iOS 4 Document-Based Applications

Question

I need to create an application capable to modify and manage files on IOS.

With IOS 5 is "easy" to create a Document-Based Application, but I need to support IOS 4 too.

Anyone knows if there is a way to create a Document-Based Applications in IOS 4?

Thanks in advance.

Answer 1

Short answer is no as UIDocument and UIManagedDocument only arrived with iOS 5

Long answer is yes. There are hundreds of document based apps for iOS. e.g Brushes, Sketchbook Pro which are all document based apps. My own app is document based, its not that hard to do.

What UIDocument/UIManagedDocument provides is a canned API for making a generic document. Feed it a URL and it does (most of) the rest of the housekeeping.

If you wish to do an iOS4 based app then stuff you will need to pay attention to is.

• UIApplicationWillTerminateNotification/UIApplicationDidEnterBackgroundNotification
• Opening a new document.
• Saving a document.
• Shutting a document.
• Autosave (maybe)
• Core Data stack , if you're using Core Data

www.raywenderlich.com has some great tutorials. Maybe even iOS4 based ones still.

IMO - Don't bother with iOS4 support. Like above post states 85% use iOS5 and anyone still on iOS4 probably isn't in your target market. Especially as this is (I assume) a new app and iOS6 will be around by the time you go to market.

Answer 2

Just going to ask, do you really need to support iOS 4? The adoption of iOS is over 85% of devices.

Whats the basis for the need to continue iOS 4 support?