Introduction to sources

A Reader Without Servers

When developing a Reader, first and foremost, you need to gather your content from somewhere.

If you do not hold this kind of infrastructure, as Paperback does not, the app needs to be designed in a way where it can dynamically read other content providers.

This design paradigm has many benefits. The Apple App Store is very restrictive on content provided to iOS and iPadOS devices, however with a generic source system which can be added into the application at runtime allows all sorts of content to be made available, only requiring the users to install each module correctly.

Where do I start?

Developing a source is pretty easy, you only need basic programming knowledge. Some understanding of git may help but is not required.

• Check out the quickstart guide for a place to begin.

• Use on of our guide and tutorial to learn more about source development:

  • Source development quickstart
  • A practical guide to Parsing
  • Function definitions
  • Models reference
  • Metadata parameter

• Read comments in Extensions Common (opens new window) to learn more about available methods.