Can't add Nextcloud folders in other apps

helmut72 commented 4 years ago

Expected behaviour

Add Nextcloud folders in other apps, eg. in Textastic. There are only a few complete first class file storage citizen on iOS who supports this feature, eg. Working Copy or Secure Shell Fish

This is what I mean: https://www.textasticapp.com/v8/manual/integration_other_apps/external_files_folders.html

Actual behaviour

Can't add Nextcloud folders in Textastic or 1Writer - Nextcloud storage is just greyed out.

Steps to reproduce

Open Textastic or 1Writer (or any other app which supports adding folders) and try it with Nextcloud storage provider.

iOS version

13.1 (but it never worked, even with iOS 12)

App version

2.24.1 (also never worked before)

Server configuration

Doesn't matter, it's an iOS topic

helmut72 commented 4 years ago

Maybe this helps for the right direction, especially for iOS 13 and up: https://github.com/tbodt/ish/issues/496 https://twitter.com/palmin/status/1177860144258076673

stefandesu commented 4 years ago

I know that bumping an issue via commenting is not good practice, but I would like to emphasize the importance of this feature. Without it, there are many scenarios where Nextcloud is currently unusable as a storage provider. My particular use case is to store my Markdown notes in a Nextcloud folder and use iA Writer on my iPad to access those notes. Currently, this is not possible.

@helmut72's linked tweet also makes it seem like this is just an issue of setting a boolean value in a configuration file, so it shouldn't even be much work to add this feature.

seeseekey commented 4 years ago

Same problem with the integration of Ulysses with the Nextcloud Files-integration. It's just grayed out; so only Dropbox is usable with it :(

seeseekey commented 3 years ago

Thread about the problem: https://twitter.com/ulyssesapp/status/1255439569232769024

avvocati-e-mac commented 3 years ago

I’m not a programmer but this maybe can help.

example of open in place for iOS / iPadOS

it’s from Anders Borum the creator of Secure ShellFish and Working Copy

idominiki commented 2 years ago

+1 for fix this

Nebucatnetzer commented 2 years ago

Well I just bothered Anders today again and he thankfully pointed me as well to the fix. Maybe this should be implemented so that people would just stop nagging him? This is the link he provided: https://twitter.com/benoitsan/status/1380507723020783619

In addition her is a relevant post from the forum: https://help.nextcloud.com/t/ios-files-app-integration/124283/5

STonEDSTonE commented 2 years ago

I would be very glad if this would be fixed. My personal issue is that mediafiles that I marked for offline use and are stored on the iPhone itself are not found by VLC (media list completely emtpy) so i can not use the app to sync media files for other apps :/

helmut72 commented 2 years ago

Nearly 3 years is a long time. I switched to Secure Shell Fish and dropped Nextcloud iOS app for file related stuff. Nextcloud Server can mount SFTP, therefore the files are synced with the Desktop app.

stefandesu commented 2 years ago

Nearly 3 years is a long time. I switched to Secure Shell Fish and dropped Nextcloud iOS app for file related stuff. Nextcloud Server can mount SFTP, therefore the files are synced with the Desktop app.

Does that mean you need to save all your files in the SFTP mount and you're basically not using Nextcloud's file system? Does the desktop client really sync those files or does it merely provide access to them?

helmut72 commented 2 years ago

Nearly 3 years is a long time. I switched to Secure Shell Fish and dropped Nextcloud iOS app for file related stuff. Nextcloud Server can mount SFTP, therefore the files are synced with the Desktop app.

Does that mean you need to save all your files in the SFTP mount and you're basically not using Nextcloud's file system? Does the desktop client really sync those files or does it merely provide access to them?

Yes, it will be synced with the Desktop client. You can mount external storages in Nextcloud server: https://docs.nextcloud.com/server/latest/admin_manual/configuration_files/external_storage_configuration_gui.html

Because this access is slower than a local access, it's noticable slower of course. Also I can't access files from the local storage of the Nextcloud server from my iPhone and iPad. Only the content which I put into the external mounted folder. But this is ok for me. I don't need to access every file from my mobiles which I've created on the Desktop.

S0ulf3re commented 2 years ago

So, any update on this? I really want to be able to add my Nextcloud Notes folder to Ulysses for iPad

JaneJeon commented 2 years ago

Funny you mention that, I wanted to use it as destination for iA, very similar to Ulysses

ZephyrAus commented 2 years ago

Oooh my Lord, same problem here; and to say this is a necessary feature is simply putting it blunt. I find myself now trying to work out a work around for copying a file using iOS Shortcuts to a nextcloud shared directory, accessible and synced to nextcloud; available from the desktop app. I'm spelling it out plainly, because in spirit, this should be an obvious workflow that anyone would expect to work

So, is there a workaround that doesn't involve simultaneous tummy rubbing and head patting?

BoxOfSnoo commented 2 years ago

I just ran into this problem too. I managed to get around it in Cryptomator by using the WebDAV address instead. 1Writer should let you do the same, in Textastic I think you have to set it up as a file transfer destination instead of being simply "open in place".

ZephyrAus commented 2 years ago

Theres a few workarounds, but nothing really ideal for my use case.

------- Original Message ------- On Thursday, June 23rd, 2022 at 4:58 AM, BoxOfSnoo @.***> wrote:

I just ran into this problem too. I managed to get around it in Cryptomator by using the WebDAV address instead. 1Writer should let you do the same, in Textastic I think you have to set it up as a file transfer destination instead of being simply "open in place".

— Reply to this email directly, view it on GitHub, or unsubscribe. You are receiving this because you commented.Message ID: @.***>

guandalf commented 1 year ago

I was using keepassium successfully up until some weeks ago; now it's not working anymore. Unfortunately I cannot be more precise than that but it must have been fixed somewhere during the last few months and than broke again. 😭

ZephyrAus commented 1 year ago

Very unfortunate

------- Original Message ------- On Thursday, November 17th, 2022 at 9:55 PM, Stefano Guandalini @.***> wrote:

I was using keepassium successfully up until some weeks ago; now it's not working anymore. Unfortunately I cannot be more precise than that but it must have been fixed somewhere during the last few months and than broke again. 😭

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xcojonny commented 1 year ago

Would be graet if this issue can be resolved. For me this would be a great enhancement.

Slabhub commented 1 year ago

this is major issue pls help

Nebucatnetzer commented 1 year ago

What would be needed to move this issue forward?

ZephyrAus commented 1 year ago

I’d pay some money actually!

Sent from Proton Mail for iOS

On Sun, Apr 2, 2023 at 05:20, Andreas Zweili @.***> wrote:

What would be needed to move this issue forward?

— Reply to this email directly, view it on GitHub, or unsubscribe. You are receiving this because you commented.Message ID: @.***>

Nebucatnetzer commented 1 year ago

I’m not opposed to this. I thought a bounty would be an idea.

tobiasKaminsky commented 1 year ago

https://www.textasticapp.com/v8/manual/integration_other_apps/external_files_folders.html#add-third-party-file-providers

Follow these steps on your iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch with iOS 11 or later:

Download and set up the third-party cloud app.
Open the Files app.
Tap Locations > Edit.
Slide to turn on the third-party apps that you want to use in the Files app.

Works for me.

Tap Done.

CommandLord commented 1 year ago

https://www.textasticapp.com/v8/manual/integration_other_apps/external_files_folders.html#add-third-party-file-providers

Follow these steps on your iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch with iOS 11 or later:

Download and set up the third-party cloud app.

Open the Files app.

Tap Locations > Edit.

Slide to turn on the third-party apps that you want to use in the Files app.

Works for me.
Tap Done.

The issue is that even after this, Nextcloud is still greyed out in other apps than the Files app. For me it is Logseq for example.

xcojonny commented 1 year ago

Same issue for me! The files App is working, but from other 3rd party apps you can not access the files.

Am 04.04.2023 um 11:25 schrieb colord @.***>:

https://www.textasticapp.com/v8/manual/integration_other_apps/external_files_folders.html#add-third-party-file-providers

Follow these steps on your iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch with iOS 11 or later:

Download and set up the third-party cloud app.
Open the Files app.
Tap Locations > Edit.
Slide to turn on the third-party apps that you want to use in the Files app.

Works for me.

Tap Done.

The issue is that even after this, Nextcloud is still greyed out in other apps than the Files app. For me it is Logseq for example.

— Reply to this email directly, view it on GitHubhttps://github.com/nextcloud/ios/issues/943#issuecomment-1495639467, or unsubscribehttps://github.com/notifications/unsubscribe-auth/AFLQSVVIBKMMGFS54WZUGODW7PSIJANCNFSM4I2VUNNQ. You are receiving this because you commented.Message ID: @.***>

Slabhub commented 1 year ago

bump not working still '''!!!

patdavid commented 1 year ago

This is still a problem on iOS 16.5 (iPhone 14 Pro Max). As @CommandLord mentioned I am also having the issue where Nextcloud is grayed out for me when trying to use Logseq (which makes things very frustrating as you can imagine).

Any chance there might be a fix on the horizon for this?

ohare93 commented 1 year ago

Very frustrating indeed. I can sync my files locally, but I cannot use them 😞

For others trying to make a workflow here with Logseq I have some further bad news: the mobile app of Logseq does not currently support reading graphs outside of the "On my iPhone" or iCloud folders. Thus, even if Nextcloud fixed this bug, we could not read the graph as it is not in one of these folders 😭 I found this out by setting up Resilio Sync with my graph via my Desktop and iPhone, and that was the result.

colinstu12 commented 3 months ago

Any status update on this?

jordanbancino commented 2 months ago

I just came across this issue; I really want to sync my Logseq folder to my phone via Nextcloud, but I can't due to this problem. I've never done any iOS app development before, haven't even used Xcode, but this doesn't appear to be outside my abilities, particularly with the documentation provided in this discussion, and it seems to be bothering a lot of other people too, so I just wanted to post here that I'm going to try to tackle this at some point. If anyone has any additional information or wants to collaborate, I'll be watching this thread.

I am very busy so I can't promise this will get fixed quickly, but this issue has been open long enough and is annoying me enough that I'm going to do my best.

jordanbancino commented 2 months ago

Okay, Apple makes it very difficult to run apps from Xcode on a real iOS device, at least without a Developer account. After messing with just trying to get the app to build for a few days, I got a notification saying I have reached a limit with Apple when trying to deploy Nextcloud to my iPhone. I'm going to have to put this on hold for a little while because I can't figure out how to even test this in the iOS simulator since you can't just install apps from the App Store. Was hoping to use my real phone to verify integration with Logseq and other apps but I guess I can't without a Developer account and that's not something I can really afford right now. Sorry everyone. I'll have to try again later.

Nebucatnetzer commented 2 months ago

I'm sure we could throw together the amount for an Apple Developer Account. Does someone know a good platform? I personally wouldn't mind spending 10$ to get this issue moving a bit, even more if it was a verified dev (I hope you don't take this personally @jordanbancino).

jordanbancino commented 2 months ago

I'm sure we could throw together the amount for an Apple Developer Account. Does someone know a good platform? I personally wouldn't mind spending 10$ to get this issue moving a bit, even more if it was a verified dev (I hope you don't take this personally @jordanbancino).

I don't take it personally at all; I'm definitely not the most qualified to be working on this issue, I'm just learning as I go.

LiberaPay, Stripe, and PayPal are all platforms I personally use. But of course, if there's someone that actually knows what they're doing and is willing to take this on, pay them instead of me.

In the meantime, I think I'm going to try using Working Copy to sync my Logseq with Git. Logseq seems to actually be able to load graphs from the Working Copy folder, so even though Git is a little more manual than I'd like, it should at least work for now.

Nebucatnetzer commented 2 months ago

In the meantime, I think I'm going to try using Working Copy to sync my Logseq with Git. Logseq seems to actually be able to load graphs from the Working Copy folder, so even though Git is a little more manual than I'd like, it should at least work for now.

I know from experience that you can automate a lot of the process with Shortcuts. E.g. sync the repo before opening the app and then syncing the repo again after you closed the app. Just something you might want to implement.

ohare93 commented 2 months ago

In the meantime, I think I'm going to try using Working Copy to sync my Logseq with Git. Logseq seems to actually be able to load graphs from the Working Copy folder, so even though Git is a little more manual than I'd like, it should at least work for now.

I know from experience that you can automate a lot of the process with Shortcuts. E.g. sync the repo before opening the app and then syncing the repo again after you closed the app. Just something you might want to implement.

This is what I use. It is very resilient and works like a charm. https://github.com/CharlesChiuGit/Logseq-Git-Sync-101

Also @jordanbancino did you see my post from above? This one:

For others trying to make a workflow here with Logseq I have some further bad news: the mobile app of Logseq does not currently support reading graphs outside of the "On my iPhone" or iCloud folders. Thus, even if Nextcloud fixed this bug, we could not read the graph as it is not in one of these folders 😭 I found this out by setting up Resilio Sync with my graph via my Desktop and iPhone, and that was the result.

Fixing this issue in Nextcloud may be wasted effort if Logseq can't read it anyways 😭

mpivchev commented 1 week ago

Hi, We looked into enabling providing folders to 3rd party apps this week, by enabling NSExtensionFileProviderSupportsPickingFolders We tested with Ulysses, Logseq, and choosing a Nextcloud folder as a downloads folder in Safari settings.

At the moment it seems only Dropbox fully supports this feature, OneDrive and Google Drive do not.

At first it would seem like a no-brainer that this should work, as we already utilize the File Provider API for use with Nextcloud and creating folders and interacting with files works just fine.

However, it seems like providing folders to 3rd party apps through the File Provider API works in a different way, be it because of security or whatever else, it's unknown, and Apple has no documentation on it.

3rd party apps don't seem to recognize file path URLs we provide to them.

The only test close to having any result was Safari, where it would be able to create a folder inside Nextcloud by itself, and be able to download files, but it seems like it does not finish downloading a file (always stays at either 0 or 100%) and sometimes files would open if we rename them manually and remove .download.:

After some small code modifications to the timing between the File Provider API and WebDAV, sometimes it was possible to automatically rename the file, but it is very unreliable.

For Ulysses, it seems that providing the folder URL as an object is not enough: file:///Users/User/Library/Developer/CoreSimulator/Devices/*****/data/tmp/com.apple.fileproviderd/*****/Test

It considers the folder already added, even though it never is.

Logseq was a total failure, as even with Dropbox the app did not work, and only accepted iCloud or local folders.

In conclusion, at the moment, we plan to not proceed with supporting this, as:

There is no documentation from Apple available on providing folders to 3rd party apps.
Sadly WebDAV is very old and unreliable. It would cost a lot of developer time to program around it and make it work well.

This does not mean that we would not explore this in the future, and if something improves and/or we have a change of heart, we will explore this further.

nextcloud / ios