iosswiftxcodecore-datatransformable

CoreData Transformable: Custom Transformer never gets called - NSKeyedArchiver is used instead


I've created a Simple CoreData model with a single Entity with custom transformable attribute:

coredata config

import Foundation
import CoreData


    extension Entity {

        @nonobjc public class func fetchRequest() -> NSFetchRequest<Entity> {
            return NSFetchRequest<Entity>(entityName: "Entity")
        }

        @NSManaged public var attribute: String? 
        @NSManaged public var title: String?
    }

Then, in AppDelegate I try to fetch and then save a single entity:

import UIKit
import CoreData

@UIApplicationMain
class AppDelegate: UIResponder, UIApplicationDelegate {


    private lazy var context: NSManagedObjectContext = {
        return persistentContainer.newBackgroundContext()
    }()

func application(_ application: UIApplication, didFinishLaunchingWithOptions launchOptions: [UIApplication.LaunchOptionsKey: Any]?) -> Bool {
    let fetch: NSFetchRequest<Entity> = Entity.fetchRequest()

    context.perform {
        print(try! fetch.execute().first?.attribute)
        let entity = NSEntityDescription.insertNewObject(forEntityName: "Entity", into: self.context) as! Entity
        entity.title = "Entity Title"
        entity.attribute = "String attribute"

        try! self.context.save()
    }


    return true
}

    // MARK: UISceneSession Lifecycle

    func application(_ application: UIApplication, configurationForConnecting connectingSceneSession: UISceneSession, options: UIScene.ConnectionOptions) -> UISceneConfiguration {
        // Called when a new scene session is being created.
        // Use this method to select a configuration to create the new scene with.
        return UISceneConfiguration(name: "Default Configuration", sessionRole: connectingSceneSession.role)
    }

    // MARK: - Core Data stack

    lazy var persistentContainer: NSPersistentContainer = {
        /*
         The persistent container for the application. This implementation
         creates and returns a container, having loaded the store for the
         application to it. This property is optional since there are legitimate
         error conditions that could cause the creation of the store to fail.
        */
        let container = NSPersistentContainer(name: "Europe")
        container.loadPersistentStores(completionHandler: { (storeDescription, error) in
            if let error = error as NSError? {
                // Replace this implementation with code to handle the error appropriately.
                // fatalError() causes the application to generate a crash log and terminate. You should not use this function in a shipping application, although it may be useful during development.

                /*
                 Typical reasons for an error here include:
                 * The parent directory does not exist, cannot be created, or disallows writing.
                 * The persistent store is not accessible, due to permissions or data protection when the device is locked.
                 * The device is out of space.
                 * The store could not be migrated to the current model version.
                 Check the error message to determine what the actual problem was.
                 */
                fatalError("Unresolved error \(error), \(error.userInfo)")
            }
        })
        return container
    }()

    // MARK: - Core Data Saving support

    func saveContext () {
        let context = persistentContainer.viewContext
        if context.hasChanges {
            do {
                try context.save()
            } catch {
                // Replace this implementation with code to handle the error appropriately.
                // fatalError() causes the application to generate a crash log and terminate. You should not use this function in a shipping application, although it may be useful during development.
                let nserror = error as NSError
                fatalError("Unresolved error \(nserror), \(nserror.userInfo)")
            }
        }
    }

}

The first time I run the app, I get nil, while the second I get Optional("String attribute"), which seems that the transformation is working correctly.

However, here's my transformer class:

import Foundation

/// Never Called!
@objcMembers public final class MyTransformer: ValueTransformer {

    public override init() {
        super.init()
        fatalError("Nevern gets executed")
    }
    public override class func transformedValueClass() -> AnyClass {
        fatalError("Nevern gets executed")
        print("transformedValueClass")
        return NSData.self
    }

    public override class func allowsReverseTransformation() -> Bool {
        fatalError("Nevern gets executed")
        print("allowsReverseTransformation")
        return true
    }

    public override func transformedValue(_ value: Any?) -> Any? {
        fatalError("Nevern gets executed")
        print("transformedValue")
        guard let string = value as? String else {return nil}
        return string.data(using: .utf8)
    }

    public override func reverseTransformedValue(_ value: Any?) -> Any? {
        fatalError("Nevern gets executed")
        print("reverseTransformedValue")
        guard let data = value as? Data else {return nil}
        return String(data: data, encoding: .utf8)
    }
}

It seems that the CoreData uses NSKeyedArchiver/Unarchiver instead of my custom class. What could be the problem?

This is, obviously, a test project I've set up to figure out how the transformable properties work and to test a bigger issue I'm facing with the real project I'm working on.

Configured project to investigate the issue


Solution

  • You need to register your ValueTransformer before you use it.

    ValueTransformer.setValueTransformer(MyTransformer(), forName: NSValueTransformerName(rawValue: "MyTransformer"))
    let fetch: NSFetchRequest<Entity> = Entity.fetchRequest()
    

    For more info refer docs.