I’m writing a data collection app for the iPhone, and want to be able to export my data to a file the user can process on their desktop. I’d generate the file in csv or whatever format on the iPhone and then somehow the user would get the file to their desktop. From reading other questions here and on the rest of the web, it seems like my options are:
1) Implement my own web service somewhere in the cloud which the iPhone app connects to and sends the data. Then my server would either email it to the user or make it available for download somehow.
2) Write SMTP code or use an off the shelf library, which would require the user to enter their own email server details. Then send the data to the user as an attachment.
3) Use some kind of bonjour setup where I give the user an app to run on their desktop and the iPhone app finds and talks to that desktop app.
All three of these seem cumbersome: #1 for me because I have to code/maintain a server (including detecting/preventing spam/misuse, etc). #2 and #3 for the user because there’s extra configuration, stuff to run, and things that can go wrong. (Not to mention a bunch more things to code and test for me, potentially with a bunch of desktop OSes and configurations.)
Are these the options people are using? Did I miss any? Which do people like best?
Thanks much!
You can run a web server on the phone, and point the user at that IP address, then serve up an AJAXy web page where they can download the file to their desktop.
Not hard, but they have to type in an IP address or http://myphone.local type address…