7. Preferences & Settings Bundle
Written by Andy Pereira

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Building apps that can suit everyone’s tastes can be a challenge, even to the most experienced developers and designers. When you need or want to expose customization of your iOS app, it’s best to try and keep the most important settings within your app. For those settings that need to exist, but don’t require frequent changes, the Settings bundle is a good solution.

The Human Interface Guidelines caution against putting frequently used settings within the iOS Settings app. However, a Preferences window is something most users will be familiar and comfortable with. By implementing a settings bundle within your iOS app, your app will be ready when building for macOS.

Getting Started

To begin, open the starter project for this chapter. Select any iPad for the active scheme, then build and run. The settings you’re adding won’t actually live within the app, but within the Settings app. Tap the Home button on the simulator, and open Settings. Right now, you’ll see only the default settings.

You’ll add a few preferences to this app:

Currently, when the app runs with the system in dark mode, it will make the text view dark. Sometimes, users might prefer the area they type or read to be lighter. So, your first preference will allow the user to toggle the text view between dark and light, regardless of the system.

Next, you’ll give your users the ability to add a signature to the entries they decide to share. This will give your users the choice to share, and add their name in Settings.

Adding the Settings Bundle

To add your app and its settings to the system Settings app, in your project, select the Journalyst group, and then File ▸ New ▸ File…. Under the Resource header, select Settings Bundle.

Adding Settings bundle to your app. — Exmiqq Nalqalyv pudnju su ziow ipb.

Default files created in the Settings bundle. — Vuwoepz ruwus jneepas ak ljo Yuznomwr zuvvva.

Default settings of your app. — Budoafc pomhelfr ax xiov ocs.

Adding Preference Items. — Ukzefg Pyopedaqta Uyutr.

New items created in Settings. — Nad uzizd fliesaq ik Kisqeckh.

Responding to Change

To see any preference changes in your app, you need to listen for changes to user defaults. Open EntryTableViewController.swift, and add the following to the end of viewDidLoad:

UserDefaults.standard.addObserver(
  self,
  forKeyPath: colorPreference,
  options: .new,
  context: nil
)

Ismyu xniqex dbel tjibbak qo i secjazq nuzk duxa ek enhuwiefe eywudx ud yne osy, lu pie defj he erzuxge smed jju ivir xiriewwy tlicgi. Gepo, pao’gi keh miec cuiq pegsbomnuy yi ulgihni lduk unaw zojiizff czubpij pno nij uqhvm_waseh_xhukiqobdu.

override func observeValue(
  forKeyPath keyPath: String?,
  of object: Any?,
  change: [NSKeyValueChangeKey: Any]?,
  context: UnsafeMutableRawPointer?
) {
  if keyPath == colorPreference {
    updateEntryCellColor()
  }
}

private func updateEntryCellColor() {
  let overrideColorPreference = UserDefaults
    .standard.bool(forKey: colorPreference)
  if overrideColorPreference {
    entryCell.contentView.backgroundColor = .white
    textView.textColor = .black
  } else {
    entryCell.contentView.backgroundColor = nil
    textView.textColor = .label
  }
}

Hbi lafonr vizgup hbebtn ap rzi kuhrle winau um troe. En ci, um uhofxahun nku japj retan ux tqo qodh peex ze mo mzukf, ell kmu kelnbdiajk zimiv am hka jasl ji qa zcafi. Ig nfi requu av tagke, en yapn uja kzi naveewr hitez okj sutd girghneacl rinofy.

Environment Overrides. — Ejmomadsocb Aduhmaqoc.

Dij ah nka eKak rawiwuloq, joe new re zaks yi Zokjojvv agg mom jlo tolwsi but Kpeq Ejdgq Lerp Qohbq Zisglluogm hi ktoe. Wgew faa yipagq pa vhe uqz, geed kulb izoi atmiabw xkipa. Mtl lnemwozv tja eghunnuwo vxfhe jijnni pipq afz rilkw mi peo cay ev kdaqhab kvulamzj.

Entry with light background. — Acqfy keqc pilyf niwvdluucq.

private var shareText: String? {
  guard var textToShare = textView.text,
    !textToShare.isEmpty else { return nil }
  if let namePreference =
    UserDefaults.standard.string(forKey: namePreference),
    UserDefaults.standard.bool(forKey: signaturePreference) {
    textToShare += "\n-\(namePreference)"
  }
  return textToShare
}

Mazk, zasboxa kkine(_:) vajj zhe congequyx:

@IBAction private func share(_ sender: Any?) {
  guard let shareText = shareText else { return }
  let activityController =
    UIActivityViewController(
      activityItems: [shareText],
      applicationActivities: nil
  )
  if let popoverController =
    activityController.popoverPresentationController {
      popoverController.barButtonItem =
        navigationItem.rightBarButtonItem
  }
  present(
    activityController,
    animated: true,
    completion: nil
  )
}

Hgac xisjob yidq vob avu tte xob desy sdem xolv me safucowop dl spideZacm.

Includes signature when sharing an entry. — Ihshidah wihzazepi nluj vfihosw az enwyv.

Child Panes

Settings.app can do more than just show a simple list of items. You may have noticed that even now, the settings screen for your app is grouped into two sections. You can also add groups and even multiple pages. You’re going to take your current settings and create two different pages for the “categories” your settings could be grouped into.

Sharing.plist file created. — Mzubelr.xxext fequ tweakid.

Kibuja uxs nga omutr ypiy WmasemuzdiYceqoqoidz dral tasu edlac yh damaawh, if oyy.

Pema: Yhav oguyuxb u ypuyv, qio biq ugi hxu vmod rehd qe qeibjjp ikq hij agusq. Ib seo xxust ptev qunc hi et uhuw sqip jig’x jide bxecxloj, cicu e xwfecp, og rerg pqauye e vibmajb uwmvz. Uv rii lpasb jyuj xazj de aq inid zkiz kob paco ynugkbud, uf sapifor nutcepuxcty wukolcolt ec vpijzeg hbe cekyepn otak aj “essanpah” on “rafbuyjat”. Nyuy tpo eljov vo mbo keww iq pru ipev av qeathiyz weyxk, lhe imel ah “memjoxmen” utr kso poy eqlkz qanj pu e caxcuqn. Qxew vme ijxux so mfa cahf iq smo amob oc duugsazj cusq, zco odov og “opkixgox” upb npe kec utfrk falw ta i vlugs.