How to help my users backup document files

RLScott · 07-03-2009, 06:40 AM

I have an application that creates document files that just happen to be compatible with our Pocket PC and Windows versions of the app. Connectivity is not the main purpose of our app, and I don't want to get in to writing a lot of custom code to do connectivity. Is there some easy way that users can move files from (and to) my app's sandbox documents folder to something off-phone, without my having to provide that functionality explicitly?

Robert Scott
Ypsilanti, Michigan

pwnified · 07-03-2009, 07:35 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by RLScott

Is there some easy way that users can move files from (and to) my app's sandbox documents folder to something off-phone, without my having to provide that functionality explicitly?

The short answer is no, the long answer is "nope". I'm currently looking at CocoaHTTPServer for file transfers and not having a good day

fbronner · 07-03-2009, 09:30 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by RLScott

I have an application that creates document files that just happen to be compatible with our Pocket PC and Windows versions of the app. Connectivity is not the main purpose of our app, and I don't want to get in to writing a lot of custom code to do connectivity. Is there some easy way that users can move files from (and to) my app's sandbox documents folder to something off-phone, without my having to provide that functionality explicitly?

Robert Scott
Ypsilanti, Michigan

Easily...Yes...

Just email the document to the user. That is for sending. For receiving..it is going to be more complex then that.

It depends on where the documents are originally compared to the iphone. Are they on a mac or a pc or on the web? Do you have a pc or mac application to create the document and to send it?

RLScott · 07-03-2009, 09:46 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by fbronner

Easily...Yes...

Just email the document to the user.

That is such a kludge! I would be embarrassed to tell my users that the only way they can back up their files is to use e-mail. With Pocket PCs, all you have to do is connect the device to a Windows computer, run ActiveSync, and open an Explorer window into the device. Is there nothing comparable to that in the iPhone?

Robert Scott
Ypsilanti, Michigan

fbronner · 07-03-2009, 09:57 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by RLScott

That is such a kludge! I would be embarrassed to tell my users that the only way they can back up their files is to use e-mail. With Pocket PCs, all you have to do is connect the device to a Windows computer, run ActiveSync, and open an Explorer window into the device. Is there nothing comparable to that in the iPhone?

Robert Scott
Ypsilanti, Michigan

You could also roll up your sleeve and write a small tool to upload/download documents.

No, there is nothing like opening a explorer onto the iphone, which is also a good thing considering the number of times I had users loosing data on their pocket pc because they copied files at the wrong place...Yes it does happen. Or they lost all their data because they left their pocket pc turned on too long and when the battery died, the data was gone with it.

Or I even had some users removing some of my program dll on their pocket pc to gain more place...Now that sucked....

jsd · 07-03-2009, 10:17 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by RLScott

That is such a kludge! I would be embarrassed to tell my users that the only way they can back up their files is to use e-mail. With Pocket PCs, all you have to do is connect the device to a Windows computer, run ActiveSync, and open an Explorer window into the device. Is there nothing comparable to that in the iPhone?

Robert Scott
Ypsilanti, Michigan

Anything in your app's documents folder will be backed up by iTunes when the user syncs the phone.

The user could find the file by grovelling through the iTunes backup directory.

If you want something nice though you should probably just upload the file out of the phone to an external web server.

RLScott · 07-03-2009, 10:38 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jsd

Anything in your app's documents folder will be backed up by iTunes when the user syncs the phone.

The user could find the file by grovelling through the iTunes backup directory.

Thanks. I may just do that. Backup is the primary concern, and you say iTunes takes care of that for me. It is rare that a user will want to transfer my app documents for any other purpose.

Robert Scott
Ypsilanti, Michigan

pwnified · 07-03-2009, 08:08 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by RLScott

Thanks. I may just do that. Backup is the primary concern, and you say iTunes takes care of that for me. It is rare that a user will want to transfer my app documents for any other purpose.

Robert Scott
Ypsilanti, Michigan

If you're going to go that route look into this python script for decoding the backup files: iphone-backup-decoder - Google Code or his application iPhone / iPod Touch Backup Extractor but be warned, it's something you probably cant advertise in your app description without getting rejected by apple. Apple doesn't like people mucking about with the backup files... The other thing is every time the user wants a file out of the documents directory, they need to perform a full backup using iTunes.