Timeline is a simple photo sharing service. Students will bring in many concepts that they have learned, and add more complex data modeling, Image Picker, CloudKit, and protocol-oriented programming to make a Capstone Level project spanning multiple days and concepts.
Most concepts will be covered during class, others are introduced during the project. Not every instruction will outline each line of code to write, but lead the student to the solution.
Students who complete this project independently are able to:
- follow a project planning framework to build a development plan
- follow a project planning framework to prioritize and manage project progress
- implement basic data model
- use staged data to prototype features
- implement search using the system search controller
- use the image picker controller and activity controller
- use container views to abstract shared functionality into a single view controller
- check CloudKit availability
- save data to CloudKit
- fetch data from CloudKit
- query data from CloudKit
- sync pulled CloudKit data to local model objects
- use subscriptions to generate push notifications
- use push notifications to run a push based sync engine
- follow a project planning framework to build a development plan
- follow a project planning framework to prioritize and manage project progress
- implement basic data model
- use staged data to prototype features
Follow the development plan included with the project to build out the basic view hierarchy, basic implementation of local model objects, model object controllers, and helper classes. Build staged data to lay a strong foundation for the rest of the app.
Implement the view hierarchy in Storyboards. The app will have a Timeline tableview that will also use a Search Controller to display search results. Both the Timeline view and the Search Results view will display a list of Post
objects and segue to a Post
detail view.
The Navigation Controller should have a Plus (+) button that presents a modal Add Post scene that will allow the user to select a photo, add a caption, and submit the photo.
- Add a
UITableViewController
Timeline scene, embed it in aUINavigationController
, add a Plus (+) button as the right bar button. - Add a
PostListTableViewController
subclass ofUITableViewController
and assign it to the Timeline scene - Add a
UITableViewController
Post Detail scene, add a segue to it from the Timeline scene - Add a
PostDetailTableViewController
subclass ofUITableViewController
and assign it to the Post Detail scene - Add a
UITableViewController
Add Post scene, embed it into aUINavigationController
, and add a modal presentation segue to it from the Plus (+) button on the Timeline scene- note: Because this scene will use a modal presentation, it will not inherit the
UINavigationBar
from the Timeline scene
- note: Because this scene will use a modal presentation, it will not inherit the
- Add a
AddPostTableViewController
subclass ofUITableViewcontroller
and assign it to the Add Post scene. - Add a
UITableViewcontroller
Search Results scene. It does not need a relationship to any other view controller.- note: You will implement this scene in Part 2 when setting up the
UISearchController
on the Search scene
- note: You will implement this scene in Part 2 when setting up the
- Add a
SearchResultsTableViewController
subclass ofUITableViewController
and assign it to the Search Results scene.
Timeline will use a simple, non-persistent data model to locally represent data stored on CloudKit.
Start by creating model objects. You will want to save Post
objects that hold the image data, and Comment
objects that hold text. A Post
should own an array of Comment
objects.
While you will not implement sync in this portion of the project, it is important to recognize the need for syncing with CloudKit when designing your model.
Create a Post
model object that will hold image data and comments.
- Add a new
Post
class to your project. - Add a
photoData
property of typeData?
, atimestamp
Date
property, and acomments
property of type[Comment]
. - Add a computed property,
photo
that returns aUIImage
initialized using the data inphotoData
. - Add an initializer that accepts photoData, timestamp, and comments array. Provide default values for the
timestamp
andcomments
arguments, so they can be ommitted if desired.
Create a Comment
model object that will hold user-submitted text comments for a specific Post
.
- Add a new
Comment
class to your project. - Add a
text
property of typeString
, atimestamp
Date
property, and apost
property of typePost
. - Add an initializer that accepts text, timestamp, and a post. Provide a default values for the
timestamp
argument, so it can be ommitted if desired.
Add and implement the PostController
class that will be used for CRUD operations.
- Add a new
PostController
class file. - Add a
sharedController
singleton property. - Add a
posts
property. - Add a
createPostWith(image: ...)
function that takes an image parameter as aUIImage
and a caption as aString
. - Implement the
createPostWith(image: ...)
function to initialize aPost
with the image and aComment
with the caption text. - Add a
addComment(toPost: ...)
function that takes atext
parameter as aString
, and aPost
parameter. - Implement the
addComment(toPost: ...)
function to call the appropriateComment
initializer and adds the comment to the appropriate post.
Implement the Post List Table View Controller. You will use a similar cell to display posts in multiple scenes in your application. Create a custom PostTableViewCell
that can be reused in different scenes.
- Implement the scene in Interface Builder by creating a custom cell with an image view that fills the cell.
- Create a
PostTableViewCell
class, add apost
variable, and implement anupdateViews
function to thePostTableViewCell
to update the image view with thePost
's photo. Call the function in the didSet of thepost
variable' - Choose a height that will be used for your image cells. To avoid worrying about resizing images or dynamic cell heights, you may want to use a consistent height for all of the image views in the app.
- Implement the
UITableViewDataSource
functions- note: The final app does not need to support any editing styles, but you may want to include support for editing while developing early stages of the app.
- Implement the
prepare(for segue: ...)
function to check the segue identifier, capture the detail view controller, index path, selected post, and assign the selected post to the detail view controller.- note: You may need to quickly add a
post
property to thePostDetailTableViewController
.
- note: You may need to quickly add a
Implement the Post Detail View Controller. This scene will be used for viewing post images and comments. Users will also have the option to add a comment, share the image, or follow the user that created the post.
Use the table view's header view to display the photo and a toolbar that allows the user to comment, share, or follow. Use the table view cells to display comments.
- Add a vertical
UIStackView
to the Header of the table view. Add aUIImageView
and a horizontalUIStackView
to the stack view. Add 'Comment', 'Share', and 'Follow Post'UIButtons
s to the horizontal stack view. Set the horizontal hugging priority of the center button (Share) to 249 to distribute the buttons correctly. - Set up your constraints so that the image view is the height you chose previously for displaying images within your app.
- Update the cell to support comments that span multiple lines without truncating them. Set the
UITableViewCell
to the subtitle style. Set the number of lines to zero. Implement dynamic heights by setting thetableView.rowHeight
andtableView.estimatedRowHeight
in theviewDidLoad
. - Add an
updateViews
function that will update the scene with the details of the post. Implement the function by setting theimageView.image
and reloading the table view if needed. - Implement the
UITableViewDataSource
functions.- note: The final app does not need to support any editing styles, but you may want to include support for editing while developing early stages of the app.
- Add an IBAction for the 'Comment' button. Implement the IBAction by presenting a
UIAlertController
with a text field, a Cancel action, and an 'OK' action. Implement the 'OK' action to initialize a newComment
via thePostController
and reload the table view to display it.- note: Do not create a new
Comment
if the user has not added text.
- note: Do not create a new
- Add an IBAction for the 'Share' and 'Follow' buttons. You will implement these two actions in future steps.
Implement the Add Post Table View Controller. You will use a static table view to create a simple form for adding a new post. Use three sections for the form:
Section 1: Large button to select an image, and a UIImageView
to display the selected image
Section 2: Caption text field
Section 3: Add Post button
Until you implement the UIImagePickerController
, you will use a staged static image to add new posts.
- Assign the table view to use static cells. Adopt the 'Grouped' cell style. Add three sections.
- Build the first section by creating a tall image selection/preview cell. Add a 'Select Image'
UIButton
that fills the cell. Add an emptyUIImageView
that also fills the cell. Make sure that the button is on top of the image view so it can properly recognize tap events. - Build the second section by adding a
UITextField
that fills the cell. Assign placeholder text so the user recognizes what the text field is for. - Build the third section by adding a 'Add Post'
UIButton
that fills the cell. - Add an IBAction to the 'Select Image'
UIButton
that assigns a static image to the image view (add a sample image to the Assets.xcassets that you can use for prototyping this feature), and removes the title text from the button.- note: It is important to remove the title text so that the user no longer sees that a button is there, but do not remove the entire button, that way the user can tap again to select a different image.
- Add an IBAction to the 'Add Post'
UIButton
that checks for animage
andcaption
. If there is animage
and acaption
, use thePostController
to create a newPost
and dismiss the view controller. If either the image or a caption is missing, present an alert directing the user to check their information and try again. - Add a 'Cancel'
UIBarButtonItem
as the left bar button item. Implement the IBAction to dismiss the view.
Consider that this Photo Selection functionality could be useful in different views and in different applications. New developers will be tempted to copy and paste the functionality wherever it is needed. That amount of repetition should give you pause. Don't repeat yourself (DRY) is a shared value among skilled software developers.
Avoiding repetition is an important way to become a better developer and maintain sanity when building larger applications.
Imagine a scenario where you have three classes with similar functionality. Each time you fix a bug or add a feature to any of those classes, you must go and repeat that in all three places. This commonly leads to differences, which leads to bugs.
You will refactor the Photo Selection functionality (selecting and assigning an image) into a reusable child view controller in Part 2.
At this point you should be able view added post images in the Timeline Post List scene, add new Post
objects from the Add Post Scene, add new Comment
objects from the Post Detail Scene, and persist and use user profile information provided by the current user.
Use the app and polish any rough edges. Check table view cell selection. Check text fields. Check proper view hierarchy and navigation models.
- Review the README instructions and solution code for clarity and functionality, submit a GitHub pull request with suggested changes.
- Provide feedback on the expectations for Part One to a mentor or instructor.
- implement search using the system search controller
- use the image picker controller and activity controller
- use container views to abstract shared functionality into a single view controller
Add and implement search functionality to the search view. Implement the Image Picker Controller on the Add Post scene. Decrease the amount of repeated code by refactoring the similar functionality in the Add Post scenes into a child view controller that is used in both classes.
Build functionality that will allow the user to search for posts with comments that have specific text in them. For example, if a user creates a Post
with a photo of a waterfall, and there are comments that mention the waterfall, the user should be able to search the Timeline view for the term 'water' and filter down to that post (and any others with water in the comments).
Add a SearchableRecord
protocol that requires a matchesSearchTerm
function. Update the Post
and Comment
objects to conform to the protocol.
- Add a new
SearchableRecord.swift
file. - Define a
SearchableRecord
protocol with a requiredmatches(searchTerm: String)
function that takes asearchTerm
parameter as aString
and returns aBool
.
Consider how each model object will match to a specific search term. What searchable text is there on a Comment
? What searchable text is there on a Post
?
- Update the
Comment
class to conform to theSearchableRecord
protocol. Returntrue
iftext
contains the search term, otherwise returnfalse
. - Update the
Post
class to conform to theSearchableRecord
protocol. Returntrue
if any of thePost
comments
match, otherwise returnfalse
.
Use a Playground to test your SearchableRecord
and matches(searchTerm: String)
functionality and understand what you are implementing.
Search controllers typically have two views: a list view, and a search result view that displays the filtered results. The list view holds the search bar. When the user begins typing in the search bar, the UISSearchController
presents a search results view. Your list view must conform to the SearchResultsUpdating
protocol function, which implements updates to the results view.
Understanding Search Controllers requires you to understand that the main view controller can (and must) implement methods that handle what is being displayed on another view controller. The results controller must also implement a way to communicate back to the main list view controller to notify it of events. This is a two way relationship with communication happening in both directions.
- Create a
SearchResultsTableViewController
subclass ofUITableViewController
and assign it to the scene in Interface Builder. - Add a
resultsArray
property that contains a list ofSearchableRecords
- Implement the
UITableViewDataSource
functions to display the search results.- note: For now you will only display
Post
objects as a result of a search. Use thePostTableViewCell
to do so.
- note: For now you will only display
- Add a function
setUpSearchController
that captures theresultsController
from the Storyboard, instantiates theUISearchController
, sets thesearchResultsUpdater
to self, and adds thesearchController
'ssearchBar
as the table's header view. - Implement the
UISearchResultsUpdating
protocolupdateSearchResults(for searchController: UISearchController)
function. The function should capture theresultsViewController
and the search text from thesearchController
'ssearchBar
, filter the localposts
array for posts that match, assign the filtered results to theresultsViewController
'sresultsArray
, and reload theresultsViewController
'stableView
.- note: Consider the communication that is happening here between two separate view controllers. Be sure that you understand this relationship.
Remember that even though the Timeline view and the Search Results view are displaying similar cells and model objects, you are working with separate view controllers with separate cells and instances of table views.
The segue from a Post
should take the user to the Post Detail scene, regardless of whether that is from the Timeline view or the Search Results view.
To do so, implement the UITableViewDelegate
didSelectRowAt indexPath
function on the Search Results scene to manually call the toPostDetail
segue from the Search scene.
- Adopt the
UITableViewDelegate
on the Search Results scene and add thedidSelectRowAt indexPath
delegate function. Implement the function by capturing the sending cell and telling the Search Result scene'spresentingViewController
toperformSegue(withIdentifier: String...)
and send the selected cell so that the Search scene can get the selectedPost
.- note: Every view controller class has an optional
presentingViewController
reference to the view controller that presented it. In this case, the presenting view controller of the Search Results scene is the Timeline scene. So this step will manually call theperformSegueWithIdentifier
on the Search scene.
- note: Every view controller class has an optional
- Update the
performSegue(withIdentifier: String...)
function on the Search Scene to capture and segue to the Post Detail scene with the correct post. Try to do so without looking at the solution code.- note: You must check if the
tableView
can get anindexPath
for the sender. If it can, that means that the cell was from the Search scene'stableView
. If it can't, that means the cell is from the Search Result scene'stableView
and that the user tapped a search result. If that is the case, capture thePost
from theresultsArray
on thesearchResultscontroller
. - note: You can access the
searchResultsController
by calling(searchController.searchResultsController as? SearchResultsTableViewController)
- note: You must check if the
Try to work through the Search segue without looking at the solution code. Understanding this pattern will solidify your understanding of many object-oriented programming patterns.
Implement the Image Picker Controller in place of the prototype functionality you built previously.
- Update the 'Select Image' IBAction to present a
UIImagePickerController
. Give the user the option to select from their Photo Library or from the device's camera if their device has one. - Implement the
UIImagePickerControllerDelegate
function to capture the selected image and assign it to the image view.
Refactor the photo selection functionality from the Add Post scene into a child view controller.
Child view controllers control views that are a subview of another view controller. It is a great way to encapsulate functionality into one class that can be reused in multiple places. This is a great tool for any time you want a similar view to be present in multiple places.
In this instance, you will put 'Select Photo' button, the image view, and the code that presents and handles the UIImagePickerController
into a PhotoSelectorViewController
class. You will also define a protocol for the PhotoSelectorViewController
class to communicate with it's parent view controller.
Use a container view to embed a child view controller into the Add Post scene.
Container View defines a region within a view controller's view subgraph that can include a child view controller. Create an embed segue from the container view to the child view controller in the storyboard.
- Open
Main.storyboard
to your Add Post scene. - Add a new section to the static table view to build the Container View to embed the child view controller.
- Search for Container View in the Object Library and add it to the newly created table view cell.
- note: The Container View object will come with a view controller scene. You can use the included scene, or replace it with another scene. For now, use the included scene.
- Set up contraints so that the Container View fills the entire cell.
- Move or copy the Image View and 'Select Photo' button to the container view controller.
- Create a new
PhotoSelectViewController
file as a subclass ofUIViewController
and assign the class to the scene in Interface Builder. - Create the necessary IBOutlets and IBActions, and migrate your Photo Picker code from the Add Post view controller class. Delete the old code from the Add Post view controller class.
- Repeat the above steps for the Add Post scene. Instead of keeping the included child view controller from the Container View object, delete it, and add an 'Embed' segue from the container view to the scene you set up for the Add Post scene.
You now have two views that reference the same scene as a child view controller. This scene and accompanying class can now be used in both places, eliminating the need for code duplication.
Your child view controller needs a way to communicate events to it's parent view controller. This is most commonly done through delegation. Define a child view controller delegate, adopt it in the parent view controller, and set up the relationship via the embed segue.
- Define a new
PhotoSelectViewControllerDelegate
protocol in thePhotoSelectViewController
file with a requiredphotoSelectViewControllerSelected(image: UIImage)
function that takes aUIImage
parameter to pass the image that was selected.- note: This function will tell the assigned delegate (the parent view controller, in this example) what image the user selected.
- Add a weak optional delegate property.
- Call the delegate function in the
didFinishPickingMediaWithInfo
function, passing the selected media to the delegate. - Adopt the
PhotoSelectViewControllerDelegate
protocol in the Add Post class file, implement thephotoSelectViewControllerSelectedImage
function to capture a reference to the selected image.- note: In the Add Post scene, you will use that captured reference to create a new post.
Note the use of the delegate pattern. You have encapsulated the Photo Selection workflow in one class, but by implementing the delegate pattern, each parent view controller can implement it's own response to when a photo was selected.
You have declared a protocol, adopted the protocol, but you now must assign the delegate property on the instance of the child view controller so that the PhotoSelectViewController
can communicate with it's parent view controller. This is done by using the embed segue, which is called when the Container View is initialized from the Storyboard, which occurs when the view loads.
- Assign segue identifiers to the embed segues in the Storyboard file
- Update the
prepare(forSegue: ...)
function in the Add Post scene to check for the segue identifier, capture thedestinationViewController
as aPhotoSelectViewController
, and assignself
as the child view controller's delegate.
Use the UIActivityController
class to present a share sheet from the Post Detail view. Share the image and the text of the first comment.
- Add an IBAction from the Share button in your
PostDetailTableViewController
. - Initialize a
UIActivityController
with thePost
's image and the text of the first comment as the shareable objects. - Present the
UIActivityController
.
- Some apps will save photos taken or processed in their app in a custom Album in the user's Camera Roll. Add this feature.
- Review the README instructions and solution code for clarity and functionality, submit a GitHub pull request with suggested changes.
- Provide feedback on the expectations for Part Two to a mentor or instructor.
- check CloudKit availability
- save data to CloudKit
- fetch data from CloudKit
Following some of the best practices in the CloudKit documentation, add CloudKit to your project as a backend syncing engine for posts and comments. Check for CloudKit availability, save new posts and comments to CloudKit, and fetch posts and comments from CloudKit.
When you finish this part, the app will support syncing photos, posts, and comments from the device to CloudKit, and pulling new photos, posts, and comments from CloudKit. When new posts or comments are fetched from CloudKit, they will be turned into model objects, and the Fetched Results Controllers will automatically update the user interface with the new data.
You will implement push notifications, subscriptions, and basic automatic sync functionality in Part Four.
Add a CloudKit Manager that abstracts your CloudKit code into a single helper class that implements basic CloudKit functionality. You will not necessarily use all of the CloudKitManager
functionality in this application, but this will be a great reusable class for CloudKit applications that you build in the future.
- Add a
CloudKitManager
helper class. - Add the following properties and function signatures that perform basic CloudKit functionality.
let publicDatabase: CKDatabase
let privateDatabase: CKDatabase
init()
// check CloudKit availability
// MARK: - User Info Discovery
func fetchLoggedInUserRecord(_ completion: ((_ record: CKRecord?, _ error: Error? ) -> Void)?)
func fetchUsername(for recordID: CKRecordID,
completion: @escaping ((_ givenName: String?, _ familyName: String?) -> Void) = { _,_ in })
func fetchAllDiscoverableUsers(completion: @escaping ((_ userInfoRecords: [CKUserIdentity]?) -> Void) = { _ in })
// MARK: - Fetch Records
func fetchRecord(withID recordID: CKRecordID, completion: ((_ record: CKRecord?, _ error: Error?) -> Void)?)
func fetchRecordsWithType(_ type: String,
predicate: NSPredicate = NSPredicate(value: true),
recordFetchedBlock: ((_ record: CKRecord) -> Void)?,
completion: ((_ records: [CKRecord]?, _ error: Error?) -> Void)?)
func fetchCurrentUserRecords(_ type: String, completion: ((_ records: [CKRecord]?, _ error: Error?) -> Void)?)
func fetchRecordsFromDateRange(_ type: String, recordType: String, fromDate: Date, toDate: Date, completion: ((_ records: [CKRecord]?, _ error: Error?) -> Void)?)
// MARK: - Delete Records
func deleteRecordWithID(_ recordID: CKRecordID, completion: ((_ recordID: CKRecordID?, _ error: Error?) -> Void)?) {
func deleteRecordsWithID(_ recordIDs: [CKRecordID], completion: ((_ records: [CKRecord]?, _ recordIDs: [CKRecordID]?, _ error: Error?) -> Void)?)
// MARK: - Save Records
func saveRecords(_ records: [CKRecord], perRecordCompletion: ((_ record: CKRecord?, _ error: Error?) -> Void)?, completion: ((_ records: [CKRecord]?, _ error: Error?) -> Void)?)
func saveRecord(_ record: CKRecord, completion: ((_ record: CKRecord?, _ error: Error?) -> Void)?)
func modifyRecords(_ records: [CKRecord], perRecordCompletion: ((_ record: CKRecord?, _ error: Error?) -> Void)?, completion: ((_ records: [CKRecord]?, _ error: Error?) -> Void)?)
// MARK: - CloudKit Availability
func checkCloudKitAvailability()
func handleCloudKitUnavailable(_ accountStatus: CKAccountStatus, error:Error?)
func displayCloudKitNotAvailableError(_ errorText: String)
// MARK: - CloudKit User Discoverability
func requestDiscoverabilityPermission()
func handleCloudKitPermissionStatus(_ permissionStatus: CKApplicationPermissionStatus, error:Error?)
func displayCloudKitPermissionsNotGrantedError(_ errorText: String)
- Using the documentation for CloudKit, fulfill the contract of each function signature. Using the data passed in as a parameter, write code that will return the requested information. When it makes sense to do so using the NSOperation subclasses, try to use them over the convenience functions.
Write a protocol that will define how the app will work with CloudKit and our model objects. Add a protocol extension that adds predefined convenience functionality to each object that adopts that protocol.
The CloudKitSyncable
protocol will define the required properties and functions that our Post
and Comment
objects will need.
The protocol extension will add some shared functionality that our Post
and Comment
objects will need.
init?(record: CKRecord)
var cloudKitRecordID: CKRecordID? { get set }
var recordType: String { get }
The CloudKitSyncable
types will need to have a way to tie instances to a particular CKRecord
on the server along with a record type that will be used to separate CKRecord
types on CloudKit. We'll also need a way to represent the model object as a CKRecord
for when we want to push the data to CloudKit, and a way to create a new model instance from CKRecord
s we fetch from the server.
- Create a new
CloudKitSyncable
file that defines a new protocol namedCloudKitSyncable
. - Add an intializer that takes a
CKRecord
. - Add a required gettable and settable property
cloudKitRecordID
as an optionalCKRecordID?
. - Add a required gettable computed properties for the
recordType
as a String
var isSynced: Bool // helper variable to determine if a CloudKitSyncable has a CKRecordID, which we can use to say that the record has been saved to the server
var cloudKitReference: CKReference? // a computed property that returns a CKReference to the object in CloudKit
- Add a protocol extension for the
CloudKitSyncable
- Add a computed property
isSynced: Bool
that returns true ifcloudKitRecordID
is not nil- note: When a record is synced to CloudKit, CloudKit returns a
CKRecord
object. You will pass thatCKRecord
object'srecordID
into thecloudKitRecordID
property. So if thecloudKitRecordID
property has a value (is not nil), then the object has been synced. If not, it hasn't.
- note: When a record is synced to CloudKit, CloudKit returns a
- Add a computed property
cloudKitReference: CKReference?
that guards for thecloudKitRecordID
and returns aCKReference
initialized with theCKRecordID
. Otherwise, return nil.- note: In a future step, this will be used to help us pass a list of all synced objects to CloudKit so that we can request any new objects.
Adopt the CloudKitSyncable
protocol in the Post
and Comment
classes. Update the PostController
to use push Post
and Comment
objects to CloudKit and pull new Post
or Comment
objects from CloudKit.
Adopt the CloudKitSyncable
protocol in the Post
class.
- Add a computed property
recordType
and return the type you would like used to identify 'Post' objects in CloudKit. - Add an extension to
CKRecord
that implements a convenience initializer to create aCKRecord
using aPost
object. It should be initialized to include thetimestamp
and aCKAsset
that points to a URL of the photo data.- note:
CKAsset
is initialized with a URL. When creating aCKAsset
on the local device, you initialize it with a URL to a local file path where the photo is located on disk. When you save aCKAsset
, the data at that file path is uploaded to CloudKit. When you pull aCKAsset
from CloudKit, the URL will point to the remotely stored data.
- note:
You must initialize a CKAsset
with a file path URL. You will need to create a variable temporaryPhotoURL
that copies the contents of the photoData: NSData?
property to a file in a temporary directory and returns the URL to the file.
- Add a
temporaryPhotoURL
computed property that returns anNSURL
reference to the data theCKAsset
should upload. - Implement the computed property by getting the path of the temporary directory, initializing an NSURL with that path, initializing a file URL that uses a unique name with jpg as the file extension. Write
self.photoData
to that file URL, and then return the file URL.
private var temporaryPhotoURL: URL {
// Must write to temporary directory to be able to pass image file path url to CKAsset
let temporaryDirectory = NSTemporaryDirectory()
let temporaryDirectoryURL = URL(fileURLWithPath: temporaryDirectory)
let fileURL = temporaryDirectoryURL.appendingPathComponent(UUID().uuidString).appendingPathExtension("jpg")
try? photoData?.write(to: fileURL, options: [.atomic])
return fileURL
}
- Add the required convenience initializer
init?(record: CKRecord)
. - Implement the convenience initializer by guarding for the timestamp and photo data, calling the designated initializer, then setting the
cloudKitRecordID
property.
Adopt the CloudKitSyncable
protocol in the Comment
class.
- Add a computed property
recordType
and return the type you would like used to identify 'Comment' objects in CloudKit. - Add an extension to
CKRecord
that implements a convenience initializer to create aCKRecord
using aComment
object. It should be initialized to include thetimestamp
,text
, and aCKReference
to theComment
'sPost
'sCKRecord
.- note: You will need to guard for the
Comment
'sPost
and thePost
'scloudKitRecord
to be able to initialize theCKReference
.
- note: You will need to guard for the
- Add the required convenience initializer
init?(record: CKRecord)
. - Implement the convenience initializer by guarding for the timestamp and post reference, calling the designated initializer, then setting the
cloudKitRecordID
property.
Remember that a Comment
should not exist without a Post
. When a Comment
is created from a CKRecord
, you will also need to set the new comment's Post
property. Consider how you would approach this. We will address it in the next section.
Update the PostController
to support pushing and pulling data from CloudKit using the CloudKitManager
class.
To implement sync, you will need to save a record to CloudKit when a new Post
or Comment
is created, fetch new records from CloudKit and serialize them into Post
and Comment
objects, write a performFullSync
function that will push all unsynced objects to CloudKit and check for any new Post
or Comment
objects, and then update the user interface to support the new functionality.
- Add a
cloudKitManager
property and set it to a new instance of theCloudKitManager
class in the initializer. - Update the
createPost
function to create aCKRecord
using the custom convenience initializer you created, and call thecloudKitManager.saveRecord
function. Use the completion closure to set thecloudKitRecordID
property on thePost
to persist theCKRecordID
. - Update the
addCommentToPost
function to to create aCKRecord
using the custom convenience initializer you created, and call thecloudKitManager.saveRecord
function. Use the completion closure to set thecloudKitRecordID
property on theComment
to persist theCKRecordID
.
At this point, each new Post
or Comment
should be pushed to CloudKit when new instances are created from the Add Post or Post Detail scenes.
As you implement the next few steps, you will want to be able to get a list of synced records and unsynced records. Create two helper functions that will help you do so.
- Add a
syncedRecords
function that takes atype
parameter as aString
and returns an array ofCloudKitSyncable
s. - Implement the function.
- note: There are many ways you could approach this. Choose one and implement it independently.
- Add a
unsyncedRecords
function that takes atype
parameter as aString
and returns an array ofCloudKitSyncable
s. - Implement the function.
- note: There are many ways you could approach this. Choose one and implement it independently.
You should now be able to fetch either synced or unsynced Post
and Comment
objects, which will help you determine which objects need to be saved, or which objects need to be excluded from any new fetches.
There are a number of approaches you could take to fetching new records. You could save a lastSyncDate
and fetch any new records created since that date. You could also create a list of objects you already have stored locally, and send that to CloudKit and basically say 'Give me any record that isn't in this list.'
Not every backend service will support a request like the latter. CloudKit does. Doing it this way will avoid a lot of date logic, and will be a more comprehensive fetch with fewer points of failure.
- Add a
fetchNewRecords
function that takes atype
parameter as aString
, and an optional completion closure.- note: You will use this function to fetch
Post
objects, then fetchComment
objects after the first call completes. You want to fetchComment
s afterPost
objects because you want to make sure you have allPost
objects before you initialize aComment
that may not have an accompanyingPost
downloaded yet.
- note: You will use this function to fetch
- Create an array of
CKReference
objects to exclude from the new query by calling thesyncedRecords
function and usingflatMap
to capture theCKReference
objects.- note: The list of objects to exclude that you will send to CloudKit must be made up of CKReference objects. It will not work if you use
CKRecordID
s orCKRecord
s.
- note: The list of objects to exclude that you will send to CloudKit must be made up of CKReference objects. It will not work if you use
- Create a predicate that says that 'do not give me any CKRecords with recordIDs that match this list of references to exclude'.
- note:
NSPredicate(format: "NOT(recordID IN %@)", argumentArray: [referencesToExclude])
- note:
- If the
referencesToExclude
is empty, you need to use a simpletrue
NSPredicate
. Otherwise the above predicate will not work. - Call the
cloudKitManager.fetchRecordsWithType
function. Use therecordFetchedBlock
to switch on the type, and initialize the correctPost
orComment
object. Use the function's completion block to check for errors and run the optional completion block parameter.
Add functionality that will check for any unsynced records and attempt to save them to CloudKit. Theoretically, if you save each new Post
and Comment
to CloudKit as they are initialized, this function will not need to be used very often. But your users may have connectivity issues, or CloudKit may be down right when they create a Post
or Comment
, so you should build a backstop that will push them the next time the user opens the app or attemps a sync.
- Add a
pushChangestoCloudKit
function that takes a completion parameter with asuccess
Bool
and an optionalNSError
parameters. - Create an array of unsaved
Post
objects, and an array of unsyncedComment
objects.
You will need a way to match the saved CKRecord
s to their corresponding Post
s and Comment
s in the completion handler for the save. Think about how you would accomplish this.
- Declare and initialize an empty
[CKRecord : CloudKitSyncable]
dictionary variable. - For each post in the array of unsaved posts, create a
CKRecord
for it, and add the record and the post to the dictionary. - For each comment in the array of unsaved comment, create a
CKRecord
for it, and add the record and the comment to the dictionary. - Create a single array containing all the unsaved CKRecords. You can use
Array(unsavedObjectsByRecord.keys)
to create an array of all the dictionary's keys, which areCKRecord
objects. - Call the
cloudKitManager.saveRecords
function. Use theperRecordCompletion
to update the matching object with theCKRecord
'srecordID
. Use thecompletion
handler to call the optionalcompletion
with a success flag.
Add functionality that will perform a full sync by pushing all unsynced changes to CloudKit, then fetching and serializing any new records.
- Add a
performFullSync
function that takes an optional completion closure. - Implement the function by calling
pushChangesToCloudKit
, when it completes, call thefetchNewRecords
to fetch newPost
objects, when that completes, call thefetchNewRecords
to fetch newComment
objects, when that completes call the optionalcompletion
closure.- note: You want to nest these calls because you only want one to happen after the previous one has completely finished. If you call them asynchronously, you may get
Comment
objects that do not have an initializedPost
, or other unexpected behavior.
- note: You want to nest these calls because you only want one to happen after the previous one has completely finished. If you call them asynchronously, you may get
- Call the
performFullSync
function in thePostController
initializer.
If performFullSync()
is called while a previously initiated sync is still in progress, we don't want to start another sync. How can we prevent this?
- Add an
isSyncing
property toPostController
. - In
performFullSync()
guard to make sureisSyncing
is false. If it is true, call the completion closure immediately and bail out. - Set
isSyncing
to true before starting the sync process. - Set
isSyncing
to false after the sync is complete.
When a sync is complete, and new data has been fetched, the user interface will need to be updated to display the new data. In other words, the UI portion of our code needs a way to know that new data has been fetched. Think about how you might accomplish this.
- Add static
PostsChangedNotification
andPostCommentsChangedNotification
string properties. - Add a
didSet
property observer to theposts
property. - In the
didSet
, post aPostController.PostsChangedNotification
NSNotification
to notify any interested listeners that the array of posts has changed. Post the notification on the main queue since observers will be updating UI in response, and that can only be done on the main queue. - In
addCommentToPost()
post aPostController.PostCommentsChangedNotification
. Again this must be done on the main queue. Use thePost
whose comments changed as the object of the notification.
Update the Post List view to support Pull to Refresh to initiate a sync operation.
- Add a new function to request a full sync operation that takes an optional completion closure. Implement the function by turning on the network activity indicator, calling the
performFullSync
function on thePostController
, and turning off the network activity indicator in the completion. - Call the function in the
viewDidLoad
lifecycle function to initiate a full sync when the user first opens the application. - Add and implement a
UIRefreshControl
IBAction that uses the sync function. - In
viewDidLoad()
, start observing thePostController.PostsChangedNotification
. In your observation method, reload the table view.
- In
viewDidLoad()
, start observing thePostController.PostCommentsChangedNotification
. - In your observation method, check that the notification's object is the post whose detail is being displayed, and if so, reload the table view.
At this point the app should support basic push and fetch syncing from CloudKit. Use your Simulator and your Device to create new Post
and Comment
objects. Use the Refresh Control to initiate new sync operations between the two instances of your app. Check for and fix any bugs.
- use subscriptions to generate push notifications
- use push notifications to run a push based sync engine
Implement Subscriptions and push notifications to create a simple automatic sync engine. Add support for subscribing to new Post
records and for subscribing to new Comment
records on followed Posts
s. Request permission for remote notifications. Respond to remote notifications by initializing the new Post
or Comment
with the new data.
When you finish this part, the app will support syncing photos, posts, and comments from remote notifications generated when new records are created in CloudKit. This will allow all devices that have given permission for remote notifications the ability to sync new posts and comments automatically. When new posts or comments are created in CloudKit, they will be serialized into model objects, and the UI will update with the new data.
Build functionality into your CloudKitManager
that can be used to manage subscriptions and push notifications. Add support for adding a subscription, fetching a single subscription, fetching all subscriptions, and deleting a subscription.
- Add the following properties and function signatures that perform basic CloudKit subscription management functionality.
// MARK: - Subscriptions
func subscribe(_ type: String,
predicate: NSPredicate,
subscriptionID: String,
contentAvailable: Bool,
alertBody: String? = nil,
desiredKeys: [String]? = nil,
options: CKQuerySubscriptionOptions,
completion: ((_ subscription: CKSubscription?, _ error: Error?) -> Void)?)
func unsubscribe(_ subscriptionID: String, completion: ((_ subscriptionID: String?, _ error: Error?) -> Void)?)
func fetchSubscriptions(_ completion: ((_ subscriptions: [CKSubscription]?, _ error: Error?) -> Void)?)
func fetchSubscription(_ subscriptionID: String, completion: ((_ subscription: CKSubscription?, _ error: Error?) -> Void)?)
- Using the documentation for CloudKit, fulfill the contract of each function signature. Using the data passed in as a paremeter, write code that will return the requested information. When it makes sense to do so using the NSOperation subclasses, try to use them over the convenience functions.
Update the PostController
class to manage subscriptions for new posts and new comments on followed posts. Add functions for following and unfollowing individual posts.
When a user follows a Post
, he or she will receive a push notification and automatic sync for new Comment
records added to the followed Post
.
Create and save a subscription for all new Post
records.
- Add a function
subscribeToNewPosts
that takes an optional completion closure withsuccess
Bool
anderror
NSError?
parameters.- note: Use an identifier that describes that this subscription is for all posts.
- Implement the function by using the
CloudKitManager
to subscribe to newly createdPost
records. Run the completion closure, passing a successful result if the subscription is successfully saved. - Call the
subscribeToNewPosts
in the initializer for thePostController
so that each user is subscribed to newPost
records saved to CloudKit.
Create and save a subscription for all new Comment
records that point to a given Post
- Add a function
addSubscriptionTo(commentsForPost post: ...)
that takes aPost
parameter, an optionalalertBody
String
parameter, and an optional completion closure withsuccess
Bool
anderror
Error
parameters. - Implement the function by using the
CloudKitManager
to subscribe to newly createdComment
records that point to thepost
parameter. Run the completion closure, passing a successful result if the subscription is successfully saved.- note: You will need to be able to identify this subscription later if you choose to delete it. Use a unique identifier on the
Post
as the identifier for the subscription so you can manage the matching subscription as needed. - note: You will need an NSPredicate that checks if the
Comment
'spost
is equal to thepost
parameter'sCKRecordID
- note: You will need to be able to identify this subscription later if you choose to delete it. Use a unique identifier on the
The Post Detail scene allows users to follow and unfollow new Comment
s on a given Post
. Add a function for removing a subscription, and another function that will toggle a subscription for a given Post
.
- Add a function
removeSubscriptionTo(commentsForPost post: ...)
that takes aPost
parameter and an optional completion closure withsuccess
anderror
parameters. - Implement the function by using the
CloudKitManager
to unsubscribe to the subscription for thatPost
.- note: Use the unique identifier you used to save the subscription above. Most likely this will be your unique
recordName
for thePost
.
- note: Use the unique identifier you used to save the subscription above. Most likely this will be your unique
- Add a function
checkSubscriptionToPostComments
that takes aPost
parameter and an optional completion closure with asubscribed
Bool
parameter. - Implement the function by using the
CloudKitManager
to fetch a subscription with thepost.recordName
as an identifier. If the subscription is not nil, the user is subscribed. If the subscription is nil, the user is not subscribed. Run the completion closure with the appropriate parameters. - Add a function
toggleSubscriptionTo(commentsForPost post: ...)
that takes aPost
parameter and an optional completion closure withsuccess
,isSubscribed
, anderror
parameters. - Implement the function by using the
CloudKitManager
to fetch subscriptions, check for a subscription that matches thePost
, removes it if it exists, or adds it if it does not exist. Run the optional completion closure with the appropriate parameters.
Update the Post Detail scene's Follow Post
button to display the correct text based on the current user's subscription. Update the outlet to toggle subscriptions for new comments on a Post
.
- Update the
updateViews
function to call thecheckSubscriptionTo(commentsForPost: ...)
on thePostController
and set appropriate text for the button based on the response. - Implement the
Follow Post
button's IBAction to call thetoggleSubscriptionTo(commentsForPost: ...)
function on thePostController
and update theFollow Post
button's text based on the new subscription state.
Update the Info.plist to declare backgrounding support for responding to remote notifications. Request the user's permission to display remote notifications.
- Open the
Info.plist
file and add the following code to declare backgrounding support to respond to remote notifications:
<key>UIBackgroundModes</key>
<array>
<string>remote-notification</string>
</array>
- Request the user's permission to display notifications in the
AppDelegate
didFinishLaunchingWithOptions
function.- note: Use the
requestAuthorization
function that is a part of UNUserNotificationCenter.
- note: Use the
At this point the application will save subscriptions to the CloudKit database, and when new Post
or Comment
records are created that match those subscriptions, the CloudKit database will deliver a push notification to the application with the record data.
Handle the push notification by serializing the data into a Post
or Comment
object. If the user is actively using the application, the user interface will be updated in response to notifications posted by the PostController
.
s
- Add the
didReceiveRemoteNotification
delegate function to theAppDelegate
. - Implement the function by telling the
PostController
to perform a full sync, which will fetch all newPost
s and all newComment
s. Run the completion handler by passing in theUIBackgroundFetchResult.NewData
response.- note: Fetch all new posts and comments here is somewhat inefficient, since we really only want the new record that triggered the push notification. However, it has the advantage of being very simple, and most of the time there will only be one new record anyway.