How to implement download progress for Google Drive SDK file retrieval?

Other Questions Google drive
1

I’m working on an app that downloads files from Google Drive. The basic download functionality is working, but I want to add a progress bar to show the download status. Here’s a simplified version of my current code:

[downloader startDownloadWithCompletion:^(NSData *fileData, NSError *error) {
    if (!error) {
        NSLog(@"Download complete!");
        [self.delegate fileDownloadFinished:fileData forFile:fileInfo];
    } else {
        NSLog(@"Download failed: %@", error.localizedDescription);
    }
}];

This code successfully downloads the file, but it doesn’t provide any progress information. What’s the best way to track the download progress and update a progress bar? Are there any specific methods or delegates I should be using with the Google Drive SDK to get progress updates during the download process? Any help or code examples would be really appreciated!

2

I implemented download progress for Google Drive files in a recent project and found that the key was to use the GTMSessionFetcher class from the Google APIs Client Library. You create a fetcher for the download and assign a downloadProgressBlock to update the UI with progress information. The block reports the total bytes downloaded and the expected file size, allowing you to calculate a percentage for your progress bar. It is essential to dispatch UI updates to the main queue and consider a cancel option for lengthy downloads. This method provided smooth progress updates with minimal overhead.

3

I’ve been through this exact situation with Google Drive downloads. What worked wonders for me was implementing NSURLSession with a custom delegate. It gives you fine-grained control over the download process and progress updates.

Here’s the gist of it:

  1. Set up an NSURLSessionDownloadTask with a custom delegate.
  2. Implement the URLSession:downloadTask:didWriteData:totalBytesWritten:totalBytesExpectedToWrite: delegate method.
  3. Calculate progress percentage and update your UI accordingly.

This approach allowed me to create a smooth, responsive progress bar that accurately reflected the download status. It’s a bit more work upfront, but the level of control you get is worth it. Plus, it integrates well with the rest of the iOS ecosystem if you’re building a native app.

Just remember to handle edge cases like connection drops and to give users a way to cancel long downloads. Trust me, your users will appreciate the extra effort!

4

hey man, i had the same issue. try using GTMSessionFetcher and set a downloadProgressBlock. it’ll give u the bytes downloaded and total size. just remember to update ur UI on the main queue. something like:

fetcher.downloadProgressBlock = ^(int64_t bytesWritten, int64_t totalBytesWritten, int64_t totalBytesExpectedToWrite) {
// update progress here
};

hope this helps!