How to create asynchronous code in Flutter? - database

In my Code I get some User Input by TextFormFields and save them in a Map in Firestore. In the next step I want to take calculations with this data and show them the user in the same widget.
I think because of the delay by saving in database I need to wait till the data is saved. But how can I do this? Here is my Code where I want to wait:
void validate() {
if (_formKey.currentState.validate()) {
UserManager.userdata["userStats"][0]["userActivity"] = userActivity;
savetoremote_dynamic(context);
AppBuilder.of(context).rebuild();
}
}
This is the rebuild class, so that the UI gets updated:
class AppBuilderState extends State<AppBuilder> {
#override
Widget build(BuildContext context) {
return widget.builder(context);
}
void rebuild() {
setState(() {});
}
}
I want that as soon as the data is saved the Widget gets rebuild an the updated data is shown to the user, how to use async and await in this code?

I recommend you to use Provider/Riverpod or any suitable State Management that fits you. Alternatively, You can use FutureBuilder to show indicator while loading data from FireStore or any other API.

It's not clear to me what is the async code in your snippet.
However, in flutter a minimal pattern to update the gui based on the result of an async operation is this:
in a flutter callback (for example ElevatedButton.onTap, or initState if the code is to be executed at startup; in your case it could be validate) call your method with the async code -for example getUserDataFromFirestore()- without await the result. You can not usually mark flutter callback such as validate() with async.
the method with the async operation, getUserDataFromFirestore(), can be marked with async, so inside it you can use await future instead of future.then() (but it is only syntactic sugar).
When you got the asynchronous data, you value a variable, for example userData, and rebuild calling setState().
In the build method, you check if userData is not null and then you can show the user data (for example with a collection if in the Column.children list).
If the async operation has to be executed at startup (when the page load, or similar), FutureBuilder is very handy: instead of a nullable field such as User? user, you can declare a Future<User> field:
In your State subclass:
late Future<User> user;
#override
initState() {
super.initState();
user = getUserDataFromFirestore();
}
Furure<User> getUserDataFromFirestore() async {
//your async code; returns the user data
}
#override
build(context) {
return FutureBuilder(
future: user,
builder: (context, asyncSnapshot) {
if (! asyncSnapshot.hasData) {
//user data is not available.
//returns a gui that does not display the user data
} else {
//user data is available..
}
}
);
}
A simple example about a minimal async operation in flutter, using this pattern, is in this cookbook page:
https://flutter.dev/docs/cookbook/networking/fetch-data

Related

How to queue requests using react/redux?

I have to pretty weird case to handle.
We have to few boxes, We can call some action on every box. When We click the button inside the box, we call some endpoint on the server (using axios). Response from the server return new updated information (about all boxes, not the only one on which we call the action).
Issue:
If user click submit button on many boxes really fast, the request call the endpoints one by one. It's sometimes causes errors, because it's calculated on the server in the wrong order (status of group of boxes depends of single box status). I know it's maybe more backend issue, but I have to try fix this on frontend.
Proposal fix:
In my opinion in this case the easiest fix is disable every submit button if any request in progress. This solution unfortunately is very slow, head of the project rejected this proposition.
What we want to goal:
In some way We want to queue the requests without disable every button. Perfect solution for me at this moment:
click first button - call endpoint, request pending on the server.
click second button - button show spinner/loading information without calling endpoint.
server get us response for the first click, only then we really call the second request.
I think something like this is huge antipattern, but I don't set the rules. ;)
I was reading about e.g. redux-observable, but if I don't have to I don't want to use other middleware for redux (now We use redux-thunk). Redux-saga it will be ok, but unfortunately I don't know this tool. I prepare simple codesandbox example (I added timeouts in redux actions for easier testing).
I have only one stupid proposal solution. Creating a array of data needs to send correct request, and inside useEffect checking if the array length is equal to 1. Something like this:
const App = ({ boxActions, inProgress, ended }) => {
const [queue, setQueue] = useState([]);
const handleSubmit = async () => { // this code do not work correctly, only show my what I was thinking about
if (queue.length === 1) {
const [data] = queue;
await boxActions.submit(data.id, data.timeout);
setQueue(queue.filter((item) => item.id !== data.id));
};
useEffect(() => {
handleSubmit();
}, [queue])
return (
<>
<div>
{config.map((item) => (
<Box
key={item.id}
id={item.id}
timeout={item.timeout}
handleSubmit={(id, timeout) => setQueue([...queue, {id, timeout}])}
inProgress={inProgress.includes(item.id)}
ended={ended.includes(item.id)}
/>
))}
</div>
</>
);
};
Any ideas?
I agree with your assessment that we ultimately need to make changes on the backend. Any user can mess with the frontend and submit requests in any order they want regardless how you organize it.
I get it though, you're looking to design the happy path on the frontend such that it works with the backend as it is currently.
It's hard to tell without knowing the use-case exactly, but there may generally be some improvements we can make from a UX perspective that will apply whether we make fixes on the backend or not.
Is there an endpoint to send multiple updates to? If so, we could debounce our network call to submit only when there is a delay in user activity.
Does the user need to be aware of order of selection and the impacts thereof? If so, it sounds like we'll need to update frontend to convey this information, which may then expose a natural solution to the situation.
It's fairly simple to create a request queue and execute them serially, but it seems potentially fraught with new challenges.
E.g. If a user clicks 5 checkboxes, and order matters, a failed execution of the second update would mean we would need to stop any further execution of boxes 3 through 5 until update 2 could be completed. We'll also need to figure out how we'll handle timeouts, retries, and backoff. There is some complexity as to how we want to convey all this to the end user.
Let's say we're completely set on going that route, however. In that case, your use of Redux for state management isn't terribly important, nor is the library you use for sending your requests.
As you suggested, we'll just create an in-memory queue of updates to be made and dequeue serially. Each time a user makes an update to a box, we'll push to that queue and attempt to send updates. Our processEvents function will retain state as to whether a request is in motion or not, which it will use to decide whether to take action or not.
Each time a user clicks a box, the event is added to the queue, and we attempt processing. If processing is already ongoing or we have no events to process, we don't take any action. Each time a processing round finishes, we check for further events to process. You'll likely want to hook into this cycle with Redux and fire new actions to indicate event success and update the state and UI for each event processed and so on. It's possible one of the libraries you use offer some feature like this as well.
// Get a better Queue implementation if queue size may get high.
class Queue {
_store = [];
enqueue = (task) => this._store.push(task);
dequeue = () => this._store.shift();
length = () => this._store.length;
}
export const createSerialProcessor = (asyncProcessingCallback) => {
const updateQueue = new Queue();
const addEvent = (params, callback) => {
updateQueue.enqueue([params, callback]);
};
const processEvents = (() => {
let isReady = true;
return async () => {
if (isReady && updateQueue.length() > 0) {
const [params, callback] = updateQueue.dequeue();
isReady = false;
await asyncProcessingCallback(params, callback); // retries and all that include
isReady = true;
processEvents();
}
};
})();
return {
process: (params, callback) => {
addEvent(params, callback);
processEvents();
}
};
};
Hope this helps.
Edit: I just noticed you included a codesandbox, which is very helpful. I've created a copy of your sandbox with updates made to achieve your end and integrate it with your Redux setup. There are some obvious shortcuts still being taken, like the Queue class, but it should be about what you're looking for: https://codesandbox.io/s/dank-feather-hqtf7?file=/src/lib/createSerialProcessor.js
In case you would like to use redux-saga, you can use the actionChannel effect in combination with the blocking call effect to achieve your goal:
Working fork:
https://codesandbox.io/s/hoh8n
Here is the code for boxSagas.js:
import {actionChannel, call, delay, put, take} from 'redux-saga/effects';
// import axios from 'axios';
import {submitSuccess, submitFailure} from '../actions/boxActions';
import {SUBMIT_REQUEST} from '../types/boxTypes';
function* requestSaga(action) {
try {
// const result = yield axios.get(`https://jsonplaceholder.typicode.com/todos`);
yield delay(action.payload.timeout);
yield put(submitSuccess(action.payload.id));
} catch (error) {
yield put(submitFailure());
}
}
export default function* boxSaga() {
const requestChannel = yield actionChannel(SUBMIT_REQUEST); // buffers incoming requests
while (true) {
const action = yield take(requestChannel); // takes a request from queue or waits for one to be added
yield call(requestSaga, action); // starts request saga and _waits_ until it is done
}
}
I am using the fact that the box reducer handles the SUBMIT_REQUEST actions immediately (and sets given id as pending), while the actionChannel+call handle them sequentially and so the actions trigger only one http request at a time.
More on action channels here:
https://redux-saga.js.org/docs/advanced/Channels/#using-the-actionchannel-effect
Just store the promise from a previous request and wait for it to resolve before initiating the next request. The example below uses a global variable for simplicity - but you can use smth else to preserve state across requests (e.g. extraArgument from thunk middleware).
// boxActions.ts
let submitCall = Promise.resolve();
export const submit = (id, timeout) => async (dispatch) => {
dispatch(submitRequest(id));
submitCall = submitCall.then(() => axios.get(`https://jsonplaceholder.typicode.com/todos`))
try {
await submitCall;
setTimeout(() => {
return dispatch(submitSuccess(id));
}, timeout);
} catch (error) {
return dispatch(submitFailure());
}
};

How to use async functions to connect to database in Flutter?

I am trying to connect to a static database as it is explained in this answer. I therefore created an asynchronous function that looks like this:
Future<void> loadDataBase() async {
// Construct a file path to copy database to
Directory documentsDirectory = await getApplicationDocumentsDirectory();
String path = join(documentsDirectory.path, "asset_worldcities.db");
// Only copy if the database doesn't exist
if (FileSystemEntity.typeSync(path) == FileSystemEntityType.notFound) {
// Load database from asset and copy
ByteData data = await rootBundle.load(join('assets', 'worldcities.db'));
List<int> bytes = data.buffer.asUint8List(
data.offsetInBytes, data.lengthInBytes);
// Save copied asset to documents
await new File(path).writeAsBytes(bytes);
}
}
Now I thought I could access my database inside my main widget by using this function and then call
Directory appDocDir = await getApplicationDocumentsDirectory();
String databasePath = join(appDocDir.path, 'asset_database.db');
this.db = await openDatabase(databasePath);
initialized = true;
Future<List<Page>> search(String word, int parentId) async {
if (!initialized) await this._initialize();
String query = '''
SELECT * FROM users
LIMIT 25''';
return await this.db.rawQuery(query);
}
but this way I am not allowed to use this.db and also not await as I am not inside an async function. Where do I need to put this database request so that it works?
Depending whether you need to do this every time and the database could grow, or whether it's a one-time operation (which it seems like it might be?) and the database is small enough that it's not going to take long to query it, there are different approaches I'd take.
If it's a one-time per install sort of thing and the database will always be small, making the user wait while it copies the file across probably isn't a huge deal. In that case I'd do something like this:
main() async {
WidgetsFlutterBinding.ensureInitialized();
if (needToLoadDatabase()) {
await loadDatabase();
}
let users = await queryUsers();
runApp(MainWidget(users: users));
}
However, if you're reading from the database and it's something that could take any significant amount of time, I'd recommend initiating the load and then passing the future into your main widget, where it could use a FutureBuilder to build an intermediate UI.
That'd look something like this:
main() async {
WidgetsFlutterBinding.ensureInitialized();
let loadUsers = () async {
if (needToLoadDatabase()) {
await loadDatabase();
}
return await queryUsers();
}();
runApp(MainWidget(loadUsers: loadUsers));
}
class MainApp extends StatelessWidget {
final Future<Users> loadUsers;
MainApp({#required this.loadUsers, Key key}): super(key: key);
Widget build(BuildContext context) {
return FutureBuilder(
builder: (ctx, snapshot) {
if (snapshot.hasData) {
// build your UI with data
} else {
// build your UI without data
}
}
);
}
}
Also note that there's no reason you have to do the loading in the main function - you could make your widget stateful and kick that off in the initState, or any number of places like directly where you use the list. You could also look at the FutureProvider from the Provider package.

Firebase: Access to database.....but confused at onDataChange method

So i am curious when does onDataChange method occur?
It seems like it is activated when user add new information or change already existed data.
However, what I am trying to do is that, before adding new data, I want to check if the item is existing in database....if there is an identical item, adding new data won't be done, or if there is no such item, then it should be added to database.
so, my actual question is that, this process "Checking all the database items", can it be done without using onDataChange method?
You basically set up a subscription to the "onDataChange" so its actually watching firebase for changes.
But for checking you could literate through the results or do one time query to the exact path your data it held at.
It also may be a better choice to record everything and then remove the data when not needed.
import { AngularFirestore } from 'angularfire2/firestore';
import { AngularFireDatabase, AngularFireList } from 'angularfire2/database';
import { map } from 'rxjs/operators';
import { Observable, Subscription } from 'rxjs';
import firebase as firebase from 'firebase/app';
private mysubscription: Subscription;
public this.items:any = [];
constructor(
public _DB: AngularFireDatabase
) {
try {
//subscription using AngulaFire
this.mysubscription = this._DB.list("myFireBaseDataPath").snapshotChanges().pipe(map(actions => {
return actions.map(action => ({ key: action.key, val: action.payload.val() }));
}))
.subscribe(items => {
this.items = [];
this.items = items.map(item => item);
console.log("db results",this.items);
var icount=0;
for (let i in this.items) {
console.log("key",this.items[i].key);
console.log("val",this.items[i].val);
console.log("----------------------------------);
//checking if something exists
if (this.items[i].key == 'SomeNodePath') {
var log = this.items[i].val;
}
}
} catch (e) {
console.error(e);
}
});
}
ngOnDestroy() {
this.mysubscription.unsubscribe();
}
//or we can do a one time query using just the firebase module
try {
return firebase.database().ref("myFireBaseDataPath").once('value').then(function(snapshot) { return snapshot.val(); })
.then(res => {
for (let myNode in res) {
console.log(res[myNode]);
console.warn(res[myNode].myChildPath);
console.log("----------------------------------);
}
})
.catch(error => console.log(error));
} catch (e) {
console.error(e);
}
//however it may be better practice to log all data and then firebase.database().ref(/logs").remove(); the entire log when not needed
var desc ="abc";
let newPostKey = firebase.database().ref("/logs").push();
newPostKey.set({
'info': desc,
'datetime': new Date().toISOString()
});
When does onDataChange method occur?
The onDataChange method is called for every change in the database reference it is attached to. It is also called for every visit to the database reference it is attached to.
For example,
final FirebaseDatabase database = FirebaseDatabase.getInstance();
DatabaseReference ref = database.getReference("some/database/refrence");
ref.addValueEventListener(new ValueEventListener() {
#Override
public void onDataChange(DataSnapshot dataSnapshot) {
// This method will be fired for any change in the
database.getReference("some/database/refrence") part of the database.
// It will also be fired anytime you request for data in the
database.getReference("some/database/refrence") part of the database
}
#Override
public void onCancelled(DatabaseError databaseError) {
System.out.println("The read failed: " + databaseError.getCode());
// This method will be fired anytime you request for data in the
database.getReference("some/database/refrence") part of the database
and an error occurred
}
});
Before adding new data, I want to check if the item is existing in database....if there is an identical item, adding new data won't be done, or if there is no such item, then it should be added to database.
This can be done by calling the exists() method on the snapshot retrieved from your database query.
Check this stackoverflow question Checking if a particular value exists in the firebase database for an answer to that
So, my actual question is that, this process "Checking all the database items", can it be done without using onDataChange method?
No. The onDataChange method is the callback used to retrieve data from the database. Even if you use the equalTo() method on a query, you'll still have to use the onDataChange method.
I am not a Firebaser Specialist tho. There are folks who work at Firebase on here. They could give you more information
PS: Please make your own research on your questions first before asking. Some questions are already answered in the documentation and on stackoverflow.

Observable patterns for caching and defered data retrieval

I'm trying to create a caching function in angular using RxJS Observable. Originally I've created this method using angularjs $q's deferred promise. Observables and RxJS are new to me and I find this method of working still somewhat confusing.
This is my current implementation of a getOrCreate caching function. Retrieve a single value for a key from storage (this.get()) and if it's not in there you retrieve it elsewhere (fetcher).
Assume fetcher is a slower data source than this.get(). Multiple requests for the same key could fire while we're still retrieving from this.get() so I put in an aggregator: only a single observable is created for multiple requests of the same key.
protected observableCache : {[key: string] : Observable<any>} = {};
get<T>(key : string): Observable<T> { /* Async data retrieval */ }
getOrCreate<T>(key : string, fetcher: () => Observable<T>) : Observable<T> {
const keyHash = this.hash(key);
// Check if an observable for the same key is already in flight
if (this.observableCache[keyHash]) {
return this.observableCache[keyHash];
} else {
let observable : Observable<T>;
this.get(key).subscribe(
// Cache hit
(result) => { observable = Observable.of(result); },
// Cache miss. Retrieving from fetching while creating entry
() => {
fetcher().subscribe((fetchedResult) => {
if(fetchedResult) {
this.put(key, fetchedResult);
}
observable = Observable.of(fetchedResult);
});
}
);
// Register and unregister in-flight observables
this.observableCache[keyHash] = observable;
observable.subscribe(()=> {
delete this.observableCache[this.hash(key)];
});
return observable;
}
}
This is my current version of that code but it doesn't look like I'm properly handling async code:
Observable will be returned before it's instantiated: return observable fires before observable = Observable.of(result);
There's probably a much better pattern of aggregating all requests for the same key while this.get() is still in-flight.
Can someone help with finding the Observer patterns should be used?
I think this might work. Rewritten as:
getOrCreate<T>(key : string, fetcher: () => Observable<T>) : Observable<T> {
const keyHash = this.hash(key);
// Check if an observable for the same key is already in flight
if (this.observableCache[keyHash]) {
return this.observableCache[keyHash];
}
let observable : ConnectableObservable<T> = this.get(key)
.catch(() => { // Catch is for when the source observable throws error: It replaces it with the new Rx.Observable that is returned by it's method
// Cache miss. Retrieving from fetching while creating entry
return this.fetchFromFetcher(key, fetcher);
})
.publish();
// Register and unregister in-flight observables
this.observableCache[keyHash] = observable;
observable.subscribe(()=> {
delete this.observableCache[keyHash];
});
observable.connect();
return observable;
},
fetchFromFetcher(key : string, fetcher: () => Observable<T>) : Observable<T> {
// Here we create a stream that subscribes to fetcher to use `this.put(...)`, returning the original value when done
return Rx.Observable.create(observer => {
fetcher().subscribe(fetchedResult => {
this.put(key, fetchedResult);
observer.next(fetchedResult);
},
err => observer.error(err),
() => observer.complete())
});
}
Explanations:
Observables are very different from promises. They are to work with async stuff, and there are some similarities, but they are quite different
As this.get(...) seems asynchronous, your let observable won't get filled until it yields a value, so when you assign it to your cache it's normal that's null.
A great thing about observables (and the main difference with promises) is that you can define a stream before anything gets executed. In my solution, nothing gets called until I call observable.connect(). This avoids so many .subscriptions
So, in my code I get the this.get(key) stream, and tell it that if it fails (.catch(...)) it must fetch the result, but once that's fetched then put it into your cache (this.put(key, fetchedResult)
Then I publish() this observable: This makes it so it behaves more like promises do, it makes it "hot". This means that all subscribers will get the values from the same stream, instead of creating a new stream that starts from 0 everytime one subscribes to it.
Then I store it in the observable pool, and set to delete it when it finishes.
Finally, I .connect(). This is only done if you publish() it, it's the thing that actually subscribes to the original stream, executing everything you want.
To make it clear, because this is a common error coming from Promises, in angular if you define a stream as:
let myRequest = this.http.get("http://www.example.com/")
.map((result) => result.json());
The request it's not sent yet. And everytime you do myRequest.subscribe(), a new request to the server is made, it won't reuse the "first subscription" result. That's why .publish() is very useful: It makes that when you call .connect() it creates a subscription that triggers the request, and will share the last result received (Observables support streams: Many results) with all incoming subscriptions to the published observable.

WPF , howto to know that a task has completed

I am developping a MVVM WPF app, and I have some task to do.
first load files csv and parse it
In background don´t block the ui Thread and save the values in the database.To save the rows to the database I need to be with Async Await Task.
My problem is I don´t know how to notice the user with a popup notification or something else that values are already saved in database.
in My ViewModel
private void SaveDatasInDatabase()
{
ShowLoadingPanel = true;
_service.SaveValuesInDatabase(rows);
}
private async void startActions()
{
await LoadandParseCsv();
await SaveDatasInDatabase();
}
in my Service.cs
public string SaveDatasInDatabase(List<Object> rows)
{
Task.Run(async () =>
{
await SaveEntity(rows);
return "Done";
});
}
Thanks in advance.
Jolynce
You know that the task has completed once the remainder of the startActions() method is executed:
private async void startActions()
{
await LoadandParseCsv();
await SaveDatasInDatabase();
MessageBox.Show("done");
}
...provided that actually await the SaveEntity method in the SaveDatasInDatabase() method:
public async Task<string> SaveDatasInDatabase(List<Object> rows)
{
await SaveEntity(rows);
return "Done";
}
If you just call Task.Run without awaiting the returned Task, you don't know when it has finished.
The return type of the SaveDatasInDatabase method should be Task or Task<T> for you to be able to await it. The same thing applies to the SaveEntity method.

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