Question

I have created a settings bundle with a single preference value, a text field with a default value.

When my application launches and I retrieve the value it is null. Do I have to manually code the value to use before the user has provided a value?

Also if the user does to the preferences screen and enters the text field then leave it without making any changes the value will not be set … the user has to actually change the value for it to be saved, is this correct?

Answer 1

No, don’t do that.

There’s a function for this:

id userDefaults = [NSUserDefaults standardUserDefaults];
[userDefaults registerDefaults: defaultSettings];

You can build the parameter by iterating all the sub keys of PreferenceSpecifiers in your settings plist file.

Something like this:

- (NSDictionary *)readDefaultSettingsFromPlist: (NSString *)inPath;
{
    id mutable = [NSMutableDictionary dictionary];
    id settings = [NSDictionary dictionaryWithContentsOfFile: inPath];
    id specifiers = [settings objectForKey: @"PreferenceSpecifiers"];
    for (id prefItem in specifiers) {
        id key = [prefItem objectForKey: @"Key"];
        id value = [prefItem objectForKey: @"DefaultValue"];
        if ( key && value ) {
            [mutable setObject: value
                        forKey: key];
        }
    }
    return [NSDictionary dictionaryWithDictionary: mutable];
}