cordova-plugin-file-sync

Two way or one way sync files using a manifest.json for comparing to find out changed files. It will

• download files
• remove files
• upload files (optional, only works with manifest created via php)

Currently only IOS is implemented. Feel free to do the Android implementation.

Quick guide

• install plugin
• create manifest (own php solution included, third party js solution referenced)
• decide if you want version control
• decide if you want to enable uploads (php script included)

installation

// stable
cordova plugin add cordova-plugin-file-sync

// development
cordova plugin add `github repo`

This plugins depends on cordova-plugin-add-swift-support which will get installed automatically.

Why?

Reasons:

• I used cordova-hot-code-push as in-app-updater but there the old and new release are in different directories and you must perform a page refresh to be able to access newly synced images, which I didn't want.
• You can sync it with to any directory you want.
• It uses background downloader, even you quit you app, it will continue finishing the sync progress.

Usage

File Comparing

This plugins compares the local manifest.json against the server manifest.json to find out, which files changes. This looks like:

[
  {
    "file": "firstfile.png",
    "hash": "e9c7a01993abf06e9080b9216642cabe"
  },
  {
    "file": "deep/path/files/secondfile.jpg",
    "hash": "2c2ae068be3b089e0a5b59abb1831550"
  }
]

To create the manifest you can use the cordova-hot-code-push-cli or the php script to generate the manifest on the fly.

Release handling (optional)

It compares a local release.json against a server release.json to find out if a new release is available. It just compares the strings of the release property!

{
  "release": "my-version-2"
}

JS

cordova.plugins.fileSync.sync({
    pathManifest: 'https://domain.com/whatever/manifest.json',
    pathRemoteDir: 'https://domain.com/whatever/www/'
    pathRelease: 'https://domain.com/whatever/release.json',
    pathLocalDir: 'file:/where/you/want/the/downloads',
    pathUpload: 'https://domain.com/whatever/upload.php',
},
{
    postdata: 'value',
    moredata: 'morevalue'
},
function(msg) {
    console.log('success', msg);
},
function(err) {
    console.log('error', err);
});

explanation of options:

• pathManifest: is the server path where json will be returned which include an arreay of objects with "file" and "hash" properties
• pathRemoteDir: is the server path where the remote files are located
• [pathRelease]: is the optional server path where json will be returned which includes a property named "release", if you omit this property, it will hash the local and remote manifest and compare them to find if there is a new version (easier but data usage increases a bit)
• [pathLocalDir]: is the optional local path on ios where the manifest and all remote files will be stored, the release will be saved in something like a native localstorage. defaults to : /Users/pm/Library/Developer/CoreSimulator/Devices/<UDID>/data/Containers/Data/Application/<UDID>/Library/Application Support/cordova-plugin-file-sync/
• [pathUpload] if not defined it will just act as a one-way sync from remote to local.

Error codes

returns if it worked positiv int in success callback, if error occured negativ integer in error callback:

• 1 no update found
• 0 update installed
• -1 request to release.json failed
• -2 parsing of release.json failed
• -3 request to manifest.json failed
• -4 parsing of manifest.json failed
• -5 aborted (only possible if app did really quit)
• -6 could not move file to pathLocal

Trick

To be more flexible you alway can generate the serverside json via php or whatever you like to use a php script for creating the manifest serverside is already included.

Todo

Core Features:

• uses backgroundmode
• download files
• remove files
• upload files via http -> so you have to make probably a php script to recieve the file

Feature:

• http implemenation
• ftp implemenation try https://github.com/Constantine-Fry/rebekka
• webdav implemenation
• php script for generating manifest.json
• nodejs script for generating manifest.json
• optional comparing release.json
• Sending progress event (find other plugin to see how / cordova-content-sync-plugin maybe?)
• Event / or Function which returns current status of plugin working, finish or whatever, will be more usefull when there is also something like a cronjob.
• Function which returns localversion and last time finished with sync.
• resume download if you where aborted, due to exit. background doesn't matter, because the download would still go on.
• return more for example: numUploadedFiles, numDownloadedFiles, numDeletedFiles, newVersion, oldVersion. more ideas?

Qualitiy:

• Error handling in Downloader
• currently the most errors are just surrounded with if else but not returned
• migrate to swift 3
• avoid conflicts with other plugins using for every class a named prefix
• what/which code is causing the thread warning of 15ms? maybe the comparing of the manifests?
• instead of returning status via int, use enum/constants like chcp errors