is because it's persisting asynchronously. You might not notice this all the time so if you plan on saving before quitting the program you may want to account for this by giving it some time to finish.
Maybe someone has some nice solutions for this they can share in the comments?
Swift 3.0
Setter :Local Storage
let authtoken = "12345"
// Userdefaults helps to store session data locally
let defaults = UserDefaults.standard
defaults.set(authtoken, forKey: "authtoken")
defaults.synchronize()
Getter:Local Storage
if UserDefaults.standard.string(forKey: "authtoken") != nil {
//perform your task on success }
For Swift 3
UserDefaults.standard.setValue(token, forKey: "user_auth_token")
print("\(UserDefaults.standard.value(forKey: "user_auth_token")!)")
For someone who'd not prefer to handle UserDefaults for some reasons, there's another option - NSKeyedArchiver & NSKeyedUnarchiver. It helps save objects into a file using archiver, and load archived file to original objects.
// To archive object,
let mutableData: NSMutableData = NSMutableData()
let archiver: NSKeyedArchiver = NSKeyedArchiver(forWritingWith: mutableData)
archiver.encode(object, forKey: key)
archiver.finishEncoding()
return mutableData.write(toFile: path, atomically: true)
// To unarchive objects,
if let data = try? Data(contentsOf: URL(fileURLWithPath: path)) {
let unarchiver = NSKeyedUnarchiver(forReadingWith: data)
let object = unarchiver.decodeObject(forKey: key)
}
I've write an simple utility to save/load objects in local storage, used sample codes above. You might want to see this.
https://github.com/DragonCherry/LocalStorage
NsUserDefaults saves only small variable sizes.
If you want to save many objects you can use CoreData as a native solution, or I created a library that helps you save objects as easy as .save() function. It’s based on SQLite.
SundeedQLite
Check it out and tell me your comments
This gives a great explanation for how to do this in Swift 5: https://www.hackingwithswift.com/example-code/system/how-to-save-user-settings-using-userdefaults
Summary:
To set a value:
let defaults = UserDefaults.standard
defaults.set("value", forKey: "key")
To get a String value:
let key = defaults.object(forKey: "StringKey") as? [String] ?? [String]()
To get integer value:
let key = defaults.integer(forKey: "IntegerKey")
I found this answer and it enabled me to save data, but since Swift 4.1 there has been a much easier way to do this using appstorage.
#AppStorage("studentNames") var studentName: String = "Put name here"
Each item must be unique, but using String you can store a large variety of data in here.
I've made a video tutorial to help you do this: http://youtube.com/watch?v=nLsJD6yL9Ps

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