NSCache() is not working properly - macos

I think I am tired of NSCache(). Could not understand what's the problem behind this. Trying to save an array of [AnyObject] to NSCahce(), which I have done using this following line of code.
NSCache().setObject(data, forKey: "News")
And tried to get it back using this way.
if let news = NSCache()("News") as? [AnyObject]
{
}
else
{
// I am always here :)
}
So I was thinking what's the problem with this. After searching a bit in Google I could see that setting totalCostLimit and countLimit will help you solve this problem. So I have set it like this.
NSCache().totalCostLimit = 50000
NSCache().countLimit = 50000
After setting this also, it was not working. So I thought of running this code in main thread, which I have done like this.
dispatch_async(dispatch_get_main_queue()) {
NSCache().setObject(data, forKey: "News")
}
Still it returned nil. Now last but not the least I have created one global instance of NSCache() and called all these operations using that instance. Well, doing like that also didn't give the expected result. It always gave me nil.
What's happening here? I know that NSCache() can store AnyObject values. I am saving lot of images in the same project without any problem, when I am trying to save this it returns nil.
Well this AnyObject contains some custom classes. Is that can be a problem? If yes, how will I save it locally without using CoreData or NSUserdefaults.
How I created an instance globally and accessed these. Created one instance of NSCache in the AppDelegate.swift file but outside of AppDelegate class
let mainCache = NSCache()
#NSApplicationMain
class AppDelegate: NSObject, NSApplicationDelegate {
func applicationDidFinishLaunching(aNotification: NSNotification)
{
mainCache.totalCostLimit = 50000
mainCache.countLimit = 50000
}
}
Later I have used it like this.
mainCache.setObject(data, forKey: "News")
And getting the data back like this.
if let news = mainCache.objectForKey("News") as? [AnyObject]
{
}
else
{
// Always here :)
}

When you write NSCache() you are creating a new NSCache instance. You're doing this on just about every line.
What you need to do is create one instance, let myCache = NSCache(), and then reuse it: myCache.setObject(data, forKey: "News").

Related

Swift 4.2.1 requesting JSON with Xcode 10.1

My code:
let cgpurl = URL(string: "https://api.coingecko.com/api/v3/ping")!
let task = URLSession.shared.dataTask(with: cgpurl) { (Data, URLResponse, Error) in
if let data = Data, let string = String(data: data, encoding: .utf8) {
let CGPing = string } ; resume() }
The problem is with the 2nd use of "cgpurl". I've tried changing case to no effect. The error I'm getting is, "Cannot use instance member 'cgpurl' within property initializer; property initializers run before 'self' is available". Ok... but I can't even replace cgpurl with the actual link? Then I get the error message "Ambiguous reference to member 'dataTask(with:completionHandler:)'" I realize this release of swift was supposed to be "small" & just to "fix errors" but I've not been able to find any current documentation on this release. I'm using swift 4.2.1 with Xcode 10.1
This code was taken directly from a teaching manual for Swift 4.2
No, it wasn't. The code you have was never right, in Swift 4.2 or any other version of Swift. You have blindly copied and pasted perhaps, without looking at the overall context.
The problem is that the code, as you have it, is sitting "loose" at the top of your view controller or other class declaration, perhaps something along these lines:
class MyViewController : UIViewController {
let cgpurl = // ...
let task = // ...
}
That's wrong. The most basic rule of Swift programming is that executable code can exist only in a function. For example:
class MyViewController : UIViewController {
override func viewDidLoad() {
super.viewDidLoad()
let cgpurl = // ...
let task = // ...
}
}
That may not solve all your issues, but at least you'll get past the most basic mistake you're making and the "Cannot use instance member" compile error will go away.

Executing NSApplicationDelegate Code Before ViewController viewDidLoad

My Swift 3, Xcode 8.2 MacOS app loads several tables through web services calls. Since the tables are used by one or more of my seven view controllers, I placed them in the AppDelegate.
The problem is that the AppDelegate methods applicationWillFinishLaunching and applicationDidFinishLaunching run after the ViewController viewDidLoad methods.
As a result the table views show no data. I was able to get it to work correctly by calling the appDelegate method that loads the data from one of the ViewController viewDidLoad methods. Since any of the ViewControllers could be invoked on application start up, I would have to add the call to all of them and some sort of flagging method to prevent redundant loads.
My question is: where can I place code that will execute prior to the ViewControllers loading? The code loads data into multiple arrays of dictionary. These arrays are in the AppDelegate.
I read up on #NSApplicationMain and replacing it with a main.swift. I assume none of application objects would have been instantiated at that point so I couldn't call their methods and don't think my code would be valid outside of a class.
The pertinent part of my appDelegate:
class AppDelegate: NSObject, NSApplicationDelegate {
var artists: [[String:Any]]? = nil
var dispatchGroup = DispatchGroup() // Create a dispatch group
func getDataFromCatBox(rest: String, loadFunction: #escaping ([[String: Any]]?) -> Void) {
let domain = "http://catbox.loc/"
let url = domain + rest
var request = URLRequest(url: URL(string: url)!)
request.httpMethod = "Get"
let session = URLSession.shared
var json: [[String:Any]]? = nil
dispatchGroup.enter()
session.dataTask(with: request) { data, response, err in
if err != nil {
print(err!.localizedDescription)
return
}
do {
json = try JSONSerialization.jsonObject(with: data!, options: .mutableContainers) as? [[String: Any]]
}
catch {
print(error)
}
loadFunction(json)
self.dispatchGroup.leave()
}.resume()
}
func loadArtistTable(array: [[String: Any]]?) {
artists = array
}
}
The ViewController code:
override func viewDidLoad() {
super.viewDidLoad()
appDelegate = NSApplication.shared().delegate as! AppDelegate
appDelegate.getDataFromCatBox(rest: "artists.json", loadFunction: appDelegate.loadArtistTable)
appDelegate.dispatchGroup.wait()
artistTable.reloadData()
}
The code works in that the TableView is populated when the window appears. While it's not a lot of code, I would have to duplicate across all my View Controllers.
This a prototype. The production version will have 14 tables and invocations.
I guess my comment should be an answer. So. Why not just make the window containing the table views not be visible on launch? Then in didFinishLaunching, load the table data and then show the window.
I don't think there is any way to do what I want the way it is structured in the question. The ViewController code could be reduced to
appDelegate = NSApplication.shared().delegate as! AppDelegate
appDelegate.getDataFromCatBox(rest: "artists.json", loadFunction: appDelegate.loadArtistTable
by creating a wrapper function in AppDelegate that had the wait in it. It also could contain a flag that indicated that a given table had already been loaded so as not to make a redundant call.
I ended up going with a different approach: I created a super class with singleton subclasses for each table. Now my viewDidLoad method looks like this:
artists.loadTable() // The sublass
artistTable.reloadData()
If any one comes up with a cleaner solution to the original problem, I'll accept their answer in place of mine.

CloudKit Get actual Object from Record ID in OSX

I am trying to use CKSubscription to subscribe to changes. I am following Apple's docs which seems to be very general and incomplete.
Link to Apple Doc
I have got the point of getting Record ID sent to my app via the didReceiveRemoteNotification method in AppDelegate and I have got my Record Id: using this code:
func application(application: NSApplication, didReceiveRemoteNotification userInfo: [String : AnyObject]) {
let cknNotification = CKNotification(fromRemoteNotificationDictionary: userInfo as! [String:NSObject])
if cknNotification.notificationType == .Query,
let queryNotification = cknNotification as? CKQueryNotification {
let recordId = queryNotification.recordID
print(recordId)
}
How do I convert the CKNotification into the Actual Object I stores in Cloudkit? Do I need to perform another fetch or is the data contained in the CKNotification that I just need to Cast.
Looks like I worked it out.
The Notification only lets you know that they have changed. You need to do the work to pull the new records and update them. ( Makes sense really)
privateCloudDatabase().fetchRecordWithID(recordId!, completionHandler: { (recordfetched, error) in
//Check the Record Type if multiple.. I only have one type.
let myRecordType = recordfetched?.recordType
let myObject = mySuperObject(record: recordfetched!)
print("done")
})
// I should probably add more optional checking - but above just illustrates the solution and how simple it is to get.

NSCollectionView does show nothing

I've tried to follow this guide:
Quick Start for Collection Views
using an NSImageView in the Collection View Item.
Nothing shows up, neither if i set the image with a Image Well neither if i set the array via code.
So i tried to do it programmatically, using
func representedObject(representedObject: AnyObject)
{
super.representedObject = representedObject
photoImageView.image = (representedObject as! NSImage)
println("\(representedObject)")
}
in the Collection View Item (subclassed).
If I don't subclass Collection View Item Xcode tells me that there is no prototype set, if i subclass it it tells that "could not load the nibName"... (it's in the storyboard with correct identity set)
I can't have this Collection View to work :-(
Anyway, i like the bindings... so i'd like to achieve the correct result with bindings..
I checked and rechecked every passage in the document at the link and everything seems fine. the main difference is that the document uses the app delegate, i'm using a view controller.
i translated KVC methods in swift, i think they are correct since i know them have been called. Here them are:
func insertObject(p: ClientPhoto, inClientPhotoArrayAtIndex index: Int) {
images.insertObject(p, atIndex: index)
}
func removeObjectFromClientPhotoArrayAtIndex(index: Int) {
images.removeObjectAtIndex(index)
}
func setClientPhotoArray(a: NSMutableArray) {
images = a
}
func clientPhotoArray() -> NSArray {
return images
}
Their are basically 2 ways to work with NSCollectionView. 1 is to set the itemPrototype property and the other is to override newItemForRepresentedObject. The override method is more flexible and has the advantage that you using the technique below you can create the nscollectionviewitem in storyboard and all the outlets will be set correctly. Here is an example of how I use it:
class TagsCollectionView: NSCollectionView {
// ...
override func newItemForRepresentedObject(object: AnyObject!) -> NSCollectionViewItem! {
let viewItem = MainStoryboard.instantiateControllerWithIdentifier("tagCollectionViewItem") as! TagCollectionViewItem
viewItem.representedObject = object
return viewItem
}

Can I receive a callback whenever an NSPasteboard is written to?

I've read Apple's Pasteboard Programming Guide, but it doesn't answer a particular question I have.
I'm trying to write a Cocoa application (for OS X, not iOS) that will keep track of everything that is written to the general pasteboard (so, whenever any application copies and pastes, but not, say, drags-and-drops, which also makes use of NSPasteboard). I could (almost) accomplish this by basically polling the general pasteboard on a background thread constantly, and checking changeCount. Of course, doing this would make me feel very dirty on the inside.
My question is, is there a way to ask the Pasteboard server to notify me through some sort of callback any time a change is made to the general pasteboard? I couldn't find anything in the NSPasteboard class reference, but I'm hoping it lurks somewhere else.
Another way I could imagine accomplishing this is if there was a way to swap out the general pasteboard implementation with a subclass of NSPasteboard that I could define myself to issue a callback. Maybe something like this is possible?
I would greatly prefer if this were possible with public, App Store-legal APIs, but if using a private API is necessary, I'll take that too.
Thanks!
Unfortunately the only available method is by polling (booo!). There are no notifications and there's nothing to observe for changed pasteboard contents. Check out Apple's ClipboardViewer sample code to see how they deal with inspecting the clipboard. Add a (hopefully not overzealous) timer to keep checking for differences and you've got a basic (if clunky) solution that should be App-Store-Friendly.
File an enhancement request at bugreporter.apple.com to request notifications or some other callback. Unfortunately it wouldn't help you until the next major OS release at the earliest but for now it's polling until we all ask them to give us something better.
There was once a post on a mailing list where the decision against a notification api was described. I can't find it right now though. The bottom line was that probably too many applications would register for that api even though they really wouldn't need to. If you then copy something the whole system goes through the new clipboard content like crazy, creating lots of work for the computer. So i don't think they'll change that behavior anytime soon. The whole NSPasteboard API is internally built around using the changeCount, too. So even your custom subclass of NSPasteboard would still have to keep polling.
If you really want to check if the pasteboard changed, just keep observing the changeCount very half second. Comparing integers is really fast so there's really no performance issue here.
Based on answer provided by Joshua I came up with similar implementation but in swift, here is the link to its gist: PasteboardWatcher.swift
Code snippet from same:
class PasteboardWatcher : NSObject {
// assigning a pasteboard object
private let pasteboard = NSPasteboard.generalPasteboard()
// to keep track of count of objects currently copied
// also helps in determining if a new object is copied
private var changeCount : Int
// used to perform polling to identify if url with desired kind is copied
private var timer: NSTimer?
// the delegate which will be notified when desired link is copied
weak var delegate: PasteboardWatcherDelegate?
// the kinds of files for which if url is copied the delegate is notified
private let fileKinds : [String]
/// initializer which should be used to initialize object of this class
/// - Parameter fileKinds: an array containing the desired file kinds
init(fileKinds: [String]) {
// assigning current pasteboard changeCount so that it can be compared later to identify changes
changeCount = pasteboard.changeCount
// assigning passed desired file kinds to respective instance variable
self.fileKinds = fileKinds
super.init()
}
/// starts polling to identify if url with desired kind is copied
/// - Note: uses an NSTimer for polling
func startPolling () {
// setup and start of timer
timer = NSTimer.scheduledTimerWithTimeInterval(2, target: self, selector: Selector("checkForChangesInPasteboard"), userInfo: nil, repeats: true)
}
/// method invoked continuously by timer
/// - Note: To keep this method as private I referred this answer at stackoverflow - [Swift - NSTimer does not invoke a private func as selector](http://stackoverflow.com/a/30947182/217586)
#objc private func checkForChangesInPasteboard() {
// check if there is any new item copied
// also check if kind of copied item is string
if let copiedString = pasteboard.stringForType(NSPasteboardTypeString) where pasteboard.changeCount != changeCount {
// obtain url from copied link if its path extension is one of the desired extensions
if let fileUrl = NSURL(string: copiedString) where self.fileKinds.contains(fileUrl.pathExtension!){
// invoke appropriate method on delegate
self.delegate?.newlyCopiedUrlObtained(copiedUrl: fileUrl)
}
// assign new change count to instance variable for later comparison
changeCount = pasteboard.changeCount
}
}
}
Note: in the shared code I am trying to identify if user has copied a
file url or not, the provided code can easily be modified for other general
purposes.
For those who need simplified version of code snippet that gets the job done in Swift 5.7,
it just works (base on #Devarshi code):
func watch(using closure: #escaping (_ copiedString: String) -> Void) {
let pasteboard = NSPasteboard.general
var changeCount = NSPasteboard.general.changeCount
Timer.scheduledTimer(withTimeInterval: 1.0, repeats: true) { _ in
guard let copiedString = pasteboard.string(forType: .string),
pasteboard.changeCount != changeCount else { return }
defer {
changeCount = pasteboard.changeCount
}
closure(copiedString)
}
}
how to use is as below:
watch {
print("detected : \($0)")
}
then if you attempt copy any text in your pasteboard, it will watch and print out to the console like below..
detected : your copied message in pasteboard
detected : your copied message in pasteboard
in case, full code sample for how to use it for example in SwiftUI:
import SwiftUI
#main
struct TestApp: App {
var body: some Scene {
WindowGroup {
ContentView()
.onAppear {
watch {
print("detect : \($0)")
}
}
}
}
func watch(using closure: #escaping (_ copiedString: String) -> Void) {
let pasteboard = NSPasteboard.general
var changeCount = NSPasteboard.general.changeCount
Timer.scheduledTimer(withTimeInterval: 1.0, repeats: true) { _ in
guard let copiedString = pasteboard.string(forType: .string),
pasteboard.changeCount != changeCount else { return }
defer {
changeCount = pasteboard.changeCount
}
closure(copiedString)
}
}
}
It's not necessary to poll. Pasteboard would generally only be changed by the current view is inactive or does not have focus. Pasteboard has a counter that is incremented when contents change. When window regains focus (windowDidBecomeKey), check if changeCount has changed then process accordingly.
This does not capture every change, but lets your application respond if the Pasteboard is different when it becomes active.
In Swift...
var pasteboardChangeCount = NSPasteboard.general().changeCount
func windowDidBecomeKey(_ notification: Notification)
{ Swift.print("windowDidBecomeKey")
if pasteboardChangeCount != NSPasteboard.general().changeCount
{ viewController.checkPasteboard()
pasteboardChangeCount = NSPasteboard.general().changeCount
}
}
I have a solution for more strict case: detecting when your content in NSPasteboard was replaced by something else.
If you create a class that conforms to NSPasteboardWriting and pass it to -writeObjects: along with the actual content, NSPasteboard will retain this object until its content is replaced. If there are no other strong references to this object, it get deallocated.
Deallocation of this object is the moment when new NSPasteboard got new content.

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