Zip file doesn't arrive when attached to email - ios

Question

Im trying to zip up my sqlite files from my documents directory to send via mail using https://github.com/mattconnolly/ZipArchive.
NSString *filePath = [[NSHomeDirectory() stringByAppendingPathComponent:#"Documents"] stringByAppendingPathComponent:#"app.sqlite"];
NSString *filePath2 = [[NSHomeDirectory() stringByAppendingPathComponent:#"Documents"] stringByAppendingPathComponent:#"app.sqlite-shm"];
NSString *filePath3 = [[NSHomeDirectory() stringByAppendingPathComponent:#"Documents"] stringByAppendingPathComponent:#"app.sqlite-wal"];
NSArray *paths = NSSearchPathForDirectoriesInDomains(NSDocumentDirectory, NSUserDomainMask, YES);
NSString *documentsDirectory = [paths objectAtIndex:0];
NSString *archivePath = [documentsDirectory stringByAppendingString:#".zip"];
//Zip up files
ZipArchive *archiver = [[ZipArchive alloc] init];
[archiver CreateZipFile2:archivePath];
[archiver addFileToZip:filePath newname:#"backUp.sqlite"];
[archiver addFileToZip:filePath2 newname:#"backUp.sqlite-shm"];
[archiver addFileToZip:filePath3 newname:#"backUp.sqlite-wal"];
MFMailComposeViewController *mailView = [[MFMailComposeViewController alloc] init];
if (mailView != nil) {
mailView.mailComposeDelegate = self;
[mailView setSubject:#"Database"];
//Attach zip file
[mailView addAttachmentData:[NSData dataWithContentsOfFile:archivePath] mimeType:#"application/zip" fileName:#"test.zip"];
[mailView setMessageBody:#"Database attached" isHTML:NO];
[self presentViewController:mailView animated:YES completion: NULL];
}
The attachment appears in the email preview on the device but when it arrives with the recipient the attachment has vanished?
also tried this:
NSString *filePath = [[NSHomeDirectory() stringByAppendingPathComponent:#"Documents"] stringByAppendingPathComponent:#"app.sqlite"];
NSString *filePath2 = [[NSHomeDirectory() stringByAppendingPathComponent:#"Documents"] stringByAppendingPathComponent:#"app.sqlite-shm"];
NSString *filePath3 = [[NSHomeDirectory() stringByAppendingPathComponent:#"Documents"] stringByAppendingPathComponent:#"app.sqlite-wal"];
DebugLog(#"DB path is: %#", filePath);
NSError *error = nil;
NSData *fileData = [[NSData alloc] initWithContentsOfFile:filePath options:0UL error:&error];
NSString* fileDataString = [[NSString alloc] initWithData:fileData encoding:NSNonLossyASCIIStringEncoding];
NSData *fileData2 = [[NSData alloc] initWithContentsOfFile:filePath2 options:0UL error:&error];
NSString* fileData2String = [[NSString alloc] initWithData:fileData2 encoding:NSNonLossyASCIIStringEncoding];
NSData *fileData3 = [[NSData alloc] initWithContentsOfFile:filePath3 options:0UL error:&error];
NSString* fileData3String = [[NSString alloc] initWithData:fileData3 encoding:NSNonLossyASCIIStringEncoding];
if (error != nil) {
DebugLog(#"Failed to read the file: %#", [error localizedDescription]);
} else {
if (fileData == nil) {
DebugLog(#"File data is nil");
}
}
NSArray *paths = NSSearchPathForDirectoriesInDomains(NSDocumentDirectory, NSUserDomainMask, YES);
NSString *documentsDirectory = [paths objectAtIndex:0];
NSString *archivePath = [documentsDirectory stringByAppendingString:#".zip"];
//Zip up documents directory
ZipArchive *archiver = [[ZipArchive alloc] init];
[archiver CreateZipFile2:archivePath];
[archiver addFileToZip:fileDataString newname:#"backUp.sqlite"];
[archiver addFileToZip:fileData2String newname:#"backUp.sqlite-shm"];
[archiver addFileToZip:fileData3String newname:#"backUp.sqlite-wal"];
MFMailComposeViewController *mailView = [[MFMailComposeViewController alloc] init];
if (mailView != nil) {
mailView.mailComposeDelegate = self;
[mailView setSubject:#"Database"];
//Attach zip file
[mailView addAttachmentData:[NSData dataWithContentsOfFile:archivePath] mimeType:#"application/zip" fileName:#"test.zip"];
[mailView setMessageBody:#"Database attached" isHTML:NO];
[self presentViewController:mailView animated:YES completion: NULL];
}
same behaviour zip file does not arrive with email
Logging the archivePath gives me /var/mobile/Containers/Data/Application/1D32A3AA-A431-46234-AE4B-ED944CA2D883F4/Documents.zip

Answer 1

Typically an email attachment doesn't arrive for one of two reasons:
The path you used to load the NSData resulted in the data being nil.
The file is too large to send via email.
You have several issues leading to problem one.
The path for the zip file is in a read-only folder - the root of your app's resource bundle.
Never use NSHomeDirectory() to create paths to folders in your app's sandbox. Things changed in iOS 8 and such paths won't work at all. Only use NSSearchPathForDirectoriesInDomains with the proper folder reference such as NSDocumentDirectory.
To solve the first issue, change this:
NSString *archivePath = [documentsDirectory stringByAppendingString:#".zip"];
to something like:
NSString *archivePath = [documentsDirectory stringByAppendingPathComponent:#"SomeFiles.zip"];
It would be even better to store this temporary file in the caches folder (use NSCachesDirectory instead of NSDocumentDirectory). Then delete the file after sending the email.