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Basically, the app needs to see what magazine issues (in-app purchases) are available and display their covers graphically in multiple rows. (The catalog of issues You see when You open a newsstand app)

The issues themselves are html with supporting files (CSS, images...)

Do You know how to do this?
Have You already done it?
Is there such code available that one can adapt to their own case?

Peter V
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    Search the Internet, if you are lucky, you may grab the thing wholesale. But I doubt people will put up a good one free for grab. What is it that you don't know how to do specifically? – nhahtdh Jul 06 '12 at 08:22
  • Thanks for the reply! Well I have in app purchases (individual issues) and I want to display them all with a cover image so the user can just tap one and buy it. It seems simple :/ – Peter V Jul 06 '12 at 08:28

2 Answers2

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With app you need a server implementation as well. Your app should connect server every time (or based on push notification) to check what all magazine issues are available. Its server's logic to provide web call or host some file so that app can determine list of available magazine issues as well other metadata about the issue. The metadata could be issue name, date, price, path to hosted cover image, path to hosted full issue content, iTunes product id etc. Once your app will get all this information it should create UI to show all the available issues, by downloading cover images, showing date, issue name,etc.

Your app should also cache issue's images and metadata so that you can create your store even when offline.

Once user taps on an issue you can use issue's iTunes product id to make the purchase and on successful purchase your app should show some UI to download the issue's content from your server.

If you want to enable background downloading using push notifications (and you don't mind that your app is installed inside iOS5's pre installed folder called Newsstand) you should make your magazine app a Newsstand app. Check out my answer to this question. It has link to a very good tutorial about Newsstand apps.

Community
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msk
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  • There also should be a mechanism in place to pull the receipts from the app store for the device, so you can tell what they've bought already and then display those items accordingly in the store. – IanStallings Jul 16 '12 at 18:33
  • For showing what has been purchased you can persist it in sqllite, core data, NSUserDefaults, plist for whatever you like. – msk Jul 16 '12 at 18:37
  • That will work for one device. But that doesn't handle other devices the user may have, or if they reinstall the application after a device reset. Not a big deal but a user will expect it to work in those scenarios. I only mention this because I've built it for some high-profile magazine applications with in-app purchases. – IanStallings Jul 16 '12 at 19:58
  • For other devices they can always use "restore" where you have the opportunity to unlock content and persist this information again. – msk Jul 17 '12 at 04:22
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Maybe you should take a look at Ray Wenrerlich tutoriel about in app purchase : http://www.raywenderlich.com/2797/introduction-to-in-app-purchases

It explain how to manage a product list with all the functionnalities you need to purchase and see what products has already been purchased.

It may not be exactly what you need but it can gives you a good starting point

good luck

An-droid
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