How to save local data in a Swift app?

They Say Use NSUserDefaults

When I was implementing long term (after app close) data storage for the first time, everything I read online pointed me towards NSUserDefaults. However, I wanted to store a dictionary and, although possible, it was proving to be a pain. I spent hours trying to get type-errors to go away.

NSUserDefaults is Also Limited in Function

Further reading revealed how the read/write of NSUserDefaults really forces the app to read/write everything or nothing, all at once, so it isn't efficient. Then I learned that retrieving an array isn't straight forward. I realized that if you're storing more than a few strings or booleans, NSUserDefaults really isn't ideal.

It's also not scalable. If you're learning how to code, learn the scalable way. Only use NSUserDefaults for storing simple strings or booleans related to preferences. Store arrays and other data using Core Data, it's not as hard as they say. Just start small.

Update: Also, if you add Apple Watch support, there's another potential consideration. Your app's NSUserDefaults is now automatically sent to the Watch Extension.

Using Core Data

So I ignored the warnings about Core Data being a more difficult solution and started reading. Within three hours I had it working. I had my table array being saved in Core Data and reloading the data upon opening the app back up! The tutorial code was easy enough to adapt and I was able to have it store both title and detail arrays with only a little extra experimenting.

So for anyone reading this post who's struggling with NSUserDefault type issues or whose need is more than storing strings, consider spending an hour or two playing with core data.

Here's the tutorial I read:

http://www.raywenderlich.com/85578/first-core-data-app-using-swift

If you didn't check "Core Data"

If you didn't check "Core Data"when you created your app, you can add it after and it only takes five minutes:

http://craig24.com/2014/12/how-to-add-core-data-to-an-existing-swift-project-in-xcode/

http://blog.zeityer.com/post/119012600864/adding-core-data-to-an-existing-swift-project

How to Delete from Core Data Lists

Delete Data from Coredata Swift


Okey so thanks to @bploat and the link to http://www.codingexplorer.com/nsuserdefaults-a-swift-introduction/

I've found that the answer is quite simple for some basic string storage.

let defaults = NSUserDefaults.standardUserDefaults()

// Store
defaults.setObject("theGreatestName", forKey: "username")

// Receive
if let name = defaults.stringForKey("username")
{
    print(name)
    // Will output "theGreatestName"
}

I've summarized it here http://ridewing.se/blog/save-local-data-in-swift/


The simplest solution for storing a few strings or common types is UserDefaults.

The UserDefaults class provides convenience methods for accessing common types such as floats, doubles, integers, Boolean values, and URLs.

UserDefaults lets us store objects against a key of our choice, It's a good idea to store these keys somewhere accessible so we can reuse them.

Keys

struct DefaultsKeys {
    static let keyOne = "firstStringKey"
    static let keyTwo = "secondStringKey"
}

Setting

let defaults = UserDefaults.standard
defaults.set("Some String Value", forKey: DefaultsKeys.keyOne)
defaults.set("Another String Value", forKey: DefaultsKeys.keyTwo)

Getting

let defaults = UserDefaults.standard
if let stringOne = defaults.string(forKey: DefaultsKeys.keyOne) {
    print(stringOne) // Some String Value
}
if let stringTwo = defaults.string(forKey: DefaultsKeys.keyTwo) {
    print(stringTwo) // Another String Value
}

Swift 2.0

In Swift 2.0 UserDefaults was called NSUserDefaults and the setters and getters were named slightly differently:

Setting

let defaults = NSUserDefaults.standardUserDefaults()
defaults.setObject("Some String Value", forKey: DefaultsKeys.keyOne)
defaults.setObject("Another String Value", forKey: DefaultsKeys.keyTwo)

Getting

let defaults = NSUserDefaults.standardUserDefaults()
if let stringOne = defaults.stringForKey(DefaultsKeys.keyOne) {
    print(stringOne) // Some String Value
}
if let stringTwo = defaults.stringForKey(DefaultsKeys.keyTwo) {
    print(stringTwo) // Another String Value
}

For anything more serious than minor config you should consider using a more robust persistent store:

  • CoreData
  • Realm
  • SQLite

Using NSCoding and NSKeyedArchiver is another great option for data that's too complex for NSUserDefaults, but for which CoreData would be overkill. It also gives you the opportunity to manage the file structure more explicitly, which is great if you want to use encryption.

Tags:

Ios

Swift

Nsuserdefaults

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