Re: NSUserDefaults from within a bundle

FROM : Bill Bumgarner
DATE : Sun Jul 02 19:03:06 2006

On Jul 2, 2006, at 9:17 AM, Benjamin Einstein wrote:
> It seems storing user preferences in an application's bundle is a 
> scary concept to most, if it's even possible. We have an application 
> that's stored on the network, is copied from the server to the local 
> machine via another application, and then launched by that 
> application. The application can also be used offline. We would 
> really prefer to have global, "traveling" preferences that are 
> embedded in the application bundle but can be modified locally 
> (don't worry about rights, you must be a system admin and an 
> application admin to make preferences changes). Is there a way to 
> use NSUserDefaults to do this? Maybe CFPreferences? I can read a pre-
> compiled plist in the bundle using NSBundle, but I have no idea how 
> to write and load specific key values. Any ideas?
>
> There's one major catch: the application would have to be copied 
> back when the user quits so other users get their updated 
> preferences. Hmmmm. It would be okay unless the write failed.


Writing to the app wrapper isn't a scary concept.  It is flat out 
wrong behavior for many reasons;  security, system maintenance, etc...

I would assume your "master application" has some automated mechanism 
for copying around the embedded application?  Why not carry a plist 
along with that application?  Store it in ~/Library/Application 
Support/YourApplication/.

There isn't anything particularly special about user defaults beyond 
the ability to persist defaults in a standard location.  The actual 
data is managed through a property list;  NSDictionary, NSArray, 
etc...  You could easily create a "settings controller" class that 
has an API similar to NSUserDefaults and persists to ~/Library/
Application Support/YourApplication/.

b.bum