iOS Copy SQLite Database and excluding it from iCloud

Question

My application just rejected because I copied sqlite database in NSDocumentDirectory and didn't exclude it from being synced to iCloud. I tried to add code to exclude it from iCloud but it is still occupying same space in iCloud. Here is my code.

- (BOOL)addSkipBackupAttributeToItemAtURL:(NSURL *)URL {
    if (&NSURLIsExcludedFromBackupKey == nil) { // iOS <= 5.0.1
        const char* filePath = [[URL path] fileSystemRepresentation];

        const char* attrName = "com.apple.MobileBackup";
        u_int8_t attrValue = 1;

        int result = setxattr(filePath, attrName, &attrValue, sizeof(attrValue), 0, 0);
        return result == 0;
    } else { // iOS >= 5.1
        NSError *error = nil;
        [URL setResourceValue:[NSNumber numberWithBool:YES] forKey:NSURLIsExcludedFromBackupKey error:&error];
        return error == nil;
    }
}

+ (void)copyDatabaseIfNeeded {
    NSFileManager *fileManager = [NSFileManager defaultManager];
    NSError *error = nil;
    NSString *toPath = [self getDBPath];
    BOOL success = [fileManager fileExistsAtPath:toPath];

    if(!success) {
        NSString *fromPath = [[[NSBundle mainBundle] resourcePath] stringByAppendingPathComponent:databaseName];

        NSURL *toURL = [NSURL fileURLWithPath:toPath];
        NSURL *fromURL = [NSURL fileURLWithPath:fromPath];


        [[NSFileManager defaultManager] addSkipBackupAttributeToItemAtURL:toURL];
        [[NSFileManager defaultManager] addSkipBackupAttributeToItemAtURL:fromURL];

        success = [fileManager copyItemAtURL:fromURL toURL:toURL error:&error];

        if (!success) 
            NSLog(@"Failed to create writable database file with message '%@'.", [error localizedDescription]);
    }   
}

+ (NSString *)getDBPath {
    NSArray *paths = NSSearchPathForDirectoriesInDomains(NSDocumentDirectory, NSUserDomainMask, YES);
    NSString *documentsDir = [paths objectAtIndex:0];

    return [documentsDir stringByAppendingPathComponent:databaseName];
}

Please help.

Answer 1

You set the skip back attribute to the file before coping it, since the file is not yet copied there the filemanager can't change the properties of that file:

Also you are not calling the addSkipBackupAttributeToItemAtURL: on self but on NSFileManager which does have this method declared.

You can addSkipBackupAttributeToItemAtURL: from a class method if you declared it as an instance methods, change it to + to make it a class method.

Change it to something like:

+ (BOOL)addSkipBackupAttributeToItemAtURL:(NSURL *)URL {
    if (&NSURLIsExcludedFromBackupKey == nil) { // iOS <= 5.0.1
        const char* filePath = [[URL path] fileSystemRepresentation];

        const char* attrName = "com.apple.MobileBackup";
        u_int8_t attrValue = 1;

        int result = setxattr(filePath, attrName, &attrValue, sizeof(attrValue), 0, 0);
        return result == 0;
    } else { // iOS >= 5.1
        NSError *error = nil;
        [URL setResourceValue:[NSNumber numberWithBool:YES] forKey:NSURLIsExcludedFromBackupKey error:&error];
        return error == nil;
    }
}

+ (void)copyDatabaseIfNeeded {
    NSFileManager *fileManager = [NSFileManager defaultManager];
    NSError *error = nil;
    NSString *toPath = [self getDBPath];
    BOOL success = [fileManager fileExistsAtPath:toPath];

    if(!success) {
        NSString *fromPath = [[[NSBundle mainBundle] resourcePath] stringByAppendingPathComponent:databaseName];

        NSURL *toURL = [NSURL fileURLWithPath:toPath];
        NSURL *fromURL = [NSURL fileURLWithPath:fromPath];
        success = [fileManager copyItemAtURL:fromURL toURL:toURL error:&error];

        if (success) {
                [self addSkipBackupAttributeToItemAtURL:toURL];
        } else {
            NSLog(@"Failed to create writable database file with message '%@'.", [error localizedDescription]);
        }
    }   
}

---

Also a my comment stated I removed the [[NSFileManager defaultManager] addSkipBackupAttributeToItemAtURL:fromURL]; since that file will a not be included in an iCloud backup and b files in the bundle are readonly and can't there for be modified.