Chapter 14: Using Core Data
In This Chapter
Creating a Core Data application visually
Understanding Core Data's objects and programming model
Displaying search results
Core Data is a collection of classes designed to simplify the editing and archiving of linked data that can be used as the model in any application.
You use Core Data when your application needs to manage data collections in which objects take some of their properties from other objects. This can include user-oriented data collections such as music playlists, EXIF (Exchangeable Image File Format) data managers from photo collections, and contact databases. It can also include application-specific data that is never accessed directly by users. For example, you can use Core Data to store the complete project state for a music sequencer or video editor, with all of its subelements.
You can implement simple linking with Cocoa's data collection objects, but Core Data offers the following features “free of charge”:
Undo
Data persistence without explicit archiving and de-archiving
Built-in support for bindings
An automated ...
