building newsstand_apps

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Session 504

Building Newsstand Apps

Ben NielseniOS Application Engineering

1

2222222

6

NewsstandThe look

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The lookNewsstand

• Repository for publications

• Richer visual experience

• Icons reflect content

• iTunes Store integration

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NewsstandKit

• Push notification updates

• Content organization

• Background downloads

NewsstandKitNKLibraryNKIssue

NKAssetDownload

Your App

Foundation

UIKit

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What You’ll Learn

• Appearing in Newsstand

• Retrieving content

• Presenting content

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Appearing in Newsstand

Jon DrummondiOS Application Engineering

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Appearing in NewsstandBecoming a Newsstand app

• Add one key to your Info.plist<key>UINewsstandApp</key>

<true/>

• You’re now a Newsstand app!• But you need an icon…

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Time for an icon

• One icon style in iOS 4■ Home screen■ Search■ Settings■ App switcher■ Notifications


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• Distinct from standard app icons■ Home screen and app switcher

• Should reflect your content• Dynamic—can be updated after your app is installed

• Additional adornment for magazine and newspaper styles

Newsstand icons

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Appearing in NewsstandStandard icons

• We still need them!■ Settings, Search, Notifications…

• Newsstand icon must be defined in addition to the standard icon

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Appearing in NewsstandStandard icon specification

• Top-level key in your Info.plist with an array of image names

<key>CFBundleIconFiles</key>

<array>

! <string>Icon.png</string>

! <string>[email protected]</string>

...

</array>

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Newsstand icons

• A new top-level Info.plist key■ CFBundleIcons—a dictionary of icon styles

UINewsstandIcon


CFBundlePrimaryIcon

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Appearing in NewsstandUpdating your Info.plist


<array>

<string>Icon.png</string>

<string>[email protected]</string>

</array>

<key>CFBundleIcons</key>

<dict>New top-level key

Existing CFBundleIconFiles

Icon style key<key>CFBundlePrimaryIcon</key>

<dict>

</dict>

</dict>

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<array>

<string>Icon.png</string>

<string>[email protected]</string>

</array>

<key>CFBundleIcons</key>

<dict>New top-level key

Existing CFBundleIconFiles

Icon style key<key>CFBundlePrimaryIcon</key>

<dict>

</dict>

</dict>

<key>CFBundlePrimaryIcon</key>

<dict>...</dict>

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Appearing in NewsstandCustomizing your Newsstand icon

• Icons are adorned to resemble their physical counterparts■ Newspaper or magazine?■ Binding edge

• Exist as keys inside the UINewsstandIcon style dictionary

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Customizing your Newsstand iconAppearing in Newsstand

UINewsstandBindingEdgeLeftUINewsstandBindingEdgeRightUINewsstandBindingEdgeBottom

Fold

Stack

UINewsstandBindingTypeNewspaperUINewsstandBindingTypeMagazine

Staples Pages

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<key>CFBundleIcons</key><dict>

<key>UINewsstandIcon</key><dict>

<key>CFBundleIconFiles</key>...</array>

</dict>

</dict>

Options

Newsstand style key and icon files

<key>UINewsstandBindingType</key>

<string>UINewsstandBindingTypeNewspaper</string><key>UINewsstandBindingEdge</key>

<string>UINewsstandBindingEdgeBottom</string>

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Appearing in NewsstandAdditional considerations

• Icons need not be square■ Use a shape that matches your physical appearance

• You must still include CFBundlePrimaryIcon■ Standard and Newsstand icon are both needed

• Backward compatibility■ CFBundleIcons is required for Newsstand apps in iOS 5■ Can coexist with existing icon keys for earlier versions of iOS

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Creating a Newsstand AppDemo

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Handling Updates

Ben NielseniOS Application Engineering

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Retrieving and presenting content

• Informing the app• Organizing issues• Downloading content• Updating your icon

Handling Updates

ORGANIZINGUPDATING

INFORMING

DOWNLOADING

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Informing the AppHandling Updates

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Informing the AppPush notifications

DOWNLOADING

ORGANIZINGUPDATING

INFORMING

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‘content-available’:1

Informing the AppNewsstand Push Notifications

• Registration TypeUIRemoteNotificationTypeNewsstandContentAvailability

• Payload Key{

‘aps’:{

}

}

• Once per day■ NSUserDefaults: @”NKDontThrottleNewsstandContentNotifications”

DOWNLOADING

ORGANIZINGUPDATING

INFORMING

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<key>UIBackgroundModes</key>

<array>

<string> </string>

</array>

newsstand-content

Informing the AppNewsstand Push Notifications

• Background mode

• Limited time-[UIApplication beginTaskWithExpirationHandler:]

DOWNLOADING

ORGANIZINGUPDATING

INFORMING

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Organizing issuesHandling Updates

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Organizing IssuesUsing NKLibrary

• Provides persistent state for:■ Available issues■ Ongoing downloads■ Issue being read

• Organizes issues■ Uses app’s Caches directory■ Improves resource management

DOWNLOADING

UPDATING

INFORMING

ORGANIZING

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Organizing IssuesNKIssues

• Creating issues■ Unique name■ Publication date

NKIssue *myIssue = [myLibrary addIssueWithName:issueName date:issueDate];

■ Maintains a repository within the libraryNSURL *baseURL = [myIssue contentURL];

• Setting the current issue[myLibrary setCurrentlyReadingIssue:myIssue];

DOWNLOADING

UPDATING

INFORMING

ORGANIZING

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Downloading contentHandling Updates

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Downloading ContentNKAssetDownload

• Handles data transfer■ Keeps going

• Uses NSURLConnectionDelegate• Wake for critical events

newsstand-content

• Wi-Fi only in background

UPDATING

INFORMING

ORGANIZING

DOWNLOADING

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for (item in itemsToDownload) {

}

Setup

NSURLRequest *downloadRequest = [item URLRequest];

NKAssetDownload *asset = [issue addAssetWithRequest:downloadRequest];

NSArray *itemsToDownload = !! query server for list of assets

for (item in itemsToDownload) {

}

Downloading Content

NSArray *itemsToDownload = !! query server for list of assets

NSURLRequest *downloadRequest = [item URLRequest];

NKAssetDownload *asset = [issue addAssetWithRequest:downloadRequest];

NSURLConnection *connection = [asset downloadWithDelegate:myDelegate];

UPDATING

INFORMING

ORGANIZING

DOWNLOADING

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NSURLConnectionDownloadDelegate

[asset downloadWithDelegate:myDelegate];

• Implements NSURLConnectionDelegate■ Status■ Authentication■ Completion

• Modifications-connection:didReceiveData:

Downloading Content UPDATING

INFORMING

ORGANIZING

DOWNLOADING

NSURLConnectionDownloadDelegate

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Downloading ContentNSURLConnectionDownloadDelegate



• Modifications-connection:didWriteData:totalBytesWritten:expectedTotalBytesWritten:

-connectionDidResumeDownloading:totalBytesWritten:expectedTotalBytesWritten:

-connectionDidFinishLoading:

UPDATING

INFORMING

ORGANIZING

DOWNLOADING

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Downloading ContentNSURLConnectionDownloadDelegate



• Modifications-connection:didWriteData:totalBytesWritten:expectedTotalBytesWritten:

-connectionDidResumeDownloading:totalBytesWritten:expectedTotalBytesWritten:

-connectionDidFinishDownloading:destinationURL: required

UPDATING

INFORMING

ORGANIZING

DOWNLOADING

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Downloading ContentBackground

• What if the app is suspended?■ No status updates■ Wakes for authentication and completion

• What if the app is terminated!?■ Relaunched in the background

UIApplicationLaunchOptionsNewsstandDownloadsKey

NSString *assetIdentifier = [myAssetDownload identifier];

UPDATING

INFORMING

ORGANIZING

DOWNLOADING

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Reconnecting

• Reconnect on launchNKLibrary *library = [NKLibrary sharedLibrary];

for (NKAssetDownload *asset in [library downloadingAssets])


• Always!■ Abandoned downloads may get cancelled

Downloading Content


NKLibrary *library = [NKLibrary sharedLibrary];

for (NKAssetDownload *asset in [library downloadingAssets])

UPDATING

INFORMING

ORGANIZING

DOWNLOADING

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Downloading ContentCompletion

• Success!-connectionDidFinishDownloading:destinationURL:

■ Destination is a temporary file■ Move to issue repository

[myIssue contentURL]

■ Process-[UIApplication beginTaskWithExpirationHandler:];

UPDATING

INFORMING

ORGANIZING

DOWNLOADING

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Downloading contentDemo

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Updating Your Newsstand Icon

Jon Drummond

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Updating Your Newsstand IconShowing off your new content

• Part of getting new content is obtaining a new icon

• Once content is ready to view, show it off!■ Update your Newsstand icon■ Inform readers of new issues via badging

June 2011

INFORMING

ORGANIZING

DOWNLOADING

UPDATING

May 2011

46

Updating Your Newsstand IconUpdate your icon

• Publication covers play a huge role in the physical newsstand■ We want your icons to do the same here

• Your icon should represent your most recent content■ But don’t show it until your content is ready to read!

• Changes the appearance of your app in Newsstand and app switcher■ Overrides your UINewsstandIcon, not your standard app icon

INFORMING

ORGANIZING

DOWNLOADING

UPDATING

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Updating Your Newsstand IconUpdate your icon

• Simple!-[UIApplication setNewsstandIconImage:(UIImage*)]

• Can be used while running in the background, so update whenever your content is ready

INFORMING

ORGANIZING

DOWNLOADING

UPDATING

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Updating Your Newsstand IconBadge your app

• Badges in Newsstand have a revised look: “New” sash• Add a badge when a user has not yet opened a particular issue

■ Remove the badge once it has been read

INFORMING

ORGANIZING

DOWNLOADING

UPDATING

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Updating Your Newsstand IconBadge your app

• Uses existing badge API-[UIApplication setApplicationIconBadgeNumber:(NSInteger)]

• As with normal badging...■ Non-zero value shows the sash■ Zero clears the sash

• The count is not shown, but it should track your unread issues

INFORMING

ORGANIZING

DOWNLOADING

UPDATING

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Updating Your Newsstand Icon- (void)connectionDidFinishDownloading:(NSURLConnection*)connection

destinationURL:(NSURL*)destinationURL {

}

INFORMING

ORGANIZING

DOWNLOADING

UPDATING

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destinationURL:(NSURL*)destinationURL {// get issue content locationNKIssue *latestIssue = [[connection newsstandAssetDownload] issue];NSURL *issueURL = [[latestIssue contentURL] URLByAppendingPathComponent:...];

}

INFORMING

ORGANIZING

DOWNLOADING

UPDATING

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// move issue into place -- don’t forget to check errors!NSFileManager *fileManager = [NSFileManager defaultManager];[fileManager moveItemAtURL:destinationURL toURL:issueURL error:NULL];

}

INFORMING

ORGANIZING

DOWNLOADING

UPDATING

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// get our new icon and update our app!UIImage *newIcon = [self getIconFromIssue:latestIssue]; // up to you

}

INFORMING

ORGANIZING

DOWNLOADING

UPDATING

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// get our new icon and update our app!UIImage *newIcon = [self getIconFromIssue:latestIssue]; // up to youUIApplication *app = [UIApplication sharedApplication];[app setNewsstandIconImage:newIcon];[app setApplicationIconBadgeNumber:[app applicationIconBadgeNumber]+1];

}

INFORMING

ORGANIZING

DOWNLOADING

UPDATING

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Updating your Newsstand iconDemo

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Summary

• Becoming a Newsstand app is easy• Get content updates in the background• Use NewsstandKit to download and organize content• Update your Newsstand icon and badge to show off your content

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Vicki MurleySafari Technology [email protected]

More Information

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App Publishing with iTunes Connect PresidioThursday 10:15AM

Local and Push Notifications Pacific HeightsThursday 4:30PM

Related Sessions

Adopting Multitasking Russian HillThursday 4:30PM

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Newsstand Lab Internet & Web Lab BThursday 2:00PM

Local and Push Notifications Lab Internet & Web Lab AFriday 9:00AM

Labs

App Publishing with iTunes Connect Lab Internet & Web Lab AThursday 2:00PM

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Q&A

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building newsstand_apps

Technology

00pm internet

move issue

destinationurl

newsstand

nsfilemanager

plist cfbundleicons

nsfilemanager

check errors