Historical archive. This repository is read-only. The code is preserved as-is from the final shipped state.
PicStroom was an iPad app that aggregated images from multiple sources into a side-scrolling photo gallery. Users subscribed to "Strooms" — streams of images pulled from RSS/web feeds or Dropbox folders — and browsed them in a single unified view.
Authors: Damien Glancy & Jeroen Hermkens
Initial commit: March 2011
Language: Objective-C (manual retain/release, pre-ARC)
Target: iPad, iOS
- Displayed multiple Strooms side-by-side in a horizontal strip layout, each scrollable independently
- Synced new images in the background every 10 minutes
- Supported three stroom types: RSS/web feeds, Dropbox folders, and a built-in Starred stroom for favourited images
- Allowed saving images to Dropbox, the camera roll, or Instapaper
- Shipped in two configurations: a free version (capped at 3 strooms, with an In-App Purchase to unlock unlimited) and a paid Pro version
PicStroom-iPad/
├── Classes/
│ ├── Sync&Store/ # Data model, sync logic, Core Data entities
│ │ ├── Model/ # Core Data .xcdatamodel
│ │ ├── Stroom.* # Core Data entity: a single image stream
│ │ ├── Entry.* # Core Data entity: a feed entry
│ │ ├── Picture.* # Core Data entity: a downloaded image
│ │ ├── Metadata.* # Core Data entity: key/value metadata (e.g. starred flag)
│ │ ├── PicStroomManager.* # CRUD for strooms
│ │ ├── PicStroomAddStroomManager.* # Creating new strooms
│ │ ├── PicStroomSyncStroomManager.* # Per-stroom sync orchestration
│ │ ├── PicStroomFeedScanner.* # RSS/HTML image extraction
│ │ ├── PicStroomImageProcessor.* # Thumbnail generation
│ │ ├── PicStroomDropboxUploader.* # Saving images back to Dropbox
│ │ ├── PicStroomInstapaperManager.* # Instapaper save integration
│ │ ├── PicStroomMetadataManager.* # Star/unstar images
│ │ ├── PicStroomOrderStroomManager.* # Stroom reordering
│ │ └── PicStroomStarredPicturesManager.* # Starred stroom management
│ │
│ ├── APIs/ # Vendored third-party libraries
│ │ ├── DropboxSDK/ # Dropbox iOS SDK (OAuth, file listing, download/upload)
│ │ ├── FlurryLib/ # Flurry analytics
│ │ ├── HTML-Parser/ # HTML scraping for image URLs
│ │ ├── HTTP/ # HTTP utilities
│ │ ├── InstapaperKit/ # Instapaper OAuth API client
│ │ ├── KeychainUtils/ # Keychain read/write helpers
│ │ ├── Reachability/ # Network status (Apple sample code)
│ │ ├── RSS-Parser/ # RSS feed parsing
│ │ └── Enhanced-Categories/ # Objective-C category extensions
│ │
│ ├── PicStroomAppDelegate.* # App lifecycle, Core Data stack, sync timer
│ ├── PicStroomViewController.* # Root view: stroom strip + control bar
│ ├── PicStroomSupervisor.* # Per-stroom view controller + tiled thumbnail scroll view
│ ├── PicStroomGalleryController.* # Browse & add curated strooms from remote plist
│ ├── PicStroomFullScreenPhotoViewController.* # Full-screen image viewer with swipe
│ ├── PicStroomSettingsViewController.* # App settings panel (popover)
│ ├── PicStroomInAppPurchaseManager.* # StoreKit IAP for unlimited strooms
│ ├── PicStroomLinkDropboxViewController.* # Dropbox OAuth link flow
│ ├── PicStroomLinkInstapaperViewController.* # Instapaper credential entry
│ ├── PicStroomAddStroomsViewController.* # Add a new web/RSS stroom
│ ├── PicStroomAddDropboxStroomViewController.* # Pick a Dropbox folder as a stroom
│ ├── PicStroomListStroomsViewController.* # Manage/reorder existing strooms
│ ├── PicStroomListFeedsViewController.* # Browse feed entries for a stroom
│ ├── PicStroomDetailsViewController.* # Image detail & actions (star, save, share)
│ ├── PicStroomEmbeddedBrowserViewController.* # In-app web view
│ └── Constants.h # All app-wide constants, enums, and #defines
│
├── Resources/ # Images, icons, localisation strings
├── PicStroom-Info.plist # Bundle metadata
├── Entitlements.plist # App sandbox entitlements
├── PicStroom.xcodeproj/ # Xcode project
└── main.m # UIApplicationMain entry point
Stroom — the core data entity. Has a type (StroomTypeRSS, StroomTypeDropbox, StroomTypeStarred), a title, and a state machine (StroomStateNew → StroomStateUpdating → StroomStateUptodate, etc.).
PicStroomSupervisor — a UIViewController that owns one stroom's horizontal scroll view. Implements a tile-recycling pattern (similar to UITableView) to keep memory usage low while displaying potentially hundreds of thumbnails.
Sync — the app delegate fires a sync every 10 minutes via NSTimer. Each PicStroomSupervisor dispatches a PicStroomSyncStroomManager operation onto a shared NSOperationQueue. Results are broadcast via NSNotificationCenter back to the main thread.
Core Data — SQLite-backed store at picstroom.sqlite. Entities: Stroom → Entry → Picture, with Metadata key/value pairs attached to pictures (used for the starred flag).
| Library | Purpose |
|---|---|
| Dropbox iOS SDK | OAuth authentication, folder listing, file download/upload |
| InstapaperKit | OAuth-based Instapaper API client |
| FlurryLib | Analytics and crash reporting |
| RSS-Parser | RSS 1.0/2.0 feed parsing |
| HTML-Parser | Image URL extraction from arbitrary HTML |
| Reachability | Network reachability detection |
| KeychainUtils | Secure credential storage |
Two product variants were maintained via #define switches in Constants.h:
- IAP Version (
PICSTROOM_PRO_VERSION = NO) — free download, limited to 3 strooms, with a StoreKit IAP (nl.hetissimpel.unlimitedstreams) to unlock unlimited strooms. - Pro Version (
PICSTROOM_PRO_VERSION = YES) — paid upfront, no IAP limit.
API keys (Dropbox, Instapaper, Flurry) are redacted to XXX in the archived source.