Sending data through Notifications : Swift 3

Here I am using the real-world example of sending data through a notification by sending beacon data to a listener every time the CoreLocation refreshes.  This is intended to demonstrate how the notification services can transmit data to a listener.

// /* 1 */ - In the AppDelegate I am sending a notification 
//every time CoreLocation hears a set of beacons.

// /* 2 */ - In another class, I am listing for the 
// Notice and pass along the data to a method.

// /* 3 */ - Do somethign with the data when the 
// method receives it.

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// APPDELEGATE.SWIFT @UIApplicationMain class AppDelegate: UIResponder, UIApplicationDelegate { // Later in code a delegate fires off with beacon data... func beaconManager(manager: KTKBeaconManager, didRangeBeacons beacons: [CLBeacon], inRegion region: KTKBeaconRegion) { //Sends out a notification with a beacon array. /* 1 */ NSNotificationCenter.defaultCenter().postNotificationName("sendAllBeacons", object: beacons) }

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// LISTBEACONS2.SWIFT class ListBeacons2: UITableViewController { // When the view loads, it starts listening for a notificaiton. override func viewDidLoad() { super.viewDidLoad() //Listen for a message containing an array of beacons /* 2 */ NSNotificationCenter.defaultCenter().addObserver(self, selector: #selector(ListBeacons.getAllBeacons), name: "sendAllBeacons", object: nil) } func getAllBeacons(notification: NSNotification){ //Do something with the notification data which, in this example, // is cast into an array. /* 3 */ var beacons = Array(arrayLiteral: notification.object!) beacons = beacons[0] as! [CLBeacon] } }

How to filter an array of dictionaries with NSPredicate : Swift 3

This uses a real-world example where beacons are being passed, and I am selectively putting close beacons, which are a dictionary of data, into an array.

The notification that contains all the beacon data is repeated over and over so I don't want duplicates making it into my list, so I use a filter to determine if the Beacon data already exists before appending it to the array.

---

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// I am including lots of "stuff" so that it is clear how this came together in a real example. // The code won't work without something feeding becaons to the notification system. But that doesn't matter. // The important bits will have /* # */ next to it. import UIKit import CoreLocation class ListBeacons2: UITableViewController { // /* 1 */ - Create a varriable that will act as your array container of dictionaries. // /* 2 */ - Filter array to see if the new dictionary exists // /* 3 */ - If it doesn't append the Dictionary to the array. // Setup the variable that will hold the array [] of objects of the type CLBeacon /* 1 */ var nearestBeacons = [CLBeacon]() //....later in code override func viewDidLoad() { super.viewDidLoad() //Listen for a message containing an array of beacons // This comes from another page that sends the package of beacons every time CoreLocation refreshes its search. NSNotificationCenter.defaultCenter().addObserver(self, selector: #selector(ListBeacons.getAllBeacons), name: "sendAllBeacons", object: nil) } //viewDidLoad func getAllBeacons(notification: NSNotification){ //clear the array nearestBeacons = [] // Put the package (that contains the beacons) from the notification into a variable var packageOfBeacons = Array(arrayLiteral: notification.object!) //Put the array of beacons into a variable called "beacons" let beacons = packageOfBeacons[0] as! [CLBeacon] // loop over that array with the contents of type "CLBeacon" for eachBeacon in beacons { // Check the proximity, and if it is close move into the IF if (eachBeacon.proximity as CLProximity).rawValue == 1 { // Filter to see if the beacon already exists in this list. // NOTE : We have cast the info coming across as type "CLBeacon" which means that the name of the original key, // such as "uuid" will actually need to be referenced by the object's variable name "proximityUUID". // The casting to a system object of CLBeacon, in line 40, is what does this. /* 2 */let predicate = NSPredicate(format: "%K == %@ AND %K == %@ AND %K == %@" , "proximityUUID", eachBeacon.proximityUUID, "major", eachBeacon.major, "minor", eachBeacon.minor) let sorted = self.nearestBeacons.filter({ return predicate.evaluateWithObject($0) }) // If there are no beacons like it in the array, append it. if sorted.count == 0 { /* 3 */ self.nearestBeacons.append(eachBeacon) print("Added new one") print(eachBeacon) } } } } // getAllBeacons }

---

Here are the contents of the notification... (like 25)

Printing description of notification:
NSConcreteNotification 0x17005ca40 {name = sendAllBeacons; object = (
    "CLBeacon (uuid:F7826DA6-4FA2-4E98-8024-BC5B71E0893E, major:59400, minor:4950, proximity:2 +/- 1.00m, rssi:-77)",
    "CLBeacon (uuid:F7826DA6-4FA2-4E98-8024-BC5B71E0893E, major:44736, minor:11067, proximity:2 +/- 1.14m, rssi:-85)",
    "CLBeacon (uuid:F7826DA6-4FA2-4E98-8024-BC5B71E0893E, major:43597, minor:7697, proximity:2 +/- 1.14m, rssi:-85)",
    "CLBeacon (uuid:F7826DA6-4FA2-4E98-8024-BC5B71E0893E, major:2, minor:24564, proximity:2 +/- 1.67m, rssi:-80)",
    "CLBeacon (uuid:F7826DA6-4FA2-4E98-8024-BC5B71E0893E, major:1, minor:13719, proximity:2 +/- 2.78m, rssi:-84)",
    "CLBeacon (uuid:F7826DA6-4FA2-4E98-8024-BC5B71E0893E, major:3, minor:20, proximity:2 +/- 4.08m, rssi:-78)",
    "CLBeacon (uuid:F7826DA6-4FA2-4E98-8024-BC5B71E0893E, major:3, minor:47301, proximity:2 +/- 4.08m, rssi:-87)",
    "CLBeacon (uuid:F7826DA6-4FA2-4E98-8024-BC5B71E0893E, major:1, minor:20, proximity:3 +/- 3.16m, rssi:-76)"
)}

---

Here is an example of the contents of "eachBeacon" (line 39)

CLBeacon (uuid:F7826DA6-4FA2-4E98-8024-BC5B71E0893E, major:1, minor:13719, proximity:2 +/- 0.84m, rssi:-72)

Adding/Appending Objects to an Array : Swift 3

The goal here is just to demonstrate how to add an object to an array using a real-world example.  The code is commented and includes an example of a NSPredicate filter.

Look for /* # */ to indicate where that happens.

---

// I am including lots of "stuff" so that it is clear how this came together in a real example.  
// The code won't work without something feeding becaons to the notification system.  But that doesn't matter.
// The important bits will have /*>*/ next to it.
import UIKit
import CoreLocation

class ListBeacons: UITableViewController {

    // /* 1 */ - Create a varriable that will act as your storage container.
    // /* 2 */ - Append CLBeacon objects to the array.
    
    
    
    // Setup the variable that will hold the array [] of objects of the type CLBeacon
    /* 1 */ var nearestBeacons = [CLBeacon]()
    
    //....later in code
    
    override func viewDidLoad() {
        super.viewDidLoad()
        
        //Listen for a message containing an array of beacons
        // This comes from another page that sends the package of beacons every time CoreLocation refreshes its search.
        NSNotificationCenter.defaultCenter().addObserver(self, selector: #selector(ListBeacons.getAllBeacons),  name: "sendAllBeacons", object: nil)
        
    } //viewDidLoad

    
    func getAllBeacons(notification: NSNotification){
        
        //clear the array
        nearestBeacons = []
        
        // Put the package (that contains the beacons) from the notification into a variable
        var packageOfBeacons = Array(arrayLiteral: notification.object!)
        
        //Put the array of beacons into a variable called "beacons"
        let beacons = packageOfBeacons[0] as! [CLBeacon]
        
        // loop over that array with the contents of type "CLBeacon"
        for eachBeacon in beacons {
            
            // Check the proximity, and if it is close move into the IF
            if (eachBeacon.proximity as CLProximity).rawValue == 1 {
                
                // Filter to see if the beacon already exists in this list.
                let predicate = NSPredicate(format: "%K == %@ AND %K == %@ AND %K == %@" ,
                                            "proximityUUID", eachBeacon.proximityUUID,
                                            "major", eachBeacon.major,
                                            "minor", eachBeacon.minor)
                
                
                let sorted = self.nearestBeacons.filter({
                    return predicate.evaluateWithObject($0)
                })
                
                
                // If there are no beacons like it in the array, append it.
                if sorted.count == 0 {
                    /* 2 */ self.nearestBeacons.append(eachBeacon)
                    print("Added new one")
                    print(eachBeacon)
                }
                
            }
        }
        
        
        
    } // getAllBeacons
}