Nowadays Information is an important asset for us in the professional, but also private life. The mobile phone is our constant companion and tablets gain more and more popularity because of the ease of use (screen size, larger virtual keyboard).. In addition to these mobile devices a lot of users maybe also own a laptop or a desktop computer. Many applications (apps) are using the cloud to synchronize the data on different devices. Apple’s solution for the cloud service is currently iCloud.
In my paper, I will show how to develop applications for iOS devices (such as iPhone and iPad) that store the data in the iCloud. After an introduction to the features of iCloud, I will describe the fundamentals of the data storages on iOS devices by giving several examples. The last chapter extends the application with integrating the three kinds of iCloud storages. Those types are based on and similar to local storages types.
Table of Contents
1 Introduction
1.1 What is Cloud Computing?
1.2 iCloud Overview
2 iCloud
2.1 Users view of iCloud
2.2 Developers view of iCloud
2.2.1 Testing & Debugging
3 Comparison iCloud with other Cloud Services
4 Saving data on the device
4.1 Property Lists
4.1.1 NSUserDefaults
4.1.2 Settings Bundle
4.1.3 Archiving Objects
4.2 Documents
4.2.1 File System
4.2.2 UIDocument
4.3 Database
4.3.1 SQLite
4.3.2 Core Data
5 Saving data in the iCloud
5.1 Key-Value Storage
5.2 Document Storage
5.2.1 Update Notification
5.2.2 Conflict Handling
5.3 Core Data Storage
5.3.1 Update Notification
5.3.2 Conflict Handling
6 Summary
Objectives and Topics
This bachelor's paper investigates the development of iOS applications that effectively utilize iCloud for data storage and synchronization. The primary research goal is to demonstrate how to integrate Apple's iCloud services into applications, covering both basic device-side storage and the extension to cloud-based solutions.
- Overview of cloud computing models and iCloud features.
- Fundamentals of data storage on iOS devices (Property Lists, Documents, Databases).
- Comparison of iCloud with alternative cloud services.
- Implementation of iCloud storage mechanisms: Key-Value, Document, and Core Data storage.
- Strategies for synchronization, update notifications, and conflict handling.
Excerpt from the Book
4.1.3 Archiving Objects
What about any other objects, which are not a property list? If you want to store those objects, you need a serialized representation of them. There are two ways to generate this serialized representation: archives and serializations. Both variants create an architecture-independent stream, which can be written to the file system. The difference is that archives provide more detailed information, for instance naming values. Archives can store Objective-C objects, but also Java objects. [12] (File Management - Archives and Serialization Programming Guide)
A coder object is needed to encode and decode the object data into/from a byte stream. This stream can be stored on the file system or in the property list. Stored byte streams can be decoded into an object. Those objects have to implement the NSCoding protocol, which requires two messages: "Initializing with a Coder" and "Encoding with a Coder".
The initWithCoder message decodes the serialized data into an instance of an object.
Summary of Chapters
1 Introduction: Provides an overview of cloud computing concepts and introduces iCloud as Apple's cloud solution for data synchronization on iOS devices.
2 iCloud: Explores iCloud from the perspective of both users and developers, including necessary setup procedures and testing methodologies.
3 Comparison iCloud with other Cloud Services: Evaluates iCloud against alternative cloud platforms, highlighting its advantages and limitations regarding OS integration.
4 Saving data on the device: Details various local storage methods on iOS, including Property Lists, UIDocument, and Core Data for database management.
5 Saving data in the iCloud: Demonstrates how to extend local storage implementations to use iCloud, specifically covering Key-Value, Document, and Core Data cloud storage.
6 Summary: Recaps the integration of iCloud services and emphasizes the importance of providing cloud support for modern iOS applications.
Keywords
iPhone, iPad, iCloud, data synchronization, Cloud Computing, iOS, Core Data, UIDocument, NSUserDefaults, NSUbiquitousKeyValueStore, mobile development, persistence, storage, cloud services, software development
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the primary focus of this paper?
The paper focuses on the development of iOS applications that leverage iCloud for data storage and synchronization, providing a guide for developers on integrating these features.
What are the central themes discussed?
The central themes include cloud computing service models, local vs. cloud-based data storage mechanisms, and the practical implementation of iCloud APIs in iOS applications.
What is the core research objective?
The goal is to demonstrate how to build applications for iPhone and iPad that successfully store and synchronize data in the iCloud, ensuring accessibility across multiple user devices.
Which scientific or technical methods are applied?
The paper employs a technical analysis approach, using the iOS SDK, Foundation, and Core Data frameworks to implement and test specific cloud storage code examples.
What topics are covered in the main body?
The main body covers local data persistence techniques (Property Lists, UIDocument, Core Data) and how to extend these to the cloud using Key-Value storage, document storage, and iCloud-enabled databases.
Which keywords best characterize this work?
Key terms include iCloud, iOS development, data synchronization, Core Data, persistent storage, and mobile application infrastructure.
How does this paper approach conflict handling in iCloud?
The paper describes how version conflicts arise when data is changed on multiple devices and provides methods for resolving them, such as using custom merge policies or NSFileVersion.
Why does the author recommend using SQLite for Core Data in the cloud?
The author advises using the SQLite format because it allows for incremental updates and change log transmission, which minimizes network traffic compared to uploading/downloading entire binary files.
- Quote paper
- Andreas Bachmaier (Author), 2013, Implementing iOS-Apps with iCloud Support, Munich, GRIN Verlag, https://www.hausarbeiten.de/document/210118
