A newbie question about Ipad app with technical challenges

[htruong]

Hi everyone,

i am currently working on a college assignment about writing a proposal for developing an note-taking app for ipad. I dont actually develop a real app but rather writing to convince the possibility of the idea. I am totally new to Ipad app development and wonder if there is any technical barriers that can stop those functions below from actually be implemented:

- importing ebook (pdf, ePub, ibooks) to take note on
- creating a network between the app clients so that a person can be an admin and enforce rules on others like internet restrictions, can't not run other app ( this is for teacher to use in class) // this is a new thing i bring to the table

I would really appreciate if some one can help me or provide me a direction to research on
thank you again for reading my post.

 

[Tim SPRACKLEN]

There are several restrictions here...on app cannot enforce restrictions on another different app. But a single app can interact with another identical app on another iPad and could enforce restrictions on that app by means of inter-app communication. Or, if different apps were developed by the same Developer, then app (a) from that Developer (perhaps the teacher's app) could enforce restrictions on another app - the student's app - using inter-app communication. But one app cannot enforce restrictions on another (non-cooperating) app - say from another Developer. So, for this enforcement procedure to work, all the apps used in this environment would need to be developed by the same Developer.

Importing documents into an app is not a problem. The iPad's operating system, iOS, has a facility whereby an app can 'register' its ability to process certain document types. So, for example, an app could 'tell' iOS that it's capable of processing PDF documents. Then, when a PDF document is downloaded by, say, Safari (the iPad's web browser) a user, clicking on that document will be offered, via a pop-up menu, the opportunity to copy that PDF document into the file space of any app that has registered its ability to process a PDF document.

Remember that, in an iPad, each app has its own entirely private file space. Unlike Windows, where files are held in a general files space that is accessible to any program, in the iPad each app keeps its own separate copies of files. So, for example, if there were 5 apps that could process a PDF file and each had registered its ability to handle PDF documents with iOS and the user had opened a single downloaded PDF document in each of those 5 apps, then iOS would have made 5 completely identical copies of that PDF file and placed it separately in each of the five apps' file space.

If you have any further questions, don't be afraid to post them or PM me.

Tim

 

[htruong]

Thank you very very much Tim,
Your reply is so informative, it helps me out big time here
I have a further question that relates to the app - interaction.
So i guest basically my app can not stop other app ( different developer) from running. It can not cut off other ipad internet either.
Is it any ways to block all the website then ? ( May be the teacher app trigger a setting in student app, then student app block all the website in student ipad )
I know about this app, mobicip which can filter certain websites and stop safari from accessing them. Does that mean mobicip can interact with safari ?