NSUserDefaults not storing values between app and custom keyboard in iOS 8

Question

I'm trying to share data between my application and a custom keyboard extension. I've turned on App Groups in both the main application target and the custom keyboard target. In my main application, I add an object with the following:

NSUserDefaults *userDefaults = [[NSUserDefaults alloc] initWithSuiteName:@"group.mycompany.myapp"];
[userDefaults setObject:someObject forKey:@"KEY"];

Printing out [userDefaults dictionaryRepresentation] in the console reveals that this object has been saved, as does calling [userDefaults objectForKey:@"KEY"].

However, when I try to access this object in the custom keyboard extension:

NSUserDefaults *userDefaults = [[NSUserDefaults alloc] initWithSuiteName:@"group.mycompany.myapp"];
NSString *value = [userDefaults objectForKey:@"KEY"];

The value is nil and a call to [userDefaults dictionaryRepresentation] does not reveal the entry that was saved above. I'm on Xcode 6 beta 3. Any ideas?

UPDATE Fixed in Xcode 6 beta 5

Answer 1

A few probable solutions are:

1. Your app group is not setup correctly, or you are not using the correct group identifier with initWithSuiteName:

2. You have not enabled network access for your keyboard. This document states the following when you have network access disabled for your keyboard (default behavior):

   No shared container with containing app

3. It's a bug.

Answer 2

1. Set

   RequestsOpenAccess = YES;
   

2. Settings:

   NSUserDefaults * usrInfo = [[NSUserDefaults alloc] initWithSuiteName:@"myKeyboard"];
   [usrInfo setObject:theme.icon forKey:@"themeName"];  // This is the new data;
   [usrInfo synchronize]; 
   

3. keyboardChange:

   NSUserDefaults * usrInfo = [[NSUserDefaults alloc] initWithSuiteName:@"myKeyboard"];
   [usrInfo synchronize];
   NSString * str = [usrInfo objectForKey:@"themeName"];
   

Then you can change the keyboard , for example ,change its background

Answer 3

I think your suite name has to start with group and match up with the container you made (source).

Answer 4

I found it has to follow this format: group.com.company.appname - I had something else and it didn't work.