Transfer Multiple Images via NSInputStream/NSOutputStream

Question

I have two NSInputStream and NSOutputStream connected to each other via network. I want to transfer core data objects and associated images from one device to other device. I have successfully converted the core data objects into JSON and transferred to other side of the stream and then populated the core data from the JSON. Now there are images that are associated with each recorded. The images are on the disc, there is only path stored in core data objects. Now, you have to have complete data at hand when you are writing to the output stream. I have the XML (that contains JSON) ready.
1. But how do I transfer images (NSData *) along with XML (also NSData *) ? How will I differentiate at the reading end (NSInputStream) between XML and Images?
2. Also, I have to transfer multiple images, how do we tell at the NSInputStream end that the bytes of an image have finished and the the bytes of next image have started ?
3. How do we know that which image (name) has been transferred ?
Thanks

Answer 1

I solved it by using following steps:
1. Convert each managed object to NSDictionary
2. Put all all dictionaries in NSArray
3. Convert the NSArray to NSData using NSKeyedArchiver
4. Transfer NSData through streams

And at receiver's end, I reversed above steps.
Thanks Marius Kurgonas

Answer 2

Convert NSData (of each UIImage) to NSString representation, then put all the NSString objects into NSDictionary and serialize that dictionary. In that way when you transfer data over you can reverse the process to extract images knowing which key points to which image. That way you should be able to transfer multiple images.

Hope this helps.

Cheers

Answer 3

Sounds ridiculous, every answer. Try something like this:

case NSStreamEventHasBytesAvailable: {
            NSLog(@"NSStreamEventHasBytesAvailable");
            uint8_t * mbuf[DATA_LENGTH];
            mlen = [(NSInputStream *)stream read:(uint8_t *)mbuf maxLength:DATA_LENGTH];
            NSLog(@"mlen == %lu", mlen);
            [mdata appendBytes:(const void *)mbuf length:mlen];
            NSLog(@"mdata length == %lu", mdata.length);
            if (mlen < DATA_LENGTH) {
                NSLog(@"displayImage");
                UIImage *image = [UIImage imageWithData:mdata];
                [self.peerConnectionViewController.view.subviews[0].layer setContents:(__bridge id)image.CGImage];
                mdata = nil;
                mlen  = DATA_LENGTH;
                mdata = [[NSMutableData alloc] init];
            }
        } break;
 

  ...    

- (void)captureOutput:(AVCaptureOutput *)output didOutputSampleBuffer:(CMSampleBufferRef)sampleBuffer fromConnection:(AVCaptureConnection *)connection
{
    CVImageBufferRef imageBuffer = CMSampleBufferGetImageBuffer(sampleBuffer);
    CVPixelBufferLockBaseAddress(imageBuffer,0);
    uint8_t *baseAddress = (uint8_t *)CVPixelBufferGetBaseAddress(imageBuffer);
    size_t bytesPerRow = CVPixelBufferGetBytesPerRow(imageBuffer);
    size_t width = CVPixelBufferGetWidth(imageBuffer);
    size_t height = CVPixelBufferGetHeight(imageBuffer);
    CGColorSpaceRef colorSpace = CGColorSpaceCreateDeviceRGB();
    CGContextRef newContext = CGBitmapContextCreate(baseAddress, width, height, 8, bytesPerRow, colorSpace, kCGBitmapByteOrder32Little | kCGImageAlphaPremultipliedFirst);
    CGImageRef newImage = CGBitmapContextCreateImage(newContext);
    CGContextRelease(newContext);
    CGColorSpaceRelease(colorSpace);
    UIImage *image = [[UIImage alloc] initWithCGImage:newImage scale:1 orientation:UIImageOrientationUp];
    CGImageRelease(newImage);
    CVPixelBufferUnlockBaseAddress(imageBuffer,0);
    
    NSData *data = [NSData dataWithData:UIImageJPEGRepresentation(image, 0.25)];
    
    __block BOOL baseCaseCondition = NO; // obviously this should be data driven, not hardcoded
    __block NSInteger _len = DATA_LENGTH;
    __block NSInteger _byteIndex = 0;
    typedef void (^RecursiveBlock)(void (^)());
    RecursiveBlock aRecursiveBlock;
    
    aRecursiveBlock = ^(RecursiveBlock block) {
        NSLog(@"Block called...");
        baseCaseCondition = (data.length > 0 && _byteIndex < data.length) ? TRUE : FALSE;
        if ((baseCaseCondition) && block)
        {
            _len = (data.length - _byteIndex) == 0 ? 1 : (data.length - _byteIndex) < DATA_LENGTH ? (data.length - _byteIndex) : DATA_LENGTH;
            //
            NSLog(@"START | byteIndex: %lu/%lu  writing len: %lu", _byteIndex, data.length, _len);
            //
            uint8_t * bytes[_len];
            [data getBytes:&bytes range:NSMakeRange(_byteIndex, _len)];
            _byteIndex += [self.outputStream write:(const uint8_t *)bytes maxLength:_len];
            //
            NSLog(@"END | byteIndex: %lu/%lu wrote len: %lu", _byteIndex, data.length, _len);
            //
            dispatch_barrier_async(dispatch_get_main_queue(), ^{
                block(block);
            });
        }
    };
    
    if (self.outputStream.hasSpaceAvailable)
            aRecursiveBlock(aRecursiveBlock);
}