NSURL withString adds gibberish - ios

Question

I am trying to build a NSURL using a path string. The string looks fine but when I try to put that in an NSURL it gets a bunch of gibberish in it. Here is the code I am using to build up the url:
NSString* path = [[AppSettings instance].contentRootPath stringByAppendingPathComponent: item.fileName];
NSLog(path);
item.contentPath = [NSURL URLWithString:[path stringByAddingPercentEscapesUsingEncoding:NSUTF8StringEncoding]];
NSLog(item.contentPath.absoluteString);
And here is the log:
2012-07-25 10:28:39.983 mxHub[44036:207] /Users/casey.borders/Library/Application Support/iPhone Simulator/5.0/Applications/C2C1975D-7FAB-4E6C-A091-DC389223CC57/Documents/.content/PREZISTA-PI.pdf
2012-07-25 10:28:41.654 mxHub[44036:207] /Users/casey.borders/Library/Application扡潳畬整瑓楲杮䄀䅖獳瑥慃档e獡敳䍴捡敨楗桴剕㩌猀穩佥䕦瑮祲潆䭲祥:ㅱ䀲㨰䀴8敲潭敶湅牴䙹牯敋㩹挀牵敲瑮楓敺猀瑥慍䕸瑮祲楓敺:慭䕸瑮祲楓敺猀瑥慍卸穩㩥洀硡楓敺䀀䄢䅖獳瑥慃档䥥瑮牥慮≬䄀䅖獳瑥慃档䥥瑮牥慮l湩瑩楗桴楄瑣潩慮祲:慤慴獕湩䕧据摯湩㩧污潬䱷獯祳潃癮牥楳湯:慣䉮䍥湯敶瑲摥潔湅潣楤杮:湩瑩楗桴慄慴攺据摯湩㩧攀瑸湥敤䱤杯慄慴瑓楲杮湅潣楤杮攀瑸湥敤䱤杯慄慴䄀偖慬敹䥲整䅭捣獥䱳杯开捡散獳潌䅧牲祡攀敶瑮s灟慬敹䥲整䅭捣獥䱳杯䀀䄢偖慬敹䥲整䅭捣獥䱳杯湉整湲污"噁汐祡牥瑉浥捁散獳潌䥧瑮牥慮l潬䅧牲祡䄀偖慬敹䥲整䅭捣獥䱳杯癅湥t畮扭牥晏牄灯数噤摩潥牆浡獥椀摮捩瑡摥楂牴瑡e扯敳癲摥楂牴瑡e畮扭牥晏祂整味慲獮敦牲摥渀浵敢佲卦慴汬s畤慲楴湯慗捴敨d敳浧湥獴潄湷潬摡摥畄慲楴湯瀀慬批捡卫慴瑲晏獦瑥瀀慬批捡卫獥楳湯䑉渀浵敢佲卦牥敶䅲摤敲獳桃湡敧s敳癲牥摁牤獥s剕I汰祡慢正瑓牡䑴瑡e畮扭牥晏敓浧湥獴潄湷潬摡摥开汰祡牥瑉浥捁散獳潌䕧敶瑮䀀䄢偖慬敹䥲整䅭捣獥䱳杯癅湥䥴瑮牥慮≬吀ⱤⱒN噁汐祡牥瑉浥捁散獳潌䕧敶瑮湉整湲污搀捩t┊#噁汐祡牥瑉浥牅潲䱲杯开牥潲䱲杯牁慲y灟慬敹䥲整䕭牲牯潌g≀噁汐祡牥瑉浥牅潲䱲杯湉整湲污"噁汐祡牥瑉浥牅潲䱲杯湉整湲污䄀偖慬敹䥲整䕭牲牯潌䕧敶瑮攀牲牯潃浭湥t牥潲䑲浯楡n牥潲卲慴畴䍳摯e灟慬敹䥲整䕭牲牯潌䕧敶瑮䀀䄢偖慬敹䥲整䕭牲牯潌䕧敶瑮湉整湲污"噁汐祡牥瑉浥牅潲䱲杯癅湥䥴瑮牥慮l椀剳捥牯楤杮攀牲牯楗桴潄慭湩挺摯㩥獵牥湉潦:潶捩䍥湯牴汯敬䕲摮汐祡慢正湉整牲灵楴湯:潶捩䍥湯牴汯敬䕲摮敒潣摲湉整牲灵楴湯:潶捩䍥湯牴汯敬偲慬批捡䉫晵敦䅲慶汩扡敬戺晵敦㩲瘀楯散潃瑮潲汬牥楄卤慴瑲汐祡湩㩧畳捣獥晳汵祬:upport/iPhone ㈜ǪᶀЀꀠ/Āࠀ쵠޴imulator/5.0/Applications/C2C1975D-7FAB-4E6C-A091-DC389223CC57/Documents/.content/Demo.pdf

Answer 1

It's to do with NSLog, nothing to do with your urls :)
Try this :
NSString* path = [[AppSettings instance].contentRootPath stringByAppendingPathComponent: item.fileName];
NSLog(#"%#", path);
item.contentPath = [NSURL URLWithString:[path stringByAddingPercentEscapesUsingEncoding:NSUTF8StringEncoding]];
NSLog(#"%#", item.contentPath.absoluteString);
The first parameter for NSLog is a format string - this tells NSLog that there might be other values to insert into the output (these are the other optional parameters that NSLog takes - for example NSLog(#"%i", 5); would replace the %i with 5).
The NSLog(path); is fine because there aren't any special formatting characters in the path so it outputs as you would expect.
The second NSLog has % characters in - you added them when you asked to % escape the path :) For example, you replaced the space in 'Application Support' with %20.
This means that your url now contains the formatting code %20S (the S is the next character after the space, the first character in the word 'Support').
%S is interpreted by NSLog as 'take the next paramter that I have been given and treat it as a null terminated c-string'.
Unfortunately, you didn't give NSLog another parameter :) However, NSLog didn't know that - it just dutifully did as it was told and took the next value on the stack and added it to the output string.
The next value on the stack is garbage which is why your output is garbage!
You can see that the corrupted values appear instead of the spaces in your path - both spaces happen to be followed by an S so NSLog is dumping garbage in two places. That's why after the first load of garbage you can see 'upport/iPhone' and after the second 'imulator/5.0' :)

Answer 2

When you use NSLog(string), that string is treated as a format statement and any '%' characters will be interpreted.
Try printing the strings out using this form: NSLog(#"%#", string). As a general statement you should ALWAY use the above form and never the one you are using.