When generating class files to represent your data model’s entities, mogenerator writes a few convenience class methods for you:
+ (id)insertInManagedObjectContext:(NSManagedObjectContext*)moc_;
+ (NSString*)entityName;
+ (NSEntityDescription*)entityInManagedObjectContext:(NSManagedObjectContext*)moc_;
These handy class methods allow you to write something like this:
[MyEntity insertInManagedObjectContext:moc];
to create a new instance. Contrast with:
[NSEntityDescription insertNewObjectForEntityForName:@"MyEntity" inManagedObjectContext:moc];
The mogenerator way is more obvious, less code and not stringly typed.
So that’s the backgrounder.
The good news is Apple likes mogenerator so much that they used it to implement iOS’s PhotoLibraryServices.framework.
The bad news is that PhotoLibraryServices.framework is a private framework.
As a first line of defense against naughty developers submitting apps that use undocumented APIs, Apple sweeps up every selector (method name) defined in all private frameworks and puts them on a special list. The “non-public selectors” list.
Unfortunately this includes the convenience methods mentioned above.
If your App Store submission is found to be use non-public selectors Apple may do nothing, issue a warning or reject your submission altogether.
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I’m not sure what to do about this.
I could not supply the convenience methods and use Core Data directly like an animal. No! I won’t go back. I can’t go back.
Prefixing the methods (perhaps with an mo_) would provide relief, but only temporarily. When Apple upgrades PhotoLibraryServices to the newer version of mogenerator the cycle would begin anew.
NS is designed for optional class namespacing, but its concepts could be applied to method names as well. Unfortunately at the method level it uglies up the code and confuses Xcode’s code navigator popup menu. Also it would probably require NS_NAMESPACE preprocessor symbol be defined at the target or project level.
Apple could explicitly whitelist mogenerator’s convenience methods but I’m not holding my breath.
The next version of mogenerator could be released under an “Anyone But Apple” license. The idea is to allow everyone but Apple to use mogenerator. I could prefix the methods and issue the mogenerator upgrade knowing Apple couldn’t upgrade and claim the new methods as their own again.
Sadly, this seems like the most promising option.
(Thanks to Tony Arnold for the wording for the title of this post.)
Update Apr 18: First off, a clarification: it appears Apple has never rejected an application using mogenerator’s methods – they’ve only issued warnings.
Now for the good news: a little birdie has told me Apple has whitelisted mogenerator’s methods.