Save

CE.SDK provides two formats for persisting designs. Choose the format based on your storage and portability requirements.

import Foundation
import IMGLYEngine

@MainActor
func saveDesigns(engine: Engine) async throws {
  // Demo scaffolding: load a template so every snippet has a scene to operate on.
  // In your app you would start from a scene already loaded into the editor.
  let assetsBase = "https://cdn.img.ly/packages/imgly/cesdk-swift/1.76.0/assets"
  let templateUrl = URL(string: "\(assetsBase)/ly.img.template/templates/cesdk_postcard_1.scene")!
  try await engine.scene.load(from: templateUrl)

  let outputDir = FileManager.default.temporaryDirectory

  let sceneString = try await engine.scene.saveToString()

  let archiveBlob = try await engine.scene.saveToArchive()

  let compressed = try await engine.scene.saveToString(
    options: SaveToStringOptions(
      compression: CompressionOptions(format: .zstd, level: .default),
    ),
  )
  _ = compressed

  let sceneURL = outputDir.appendingPathComponent("scene.scene")
  try sceneString.write(to: sceneURL, atomically: true, encoding: .utf8)

  let archiveURL = outputDir.appendingPathComponent("scene.zip")
  try archiveBlob.write(to: archiveURL)

  let restoredString = try String(contentsOf: sceneURL, encoding: .utf8)
  try await engine.scene.load(from: restoredString)

  try await engine.scene.loadArchive(from: archiveURL)
}

Save Format Comparison#

String format produces a lightweight serialized string where assets remain as URL references. Use this when asset URLs will remain accessible.

Archive format creates a self-contained ZIP with all assets embedded. Use this for portable designs that work offline.

Save to String#

Serialize the current scene to a string suitable for database storage.

let sceneString = try await engine.scene.saveToString()

The string contains the complete scene structure but references assets by their original URLs.

Save to Archive#

Create a self-contained ZIP with the scene and all embedded assets.

let archiveBlob = try await engine.scene.saveToArchive()

saveToArchive() returns a Blob (a Data value) that includes all pages, elements, and asset data in a single portable file.

Compression Options#

CE.SDK supports optional compression for saved scenes to reduce file size. Compression is particularly useful for large scenes or when storage space is limited.

let compressed = try await engine.scene.saveToString(
  options: SaveToStringOptions(
    compression: CompressionOptions(format: .zstd, level: .default),
  ),
)

Compression Formats:

• CompressionFormat.none — No compression (default)
• CompressionFormat.zstd — Zstandard compression (recommended for best performance)

Compression Levels:

• CompressionLevel.fastest — Fastest compression, larger output
• CompressionLevel.default — Balanced speed and size (recommended)
• CompressionLevel.best — Best compression, slower

Compression adds minimal overhead while reducing scene size by approximately 64%. The default level provides the best balance of speed and compression ratio.

Write to Disk#

Use Foundation’s file APIs to persist saved designs to the file system.

Scene strings can be written directly as text:

let sceneURL = outputDir.appendingPathComponent("scene.scene")
try sceneString.write(to: sceneURL, atomically: true, encoding: .utf8)

Archives are returned as Data, which writes to disk in a single call:

let archiveURL = outputDir.appendingPathComponent("scene.zip")
try archiveBlob.write(to: archiveURL)

Load Scene from File#

Read a previously saved .scene file from disk and restore it to the engine with engine.scene.load(from:).

let restoredString = try String(contentsOf: sceneURL, encoding: .utf8)
try await engine.scene.load(from: restoredString)

Scene files are lightweight but require the original asset URLs to remain accessible.

Load Archive from File#

Use engine.scene.loadArchive(from:) with a local file URL to restore a self-contained .zip archive that includes all embedded assets.

try await engine.scene.loadArchive(from: archiveURL)

Archives are portable and work offline since all assets are bundled within the file.

API Reference#

Next Steps#

• Export Overview — Export designs to image, PDF, and video formats
• Load Scene — Load scenes from remote URLs and archives
• Store Custom Metadata — Attach metadata like tags or version info to designs
• Partial Export — Export individual blocks or selections