I need to be able to configure my app via configuration file.
How do I go about it?
The first thing that comes to my mind is having a .plist file that stores values and to have an singleton class and ask that class for values whenever I create element in question in code.
Or is there any better way to do this?
Depends on the amount of content and size of the configuration file.
If it's a couple of key-value values, I would just go with NSUserDefaults.
If it's a bit more, arrays or more advanced data models, I would go with a .plist. But remember to move the default .plist into the /Documents folder, you are not allowed to edit files in the app bundle.
Related
In our app we have lots of photos that we need to read while using the app, we have to also orgenize them into groups/categories.
this option is to make a plist with their names, and just put them into the app and read the plist.
create folders inside the app, order them inside, and read the specific folder.
Option 2 took me days and I couldn't even make it work reliably, and it also seems not the right way to work for some reason.
Option 1, the problem is that if you have 100 files you have to edit your plist every time again for a new file you add.
Is there a way to make option 1 outside of xcode so I can put all files in a folder on my mac, get their plist, and put this plist inside Xcode ?
What's the right way to achieve this ?
plist is just a simple XML file. You can create the plist file and add to xcode as any normal file to the bundle and read it.
macOS comes with two command-line tools for manipulating plists:
/usr/bin/plutil can convert a plist between formats. You might like this because you could write your photo catalog in JSON using whatever tools you like, then convert it to a plist. Of course, then you could just use JSON directly in your app…
/usr/libexec/PlistBuddy (note that /usr/libexec is not normally in one's PATH) can modify a plist in place, adding, removing, or changing entries.
Both of these tools have man pages (man plutil, man PlistBuddy) and substantial built-in help (plutil -h, /usr/libexec/PlistBuddy -h).
First, you're making a false assumption. There is no need to use a plist file here. An ordinary text file listing the names will do just fine, and you can just make up your own format to dictate groups and suchlike. And that sort of file is trivially easy to maintain.
Second, your rather confused claim that "Option 2 took me days and I couldn't even make it work reliably, and it also seems not the right way to work for some reason" is just a cop-out. Folder references are not a difficult thing to use (you can configure them in the Finder, which is as simple as you can get), they do work just fine, and they are a perfectly reasonable solution here.
Sorry for my english.
I have developed a mobile application that needs its own local data store. I chose Realm as the database management system. In the process of studying the Realm documentation I had no problems with the database design, it's normalization, the CRUD-operations and everything that is related directly to the code.
I was confused following. I test my application in the simulator. I did not create the local database. I’ve just done it as it is written in the documentation of Realm. Realm created by itself its database and I did not specify any settings. The location of my file with database is given below:
/Users/macbookpro/Library/Developer/CoreSimulator/Devices//EFECD945-285C-494F-8C1B-950D9AA05147/data/Containers/Data/Application/8D71FF0A-60D2-4875-96BB-36955E80D505/Documents/default.realm.
I quite inconvenient to apply each time this path for the analyzing of records in the database. The file is stored at this path is inaccessible for Realm Browser, because I need root privileges. I have seen that people store their .realm-files in project directory. Answer me please - how can I do it? Would it be the right alternative?
I have repeatedly seen the code, where paths to the database file appeared. For example, here: https://github.com/pietbrauer/CarthageRealmUploadFailureExample/blob/master/Carthage.checkout/realm-cocoa/examples/ios/swift/Migration/AppDelegate.swift
I'm not sure if it's the right direction.
As a result, I want to:
1) have on hand a database file and be able to quickly refer to it;
2) know the algorithm - how to set own path to the Realm-database
file;
3) know what realm configuration must be on a real device, to
ensure security and data integrity.
Thank you very much to all!
When you don't specify a path for the default Realm in your app, Realm will automatically create one named default.realm in the Documents directory of your app. On apps running in the iOS Simulator, this will save the Realm file in the appropriate Simulator folder, but you are correct in that it's not very intuitive to find it.
In response to your questions:
There is a cool utility called SimPholders that lets you inspect the Documents folders of apps in the iOS Simulator. This is the best way to get at any Realm files the Simulator has generated very quickly.
When creating an instance of a Realm object, you can supply a Configuration object to customise it. You can explicitly set the file path of the Realm file by setting the path property of that Configuration object.
iOS supplies an automatic layer of file encryption on disk, that makes files unable to be read when the device is locked. If you want additional security, then it's possible to set the encryptionKey property of a Realm Configuration object to have a Realm itself encrypt that Realm file on disk.
I hope that helped! Let me know if you need any more clarification!
1) and 2) does have very small effect on security and data integrity
3) if you are worry about security of you data, use Realm-level encryption like here
I have created a plist file in the bundle, and I'm trying update the user's information into the plist. I know that I should copy the plist file from the bundle to the document directory, and edit it from there, but I still have a couple questions:
When I copy the plist file to the document directory, is it permanent? I mean, if I close the program and open it again, I can simply edit the plist file in the document directory, right?
If so, does it mean that I should only execute the code that copies the plist file to the document directory once the app is launched for the first time?
/main question/ Since I want a blank plist file for the user to update their data with, should I just simply create a plist file on the first launch? It'll be a lot easier without the copying around bundles and stuff.
I mean, what is the point of creating a plist file in the bundle in the first place? We will copying it into the document directory anyway, so why not just create one in code?
Yes. Writing a file is permanent, as long as you obviously don't delete/move the file somewhere else.
That is a valid option
Yes. If you need a blank file, you don't need it from the bundle. A better idea would be to create it when you need it (when there is something to write). Usually file creations are managed like so
Check if file exists
If not, create it.
Use the file.
If you need a template file (with already some stuff written in it), then a copy from the bundle is more appropriate. But even then, a lot of developers will like to do everything from code, it's not that heavy of a task, and it forces you to create/prepare the right objects and methods from the get-go.
Like Rooe N said, the NSUserDefaults IS a property list, so if you're talking about very simple data, say, like a username and a last-time-I-logged-In-date, you could store it there.
Note that NSUserDefaults are loaded all the way, every time you load the app, so you don't wanna use it as a database. But since you're going for .plist, I'll assume you've already ruled DBs out.
I'm not completely sure what you are trying to achieve, but you should think of plist as a place for global Constants not something that should be updated on runtime.
Maybe you should look at this:
NSUserDefaults
I'm attempting to make the values in a .plist Multi Value dynamic. Specifically, I want to download a list of options from a web site and populate the values with the returned data. I have read a couple of posts stating that changing the app bundle during runtime is impossible. Is it not possible to make the values refer to a data source outside the app bundle, for example if I put the alternatives in NSUserDefaults and read from there?
If this is totally out of the question, what alternatives are there?
What I do is copy the plist into a hidden folder in the documents directory and work with that copy
If the file does not exist, copy it entirely, and if it does, do some merging or overwrite completely, whatever fits your needs
Working with NSUserDefaults is also a possibility
I have a plist in my Resources folder that I'm using to store conversion information. I'd like to give the user the ability to "turn off" certain units so that those units will never be used in conversions. I don't want to have to maintain two lists with the conversion information in it.
I am able to save data back to that plist file in the stimulator. (using writeToFile and the pathForResource). I'm wondering if this is a problematic approach.
Will there be an issues with this on deployment? (i.e. will Apple seal the plist)
What will happen if I push out an upgrade? What if that upgrade contains new units added to the list?
Would doing something like copying the plist to the user's documents directory make sense?
It is not possible to change the app bundle. Further the app is signed. Instead copy the plist to the documents directory on first start and access from there.
No whatever is in the application bundle is offlimit has the DRM on iPhone needs it to stay the same. You should save your preferences in the Apllication Document folder or Preference folder.
Use an iOS Settings Bundle...