How do I URL encode a string

Question

I have a URL string (NSString) with spaces and & characters. How do I url encode the entire string (including the & ampersand

Answer 1

This one is working for me.

func stringByAddingPercentEncodingForFormData(plusForSpace: Bool=false) -> String? {
    let unreserved = "*-._"
    let allowed = NSMutableCharacterSet.alphanumericCharacterSet()
    allowed.addCharactersInString(unreserved)

    if plusForSpace {
        allowed.addCharactersInString(" ")
    }

    var encoded = stringByAddingPercentEncodingWithAllowedCharacters(allowed)
    if plusForSpace {
        encoded = encoded?.stringByReplacingOccurrencesOfString(" ",
                                                                withString: "+")
    }
    return encoded
}

I found the above function from this link: http://useyourloaf.com/blog/how-to-percent-encode-a-url-string/

You can also use this function with swift extension. Please let me know if there is any issue.