observedvar v1.2.0

Package ObservedVar

What is it?

A package which simply allows you to attach listeners to your variables.

How to install ?

$ npm i observedvar

How it works?

Includes package

const { ObservedVar } = require('observedvar');
// or (shorthand)
const { Ov } = require('observedvar');

Create an observed variable

const foo = new ObservedVar('defaultValue');
// or (shorthand with the right import)
const foo = new Ov('defaultValue');

Set value

foo.value = 'new value'
// or
foo.set('new value')

Get value

foo.value
// or 
foo.get()

Add a listener, for everytime or once

It return a listener object, use his id to unsubscribe.

const callback = (listener, newValue)=>{
    console.log(`(listener ${listener.id}) Foo value changed, his value is now ${newValue}`)
    if(conditionToDestroy) {
        listener.destroy();
    }
};

const fooListener = foo.subscribe(
    callback,
    isDirectlyDestroyedAfterBeingCalled // default is false
);
// shorthands
foo.sub(...)
foo.once(...) // equals to foo.sub(callback, true)

Remove a listener

With the Ov variable

foo.unsubscribe(fooListener.id);
// shorthand
foo.unsub(...);

Or directly from the listener

fooListener.destroy();

The method once has another use

You could use a listener to handle a fetch result. To prevent the following case

const fetchedData = new ObservedVar(null);
fetch(...).then(data=>{
    fetchedData.value = data;
});

...

if(fetchedData===null) {
    // supposing the data is fetching.
    // so we need to subscribe a listener
    fetchedData.subscribe(()=>handleData());
} else {
    // supposing the data is already fetched.
    // we don't need a listener
    handleData();
}

Use once() like that:

const fetchedData = new ObservedVar(null);
fetch(...).then(data=>{
    fetchedData.value = data;
});

...

fetchedData.once(
    handleData,
    null // The value expected to subscribe a listener
);

Listener object

It is returned when the method .subscribe(...) is called, or within the callback

const fooListener = foo.sub(listener=>{
    console.log(listener)
}, once);

console.log(fooListener)

// listener = fooListener = {
//      once: false,
//      id: 0,
//      destroy: [Function: destroy],
//      callback: [Function: callback]
// }

Shorthands