Easiest way to download remote files for iOS

I updated and open-sourced a utility for downloading web-hosted files for iOS today. Using it is extremely easy and doesn't require any notifications or delegates. Only sexy block syntax.

First, you'll need to import it in your implementation file:

 #import "RemoteDataManager.h" 

Then you can:

 NSString *location = @"http://tailsmagazines.files.wordpress.com/2009/04/kitten.jpg?w=320&h=480"; [[RemoteDataManager sharedManager] getDataAtLocation:location withCallback:^(BOOL waiting, NSData *data){ if(waiting){ // if the data is not cached [loadingIndicator startAnimating]; } // when the data is available else{ [loadingIndicator stopAnimating]; imageView.image = [UIImage imageWithData:data]; } }]; 

The key thing to acknowledge here is that the Callback block may get

NSOperation and NSURLConnection conflicts

The right way to use NSOperation, NSOperationQueue and NSURLConnection

I stumbled across a problem today when trying to make an asynchronous POST request to a server.

I created a request class by subclassing NSOperation and was calling it by adding it to an NSOperationQueue (more here) and within this class's (void)main method, I was creating an NSURLConnection like this:

 NSURLConnection *connection = [[NSURLConnection alloc] initWithRequest:request delegate:self] 

The problem I was experiencing was none of the NSURLConnection delegate callbacks were being fired.

After a little research I realized that when you create an NSURLConnection using the initWithRequest

Hacking the MPMoviePlayer framework on the iPhone

Wouldn't it be great if you could change the frame of the media player? If you could take the full screen window and fit it in a custom CGRect and place it where-ever you want on the window?

Well, you can, but it's undocumented, so hack at your own risk, but here's how.

First thing you should know is you can't hack the window until you start playing the video. Once you issue the play command to the MediaPlayer framework, it adds a new window to the window stack. So - you have to find it:

 NSArray *windows

Mac OS X - Adding items to the system toolbar with NSMenuExtra

Apparently, the most popular way to do this is with NSMenuExtra, an undocumented class.

Here's a howto from 2003 on using it. I'm wondering why Apple has found it necessary to leave this class undocumented for over 6 years without changing it. Nevertheless, enjoy.