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1 [](http://build.chromium.org/p/client.polymer/waterfall) [![Analytics]
(https://ga-beacon.appspot.com/UA-39334307-2/Polymer/observe-js/README)](https:/
/github.com/igrigorik/ga-beacon) | |
2 | |
3 ## Learn the tech | |
4 | |
5 ### Why observe-js? | |
6 | |
7 observe-js is a library for observing changes in JavaScript data. It exposes a h
igh-level API and uses [Object.observe](https://github.com/arv/ecmascript-object
-observe) if available, and otherwise performs dirty-checking. observe-js requir
es ECMAScript 5. | |
8 | |
9 ### Observable | |
10 | |
11 observe-js implements a set of observers (PathObserver, ArrayObserver, ObjectObs
erver, CompoundObserver, ObserverTransform) which all implement the Observable i
nterface: | |
12 | |
13 ```JavaScript | |
14 { | |
15 // Begins observation. Value changes will be reported by invoking |changeFn| w
ith |opt_receiver| as | |
16 // the target, if provided. Returns the initial value of the observation. | |
17 open: function(changeFn, opt_receiver) {}, | |
18 | |
19 // Report any changes now (does nothing if there are no changes to report). | |
20 deliver: function() {}, | |
21 | |
22 // If there are changes to report, ignore them. Returns the current value of t
he observation. | |
23 discardChanges: function() {}, | |
24 | |
25 // Ends observation. Frees resources and drops references to observed objects. | |
26 close: function() {} | |
27 } | |
28 ``` | |
29 | |
30 ### PathObserver | |
31 | |
32 PathObserver observes a "value-at-a-path" from a given object: | |
33 | |
34 ```JavaScript | |
35 var obj = { foo: { bar: 'baz' } }; | |
36 var observer = new PathObserver(obj, 'foo.bar'); | |
37 observer.open(function(newValue, oldValue) { | |
38 // respond to obj.foo.bar having changed value. | |
39 }); | |
40 ``` | |
41 | |
42 PathObserver will report a change whenever the value obtained by the correspondi
ng path expression (e.g. `obj.foo.bar`) would return a different value. | |
43 | |
44 PathObserver also exposes a `setValue` method which attempts to update the under
lying value. Setting the value does not affect notification state (in other word
s, a caller sets the value but does not `discardChanges`, the `changeFn` will be
notified of the change). | |
45 | |
46 ```JavaScript | |
47 observer.setValue('boo'); | |
48 assert(obj.foo.bar == 'boo'); | |
49 ``` | |
50 | |
51 Notes: | |
52 * If the path is ever unreachable, the value is considered to be `undefined`. | |
53 * If the path is empty (e.g. `''`), it is said to be the empty path and its val
ue is its root object. | |
54 * PathObservation respects values on the prototype chain | |
55 | |
56 ### ArrayObserver | |
57 | |
58 ArrayObserver observes the index-positions of an Array and reports changes as th
e minimal set of "splices" which would have had the same effect. | |
59 | |
60 ```JavaScript | |
61 var arr = [0, 1, 2, 4]; | |
62 var observer = new ArrayObserver(arr); | |
63 observer.open(function(splices) { | |
64 // respond to changes to the elements of arr. | |
65 splices.forEach(function(splice) { | |
66 splice.index; // index position that the change occurred. | |
67 splice.removed; // an array of values representing the sequence of elements
which were removed | |
68 splice.addedCount; // the number of elements which were inserted. | |
69 }); | |
70 }); | |
71 ``` | |
72 | |
73 ArrayObserver also exposes a utility function: `applySplices`. The purpose of `a
pplySplices` is to transform a copy of an old state of an array into a copy of i
ts current state, given the current state and the splices reported from the Arra
yObserver. | |
74 | |
75 ```JavaScript | |
76 AraryObserver.applySplices = function(previous, current, splices) { } | |
77 ``` | |
78 | |
79 ### ObjectObserver | |
80 | |
81 ObjectObserver observes the set of own-properties of an object and their values. | |
82 | |
83 ```JavaScript | |
84 var myObj = { id: 1, foo: 'bar' }; | |
85 var observer = new ObjectObserver(myObj); | |
86 observer.open(function(added, removed, changed, getOldValueFn) { | |
87 // respond to changes to the obj. | |
88 Object.keys(added).forEach(function(property) { | |
89 property; // a property which has been been added to obj | |
90 added[property]; // its value | |
91 }); | |
92 Object.keys(removed).forEach(function(property) { | |
93 property; // a property which has been been removed from obj | |
94 getOldValueFn(property); // its old value | |
95 }); | |
96 Object.keys(changed).forEach(function(property) { | |
97 property; // a property on obj which has changed value. | |
98 changed[property]; // its value | |
99 getOldValueFn(property); // its old value | |
100 }); | |
101 }); | |
102 ``` | |
103 | |
104 ### CompoundObserver | |
105 | |
106 CompoundObserver allows simultaneous observation of multiple paths and/or Observ
ables. It reports any and all changes in to the provided `changeFn` callback. | |
107 | |
108 ```JavaScript | |
109 var obj = { | |
110 a: 1, | |
111 b: 2, | |
112 }; | |
113 | |
114 var otherObj = { c: 3 }; | |
115 | |
116 var observer = new CompoundObserver(); | |
117 observer.addPath(obj, 'a'); | |
118 observer.addObserver(new PathObserver(obj, 'b')); | |
119 observer.addPath(otherObj, 'c'); | |
120 observer.open(function(newValues, oldValues) { | |
121 // Use for-in to iterte which values have changed. | |
122 for (var i in oldValues) { | |
123 console.log('The ' + i + 'th value changed from: ' + newValues[i] + ' to: '
+ oldValues[i]); | |
124 } | |
125 }); | |
126 ``` | |
127 | |
128 | |
129 ### ObserverTransform | |
130 | |
131 ObserverTransform is used to dynamically transform observed value(s). | |
132 | |
133 ```JavaScript | |
134 var obj = { value: 10 }; | |
135 var observer = new PathObserver(obj, 'value'); | |
136 function getValue(value) { return value * 2 }; | |
137 function setValue(value) { return value / 2 }; | |
138 | |
139 var transform = new ObserverTransform(observer, getValue, setValue); | |
140 | |
141 // returns 20. | |
142 transform.open(function(newValue, oldValue) { | |
143 console.log('new: ' + newValue + ', old: ' + oldValue); | |
144 }); | |
145 | |
146 obj.value = 20; | |
147 transform.deliver(); // 'new: 40, old: 20' | |
148 transform.setValue(4); // obj.value === 2; | |
149 ``` | |
150 | |
151 ObserverTransform can also be used to reduce a set of observed values to a singl
e value: | |
152 | |
153 ```JavaScript | |
154 var obj = { a: 1, b: 2, c: 3 }; | |
155 var observer = new CompoundObserver(); | |
156 observer.addPath(obj, 'a'); | |
157 observer.addPath(obj, 'b'); | |
158 observer.addPath(obj, 'c'); | |
159 var transform = new ObserverTransform(observer, function(values) { | |
160 var value = 0; | |
161 for (var i = 0; i < values.length; i++) | |
162 value += values[i] | |
163 return value; | |
164 }); | |
165 | |
166 // returns 6. | |
167 transform.open(function(newValue, oldValue) { | |
168 console.log('new: ' + newValue + ', old: ' + oldValue); | |
169 }); | |
170 | |
171 obj.a = 2; | |
172 obj.c = 10; | |
173 transform.deliver(); // 'new: 14, old: 6' | |
174 ``` | |
175 | |
176 ### Path objects | |
177 | |
178 A path is an ECMAScript expression consisting only of identifiers (`myVal`), mem
ber accesses (`foo.bar`) and key lookup with literal values (`arr[0]` `obj['str-
value'].bar.baz`). | |
179 | |
180 `Path.get('foo.bar.baz')` returns a Path object which represents the path. Path
objects have the following API: | |
181 | |
182 ```JavaScript | |
183 { | |
184 // Returns the current value of the path from the provided object. If eval() i
s available, a compiled getter will be | |
185 // used for better performance. | |
186 getValueFrom: function(obj) { } | |
187 | |
188 | |
189 // Attempts to set the value of the path from the provided object. Returns tru
e IFF the path was reachable and | |
190 // set. | |
191 setValueFrom: function(obj, newValue) { } | |
192 } | |
193 ``` | |
194 | |
195 Path objects are interned (e.g. `assert(Path.get('foo.bar.baz') === Path.get('fo
o.bar.baz'));`) and are used internally to avoid excessive parsing of path strin
gs. Observers which take path strings as arguments will also accept Path objects
. | |
196 | |
197 ## About delivery of changes | |
198 | |
199 observe-js is intended for use in environments which implement Object.observe, b
ut it supports use in environments which do not. | |
200 | |
201 If `Object.observe` is present, and observers have changes to report, their call
backs will be invoked at the end of the current turn (microtask). In a browser e
nvironment, this is generally at the end of an event. | |
202 | |
203 If `Object.observe` is absent, `Platform.performMicrotaskCheckpoint()` must be c
alled to trigger delivery of changes. If `Object.observe` is implemented, `Platf
orm.performMicrotaskCheckpoint()` has no effect. | |
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