EXC_BAD_ACESS on importing a vcf vcard file

Question

I am retrieving vcard data from a vcf file from the app documents directory into a String. The string is fine but ABPersonCreatePeopleInSourceWithVCardRepresentation throws BAD_ACCESS error. Heres the code...

ABRecordRef defaultSource = ABAddressBookCopyDefaultSource(addressBook);
 NSData *data=[vcardString dataUsingEncoding:NSUTF8StringEncoding];
CFDataRef vCardData = (__bridge CFDataRef)data;
ABAddressBookRequestAccessWithCompletion(addressBook, ^(bool granted, CFErrorRef error) {
                if(granted)
                {
                    NSLog(@"%@",vcardString);
                    CFArrayRef vCardPeople = ABPersonCreatePeopleInSourceWithVCardRepresentation(defaultSource, vCardData);//BAD_ACCESS ERROR
                    for (CFIndex index = 0; index < CFArrayGetCount(vCardPeople); index++) {
                        ABRecordRef person = CFArrayGetValueAtIndex(vCardPeople, index);
                        ABAddressBookAddRecord(addressBook, person, NULL);
                        NSLog(@"added");
                    }

                    CFRelease(vCardPeople);
                    CFRelease(defaultSource);
                    ABAddressBookSave(addressBook, NULL);
                }
                else
                    NSLog(@"not granted");

Heres the NSLog vcardString...

BEGIN:VCARD

VERSION:3.0

PRODID:-//Apple Inc.//iOS 6.1//EN

N:;Home;;;

FN:Home

EMAIL;type=INTERNET;type=HOME;type=pref:carljosdsdsewhnson.akasdssh@gmail.com

TEL;type=CELL;type=VOICE;type=pref:2323454645

PHOTO;ENCODING=b;TYPE=JPEG:/9j/4AAQSkZJRgABAQAAAQABAAD/2wBDAAICAgICAQICAgIC

....LOT OF GIBBERISH....

END:VCARD

Ok sorry about that, next question...where are you making "defaultSource"? I think you might need to recreate it *after* you get permission. — borrrden, Mar 29 '13 at 10:23
Try using `NULL` instead of `defaultSource` (the docs indicate that defaultSource will be used by default). — borrrden, Mar 29 '13 at 10:29
Nevermind that, I got what is going on. `data` is being released and so `vCardData` is becoming a dangling pointer. I will post an answer — borrrden, Mar 29 '13 at 10:32

borrrden · Accepted Answer · 2013-03-29T10:35:57.387

You are using CFDataRef as required, but the memory management is out of whack. The completion handler will not be executed in line, and by that time data will have been deallocated. That makes vCardData a dangling pointer making a bad access. To fix this, instead of __bridge use __bridge_retained and then call CFRelease on vCardData once you are done.

ABRecordRef defaultSource = ABAddressBookCopyDefaultSource(addressBook);
 NSData *data=[vcardString dataUsingEncoding:NSUTF8StringEncoding];
CFDataRef vCardData = (__bridge_retained CFDataRef)data;
ABAddressBookRequestAccessWithCompletion(addressBook, ^(bool granted, CFErrorRef error) {
    if(granted)
    {
        NSLog(@"%@",vcardString);
        CFArrayRef vCardPeople = ABPersonCreatePeopleInSourceWithVCardRepresentation(defaultSource, vCardData);//BAD_ACCESS ERROR
        CFRelease(vCardData);
        for (CFIndex index = 0; index < CFArrayGetCount(vCardPeople); index++) {
        //...

EXC_BAD_ACESS on importing a vcf vcard file

1 Answers1