Seems like my Text file isn't storing persistently in Documents Directory

Question

NOTE: Possibly Resolved: Was missing ".path!" to documentsUrl.path!.stringByAppendingPathComponent(path)

I am saving a text file to Applications Documents Directory. Using

var path = ""
let date = NSDate()
let file = "\(date).txt"
let joined = "\n".join(ActionArray)
if let dirs : [String] = NSSearchPathForDirectoriesInDomains(NSSearchPathDirectory.DocumentDirectory, NSSearchPathDomainMask.AllDomainsMask, true) as? [String] {
    let dir = dirs[0]
    path = dir.stringByAppendingPathComponent(file);
    println(path)

    joined.writeToFile(path, atomically: false, encoding: NSUTF8StringEncoding, error: nil);
}

println path

/Users/dustin/Library/Developer/CoreSimulator/Devices/5EA056FC-114D-4C98-9B35-29B46760BE3A/data/Containers/Data/Application/2AB9FD4A-25AB-4385-9CFB-A66AEFA8C1A3/Documents/2015-05-16 08:24:08 +0000.txt

Then store path and some other data to an Entity, which will be used to call back the text file later.

When I do a fetchRequest on the entity and print out the array I get

( " (entity: Entity; id: 0xd000000000040000 ; data: {\n date = \"2015-05-16 08:18:20 +0000\";\n path = \"/Users/dustin/Library/Developer/CoreSimulator/Devices/5EA056FC-114D-4C98-9B35-29B46760BE3A/data/Containers/Data/Application/4A9C17AB-57C1-47CB-B9B1-E0E5CA494B4E/Documents/2015-05-16 08:24:08\";\n})" )

the path is now missing the " +0000". When I call on the path from the Entity.path, my text file is found...BUT when I completely close app (home-swipe-^), the text file search...

let fileContent = String(contentsOfFile: path, encoding: NSUTF8StringEncoding, error: nil)!
var fileContentArr = split(fileContent) {$0 == "\n"}

I get

fatal error: unexpectedly found nil while unwrapping an Optional value

What am I doing wrong to write a persistent text file to draw upon later regardless if App reset?

EDIT: I've taken advice to notice directory path changes between App sessions, So I've instead stored file name to Entity and get Documents Path at read time. I still get error.

I'm doing some debugging and my println's are as follows

let documentsUrl =  NSFileManager.defaultManager().URLsForDirectory(.DocumentDirectory, inDomains: .UserDomainMask)[0] as! NSURL

    // now lets get the directory contents (including folders)
    if let directoryContents =  NSFileManager.defaultManager().contentsOfDirectoryAtPath(documentsUrl.path!, error: nil) {
        println(directoryContents)
        println(documentsUrl.path!)
    }

[2015-05-17 04:25:48 +0000.txt, 2015-05-17 04:31:07 +0000.txt, iPro_Poker_HH_swift.sqlite, iPro_Poker_HH_swift.sqlite-shm, iPro_Poker_HH_swift.sqlite-wal]

/Users/dustindobrilovic/Library/Developer/CoreSimulator/Devices/5EA056FC-114D-4C98-9B35-29B46760BE3A/data/Containers/Data/Application/7CD25462-947C-40AA-97DB-4A845FED1451/Documents

My Entity Fetch array println()

( " (entity: Hand; id: 0xd000000000080000 ; data: {\n path = \"2015-05-17 04:31:07 +0000.txt\";\n})" )

I then combine documentsUrl.path! with path from entity to get println(stringDocumentsURL)

file:/Users/dustindobrilovic/Library/Developer/CoreSimulator/Devices/5EA056FC-114D-4C98-9B35-29B46760BE3A/data/Containers/Data/Application/7CD25462-947C-40AA-97DB-4A845FED1451/Documents/2015-05-17 04:31:07 +0000.txt

This is where Im getting a warning which is very next line.

let fileContent = String(contentsOfFile: stringDocumentsURL, encoding: NSUTF8StringEncoding, error: nil)!

fatal error: unexpectedly found nil while unwrapping an Optional value

>

possible duplicate of [Cannot find my downloaded file in the document folder via fileExistsAtPath](http://stackoverflow.com/questions/30274360/cannot-find-my-downloaded-file-in-the-document-folder-via-fileexistsatpath) — Eric Aya, May 16 '15 at 23:51
You probably don't want the AllDomainsMask but rather the UserDomainMask — Tobias, May 17 '15 at 02:41
Closing the app might clear the Entity from memory so you'll have to rebuild the path information. — Tobias, May 17 '15 at 02:44

score 0 · Accepted Answer · answered May 17 '15 at 03:50

0

Path changes across launches. Try to persist only the relative part of the path and reconstruct the absolute path before accessing it.

answered May 17 '15 at 03:50

Joe Smith

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so in my case I need to store `Documents/2015-05-16 08:24:08 +0000.txt`, Since Im using date as name of text file...then append this stored suffix and add it to path at read time? – Chameleon May 17 '15 at 04:10
when speaking of launch, we are talking about starting and stopping the App correct...not each time we build from Xcode? – Chameleon May 17 '15 at 04:13
my Edited section took your advice, now the full paths match, but still finding a nil even though the file shows in folder. – Chameleon May 17 '15 at 04:51
If you have verified the file exists at the path, it might be the encoding or something else that's wrong with the content of the file. Can you check the error (instead of providing a nil pointer)? Or can you remove '!' at the end of the line or change it to '?' – Joe Smith May 17 '15 at 05:19

Seems like my Text file isn't storing persistently in Documents Directory

NOTE: Possibly Resolved: Was missing ".path!" to documentsUrl.path!.stringByAppendingPathComponent(path)

1 Answers1