Develop Reference

How to make LiveData observe only once in Android [Kotlin]

I have a situation where I want the livedata to be observed only once in the app. The problem is that I am working on the authentication for an app using some Node.js backend.
As I am sending the values to receive the response from the backend it's working fine till now. I observe that response and based on that I make changes to my fragment ( that is if the response received is true then move to next fragment, otherwise if it is false show a toast message ).
Now the problem is that :
Case 1: I opened the app, entered the right credentials and pressed the button, received true response from the server and goes to the next fragment.
Case 2: I opened the app, but entered the wrong credentials, I received a false from server and based on that the Toast is shown.
Case 3 (The issue): I opened the app, entered the wrong credentials and then without closing the fragment screen entered the right credentials by editing them, the app crashes and at the same time I receive multiple responses from the server via LiveData.
My observation: Looking more into that I found that the LiveData is attached to the fragment/activity and therefore it shows the last state. So as in case 3 the the last state was receiving the false value from backend it was used again and we were shown the error instead of going to the next screen.
Can anyone guide me how to solve this. Thanks
Some code that might be needed:
binding.btnContinue.setOnClickListener {
val number = binding.etMobileNumber.text.toString().toLong()
Timber.d("Number: $number")
authRiderViewModel.authDriver(number)
checkNumber()
}
Function which checks the number :
private fun checkNumber() {
authRiderViewModel.response.observe(viewLifecycleOwner, Observer {
Timber.d("Response: $it")
if (it!!.success == true) {
val action = LoginFragmentDirections.actionLoginFragmentToOtpFragment()
findNavController().navigate(action)
Timber.d("${it.message}")
} else {
Toast.makeText(requireContext(), "Number not registered", Toast.LENGTH_SHORT).show()
binding.etMobileNumber.setText("")
}
})
}
ViewModel code:
private val _response = MutableLiveData<AuthResponse>()
val response: LiveData<AuthResponse>
get() = _response
fun authDriver(number: Long) = viewModelScope.launch {
Timber.d("Number: $number")
myRepo.authDriver(number).let {
_response.postValue(it)
}
}
P.S I have tried using something called SingleLiveEvent but it doesn't seem to work.

I would create a separate class that tracks the UI state you need and update it when the state is consumed. Something like the following. I don't really know what the parameter is for authDriver, so this is a more generic example.
sealed interface AuthState {
object NotYetRequested: AuthState
object AwaitingResponse: AuthState
class ResponseReceived(val response: AuthResponse): AuthState {
var isHandled = false
private set
fun markHandled() {
isHandled = true
}
}
}
// In ViewModel:
private val _authState = MutableLiveData<AuthState>().also {
it.value = AuthState.NotYetRequested
}
val authState: LiveData<AuthState> get() = _authState
fun requestAuthentication() = viewModelScope.launch {
_authState.value = AuthState.AwaitingResponse
val response = myRepo.authenticate()
_authState.value = AuthState.ResponseReceived(response)
}
// In Fragment:
viewModel.authState.observe(viewLifecycleOwner) { authState ->
when (authState) {
AuthState.NotYetRequested -> ShowUiRequestingAuthentication()
AuthStateAwaitingResponse -> ShowIndeterminateProgressUi()
is AuthStateResponseReceived -> when {
authState.isHandled -> {} // do nothing? depends on your setup, might need to navigate to next screen if handled response is successful
authState.response.isSuccessful -> {
goToNextScreen()
authState.markHandled()
}
else -> {
showErrorToast()
ShowUiRequestingAuthentication()
authState.markHandled()
}
}
}
}

Why does Flow (kotlinx.coroutines.flow) not working with Retry even though I manually set as null in Android?

So basically, on the snackbar action button, I want to Retry API call if user click on Retry.
I have used core MVVM architecture with Flow. I even used Flow between Viewmodel and view as well. Please note that I was already using livedata between view and ViewModel, but now the requirement has been changed and I have to use Flow only. Also I'm not using and shared or state flow, that is not required.
Code:
Fragment:
private fun apiCall() {
viewModel.fetchUserReviewData()
}
private fun setObservers() {
lifecycleScope.launch {
viewModel.userReviewData?.collect {
LogUtils.d("Hello it: " + it.code)
setLoadingState(it.state)
when (it.status) {
Resource.Status.ERROR -> showErrorSnackBarLayout(-1, it.message, {
// Retry action button logic
viewModel.userReviewData = null
apiCall()
})
}
}
}
Viewmodel:
var userReviewData: Flow<Resource<ReviewResponse>>? = emptyFlow<Resource<ReviewResponse>>()
fun fetchUserReviewData() {
LogUtils.d("Hello fetchUserReviewData: " + userReviewData)
userReviewData = flow {
emit(Resource.loading(true))
repository.getUserReviewData().collect {
emit(it)
}
}
}
EDIT in ViewModel:
// var userReviewData = MutableStateFlow<Resource<ReviewResponse>>(Resource.loading(false))
var userReviewData = MutableSharedFlow<Resource<ReviewResponse>>()
fun fetchUserReviewData() {
viewModelScope.launch {
userReviewData.emit(Resource.loading(true))
repository.getUserReviewData().collect {
userReviewData.emit(it)
}
}
}
override fun onCreate() {}
}
EDIT in Activity:
private fun setObservers() {
lifecycleScope.launchWhenStarted {
viewModel.userReviewData.collect {
setLoadingState(it.state)
when (it.status) {
Resource.Status.SUCCESS ->
if (it.data != null) {
val reviewResponse: ReviewResponse = it.data
if (!AppUtils.isNull(reviewResponse)) {
setReviewData(reviewResponse.data)
}
}
Resource.Status.ERROR -> showErrorSnackBarLayout(it.code, it.message) {
viewModel.fetchUserReviewData()
}
}
}
}
}
Now, I have only single doubt, should I use state one or shared one? I saw Phillip Lackener video and understood the difference, but still thinking what to use!
The thing is we only support Portrait orientation, but what in future requirement comes? In that case I think I have to use state one so that it can survive configuration changes! Don't know what to do!

Because of the single responsibility principle, the ViewModel alone should be updating its flow to show the latest requested data, rather than having to cancel the ongoing request and resubscribe to a new one from the Fragment side.
Here is one way you could do it. Use a MutableSharedFlow for triggering fetch requests and flatMapLatest to restart the downstream flow on a new request.
A Channel could also be used as a trigger, but it's a little more concise with MutableSharedFlow.
//In ViewModel
private val fetchRequest = MutableSharedFlow<Unit>(replay = 1, BufferOverflow.DROP_OLDEST)
var userReviewData = fetchRequest.flatMapLatest {
flow {
emit(Resource.loading(true))
emitAll(repository.getUserReviewData())
}
}.shareIn(viewModelScope, SharingStarted.WhlieSubscribed(5000), 1)
fun fetchUserReviewData() {
LogUtils.d("Hello fetchUserReviewData: " + userReviewData)
fetchRequest.tryEmit(Unit)
}
Your existing Fragment code above should work with this, but you no longer need the ?. null-safe call since the flow is not nullable.
However, if the coroutine does anything to views, you should use viewLifecycle.lifecycleScope instead of just lifecycleScope.

How to complete a Kotlin Flow in Android Worker

I'm investigating the use of Kotlin Flow within my current Android application
My application retrieves its data from a remote server via Retrofit API calls.
Some of these API's return 50,000 data items in 500 item pages.
Each API response contains an HTTP Link header containing the Next pages complete URL.
These calls can take up to 2 seconds to complete.
In an attempt to reduce the elapsed time I have employed a Kotlin Flow to concurrently process each page
of data while also making the next page API call.
My flow is defined as follows:
private val persistenceThreadPool = Executors.newFixedThreadPool(3).asCoroutineDispatcher()
private val internalWorkWorkState = MutableStateFlow<Response<List<MyPage>>?>(null)
private val workWorkState = internalWorkWorkState.asStateFlow()
private val myJob: Job
init {
myJob = GlobalScope.launch(persistenceThreadPool) {
workWorkState.collect { page ->
if (page == null) {
} else managePage(page!!)
}
}
}
My Recursive function is defined as follows that fetches all pages:-
private suspend fun managePages(accessToken: String, response: Response<List<MyPage>>) {
when {
result != null -> return
response.isSuccessful -> internalWorkWorkState.emit(response)
else -> {
manageError(response.errorBody())
result = Result.failure()
return
}
}
response.headers().filter { it.first == HTTP_HEADER_LINK && it.second.contains(REL_NEXT) }.forEach {
val parts = it.second.split(OPEN_ANGLE, CLOSE_ANGLE)
if (parts.size >= 2) {
managePages(accessToken, service.myApiCall(accessToken, parts[1]))
}
}
}
private suspend fun managePage(response: Response<List<MyPage>>) {
val pages = response.body()
pages?.let {
persistResponse(it)
}
}
private suspend fun persistResponse(myPage: List<MyPage>) {
val myPageDOs = ArrayList<MyPageDO>()
myPage.forEach { page ->
myPageDOs.add(page.mapDO())
}
database.myPageDAO().insertAsync(myPageDOs)
}
My numerous issues are
This code does not insert all data items that I retrieve
How do complete the flow when all data items have been retrieved
How do I complete the GlobalScope job once all the data items have been retrieved and persisted
UPDATE
By making the following changes I have managed to insert all the data
private val persistenceThreadPool = Executors.newFixedThreadPool(3).asCoroutineDispatcher()
private val completed = CompletableDeferred<Int>()
private val channel = Channel<Response<List<MyPage>>?>(UNLIMITED)
private val channelFlow = channel.consumeAsFlow().flowOn(persistenceThreadPool)
private val frank: Job
init {
frank = GlobalScope.launch(persistenceThreadPool) {
channelFlow.collect { page ->
if (page == null) {
completed.complete(totalItems)
} else managePage(page!!)
}
}
}
...
...
...
channel.send(null)
completed.await()
return result ?: Result.success(outputData)
I do not like having to rely on a CompletableDeferred, is there a better approach than this to know when the Flow has completed everything?

You are looking for the flow builder and Flow.buffer():
suspend fun getData(): Flow<Data> = flow {
var pageData: List<Data>
var pageUrl: String? = "bla"
while (pageUrl != null) {
TODO("fetch pageData from pageUrl and change pageUrl to the next page")
emitAll(pageData)
}
}
.flowOn(Dispatchers.IO /* no need for a thread pool executor, IO does it automatically */)
.buffer(3)
You can use it just like a normal Flow, iterate, etc. If you want to know the total length of the output, you should calculate it on the consumer with a mutable closure variable. Note you shouldn't need to use GlobalScope anywhere (ideally ever).

There are a few ways to achieve the desired behaviour. I would suggest to use coroutineScope which is designed specifically for parallel decomposition. It also provides good cancellation and error handling behaviour out of the box. In conjunction with Channel.close behaviour it makes the implementation pretty simple. Conceptually the implementation may look like this:
suspend fun fetchAllPages() {
coroutineScope {
val channel = Channel<MyPage>(Channel.UNLIMITED)
launch(Dispatchers.IO){ loadData(channel) }
launch(Dispatchers.IO){ processData(channel) }
}
}
suspend fun loadData(sendChannel: SendChannel<MyPage>){
while(hasMoreData()){
sendChannel.send(loadPage())
}
sendChannel.close()
}
suspend fun processData(channel: ReceiveChannel<MyPage>){
for(page in channel){
// process page
}
}
It works in the following way:
coroutineScope suspends until all children are finished. So you don't need CompletableDeferred anymore.
loadData() loads pages in cycle and posts them into the channel. It closes the channel as soon as all pages have been loaded.
processData fetches items from the channel one by one and process them. The cycle will finish as soon as all the items have been processed (and the channel has been closed).
In this implementation the producer coroutine works independently, with no back-pressure, so it can take a lot of memory if the processing is slow. Limit the buffer capacity to have the producer coroutine suspend when the buffer is full.
It might be also a good idea to use channels fan-out behaviour to launch multiple processors to speed up the computation.

android - kotlin - mvvm - posting data to webservice

I want to post some data to webservice and get the result . this is my code :
fab.setOnClickListener {
viewModel.newBimeGozar(name)
.observe(this#BimeGozarAct, Observer {
dialogbimegozarNew?.hidePg()
})
}
this is my viewmodel :
class BimeNewViewModel:ViewModel() {
private val repository=BimeNewRepository()
fun newBimeGozar(name: String): MutableLiveData<StatModel> {
return repository.newBimeGozar(name)
}
this is my repository :
fun newBimeShode(
name: String
): MutableLiveData<StatModel> {
scope.launch {
val request = api.newBimeShode(name)
withContext(Dispatchers.Main) {
try {
val response = request.await()
regBimeshodeLiveData.value = response
} catch (e: HttpException) {
Log.v("this", e.message);
} catch (e: Throwable) {
Log.v("this", e.message);
}
}
}
return regBimeshodeLiveData;
}
it works fine but there is a problem . I think the observer keeps running and if the result's answer is an error and user press fab button again , it creates a new observer and after this , it returns two value , the first value is the first run and the second value is the second run
how can I fix this ? what is the correct way for submitting forms ?

If your problem is because of LiveData, you should use SingleLiveEvent like as follow
// For first article
val _liveData = MutableLiveData<Event<StatModel>>()
// For second article
val _liveData = SingleLiveEvent<StatModel>()
If you do not know SingleLiveEvent, you can find it here and here.
If your problem is because of your ui element, I think the best solution is to disable the submit button after submitting for the first time.

How to wait for multiple jobs in Android ViewModel?

Given the following components
data class Account(val name: String)
data class GetAccountRequest(val name: String)
#Dao
interface AccountDao {
#Query("SELECT * FROM accounts ORDER BY name ASC")
fun all(): LiveData<List<Account>>
}
interface AccountOperations {
#GET("/foo/account")
suspend fun getAccount(#Body request: GetAccountRequest): Account
}
class AccountRepository(private val dao: AccountDao, private val api: AccountOperations) {
val accounts: LiveData<List<Account>> = dao.all()
suspend fun refresh(name: String) {
val account = api.getAccount(GetAccountRequest(name))
dao.insert(account)
}
}
I am working on an Android application that is using these components (powered by Room for the database and Retrofit for API access).
In my ViewModel I maintain a RecyclerView that lists all accounts. I enable users to refresh that list manually. The respective (part of the) ViewModel looks like this:
fun refresh() {
viewModelScope.launch {
repository.accounts.value?.forEach {
launch { repository.refresh(it.name) }
}
}
Timber.i("Done refreshing!")
}
I do want the refresh to update all accounts in parallel, this is why I am using launch. I have also decided to do this in the ViewModel, rather than in the repository, since that would have required to launch a new coroutine in the repository. Which per this post is discouraged since repositories don't have a natural lifecycle.
The above function, refresh, is invoked from the UI and shows a refresh-indicator while the RecyclerView is updated. So I want to stop this indicator once all accounts have been updated.
My code as shown above doesn't do this, since it will launch all the updates and then print the log statement before all updates have been finished. As a result the refresh-indicator disappears although there are still updates.
So my question (finally) is: how can I refactor the code so that it runs all updates in parallel, but makes sure refresh doesn't return before all of them have finished?
EDIT #1
Going back to what I want to achieve: showing the refresh-indicator while the view is updating, I came up with the following (changed the refresh function in the ViewModel):
fun refresh() {
viewModelScope.launch {
try {
coroutineScope {
_refreshing.value = true
repository.accounts.value?.map { account ->
async {
repository.refresh(account.name)
}
}
}
} catch (cause: CancellationException) {
throw cause
} catch (cause: Exception) {
Timber.e(cause)
} finally {
_refreshing.value = false
}
}
}
The ViewModel exposes a LiveData for when it is refreshing and the fragment can observe it to show or hide the spinner. This seems to do the trick. However, it still doesn't feel right and I appreciate any improved solutions.

In order to await for all of your parallel refresh() operations, simply use awaitAll():
coroutineScope.launch {
_refreshing.value = true
repository.accounts.value?.map { account ->
async {
repository.refresh(account.name)
}
}.awaitAll()
_refreshing.value = false
}
Furthermore, It's not advised to wrap coroutines with try/catch.
You can read more on this here.