reactiveUtils

AMD: require(["esri/core/reactiveUtils"], (reactiveUtils) => { /* code goes here */ });

ESM: import * as reactiveUtils from "@arcgis/core/core/reactiveUtils.js";

Object: esri/core/reactiveUtils

Since: ArcGIS Maps SDK for JavaScript 4.23

Overview
Using reactiveUtils
Working with collections
Working with objects
WatchHandles and Promises
Working with truthy values

Overview

reactiveUtils provide capabilities for observing changes to the state of the API's properties, and is an important part of managing your application's life-cycle. State can be observed on a variety of different data types and structures including strings, numbers, arrays, booleans, collections, and objects.

Using reactiveUtils

reactiveUtils provides five methods that offer different patterns and capabilities for observing state: on(), once(), watch(), when() and whenOnce().

The following is a basic example using reactiveUtils.watch(). It demonstrates how to track the MapView.updating property and then send a message to the console when the property changes. This snippet uses a getValue function as an expression that evaluates the updating property, and when a change is observed the new value is passed to the callback:

// Basic example of watching for changes on a boolean property
reactiveUtils.watch(
  // getValue function
  () => view.updating,
  // callback
  (updating) => {
    console.log(updating)
  });

Working with collections

reactiveUtils can be used to observe for changes within a collection, such as Map.allLayers. Out-of-the-box JavaScript methods such as .map() and .filter() can be used as expressions to be evaluated in the getValue function.

// Watching for changes within a collection
// whenever a new layer is added to the map
reactiveUtils.watch(
  () => view.map.allLayers.map( layer => layer.id),
  (ids) => {
    console.log(`FeatureLayer IDs ${ids}`);
  });

Working with objects

With reactiveUtils you can track named object properties through dot notation (e.g. view.updating) or through bracket notation (e.g. view["updating"]). You can also use the optional chaining operator (?.). This operator simplifies the process of verifying that properties used in the getValue function are not undefined or null.

// Watch for changes in an object using optional chaining
// whenever the map's extent changes
reactiveUtils.watch(
  () => view?.extent?.xmin,
  (xmin) => {
    console.log(`Extent change xmin = ${xmin}`)
  });

WatchHandles and Promises

The watch(), on() and when() methods return a WatchHandle which can be used to remove the watcher when it is no longer needed,.

// Use a WatchHandle to stop watching
const handle = reactiveUtils.watch(
  () => view?.extent?.xmin,
  (xmin) => {
    console.log(`Extent change xmin = ${xmin}`)
  });

// In another function
handle.remove()

The once() and whenOnce() methods return a Promise instead of a WatchHandle. In some advanced use cases where an API action may take additional time, these methods also offer the option to cancel the async callback via an AbortSignal.

// Use an AbortSignal to cancel an async callback
// during view animation
const abortController = new AbortController();

// Observe the View's animation state
reactiveUtils.whenOnce(
  () => view?.animation, abortController.signal)
  .then((animation) => {
    console.log(`View animation state is ${animation.state}`)
  });

// Cancel the async callback
const someFunction = () => {
  abortController.abort();
}

Working with truthy values

The when() and whenOnce() methods watch for truthy values, these are values that evaluate to true in boolean contexts. To learn more about using truthy, visit this MDN Web doc article. The snippets below use the Popup.visible property, which is a boolean.

// Observe for changes on a boolean property
reactiveUtils.when(() => view.popup?.visible, () => console.log("Truthy"));
reactiveUtils.when(() => !view.popup?.visible, () => console.log("Not truthy"));
reactiveUtils.when(() => view.popup?.visible === true, () => console.log("True"));
reactiveUtils.when(() => view.popup?.visible !== undefined, () => console.log("Defined"));
reactiveUtils.when(() => view.popup?.visible === undefined, () => console.log("Undefined"));

See also

Samples with reactiveUtils

Method Overview

Return Type	Summary	Object
WatchHandle	Watches the value returned by the `getTarget` function for changes and automatically adds or removes an event listener for a given event, as needed.	reactiveUtils
Promise	Tracks any properties being evaluated by the `getValue` function.	reactiveUtils
WatchHandle	Tracks any properties accessed in the `getValue` function and calls the callback when any of them change.	reactiveUtils
WatchHandle	Watches the value returned by the `getValue` function and calls the callback when it becomes truthy.	reactiveUtils
Promise	Tracks any properties being evaluated by the `getValue` function.	reactiveUtils

Method Details

on Method on(getTarget, eventName, callback, options){WatchHandle}

Watches the value returned by the getTarget function for changes and automatically adds or removes an event listener for a given event, as needed.

Parameters

getTarget ReactiveOnExpression

Function which returns the object to which the event listener is to be added.

eventName String

The name of the event to add a listener for.

callback ReactiveOnCallback

The event handler callback function.

options ReactiveListenerOptions

optional

Options used to configure how the tracking happens and how the callback is to be called.

Returns

Type	Description
WatchHandle	A watch handle.

Examples

// Adds a click event on the view when it changes
reactiveUtils.on(
  () => view,
  "click",
  (event) => {
    console.log("Click event emitted: ", event);
  });

// Adds a drag event on the view and adds a callback
// to check when the listener is added and removed.
// Providing `once: true` in the ReactiveListenerOptions
// removes the event after first callback.
reactiveUtils.on(
  () => view,
  "drag",
  (event) => {
    console.log(`Drag event emitted: ${event}`);
  },
  {
    once: true,
    onListenerAdd: () => console.log("Drag listener added!"),
    onListenerRemove: () => console.log("Drag listener removed!")
  });

once Method once(getValue, signal){Promise}

Tracks any properties being evaluated by the getValue function. When getValue changes, it returns a promise containing the value. This method only tracks a single change.

Parameters

getValue ReactiveWatchExpression

Expression to be tracked.

signal AbortSignal

optional

Abort signal which can be used to cancel the promise from resolving.

Returns

Type	Description
Promise	A promise which resolves when the tracked expression changes.

Examples

// Observe for the first time a property equals a specific string value
// Equivalent to watchUtils.once()
reactiveUtils.once(
  () => featureLayer.loadStatus === "loaded")
  .then(() => {
    console.log("featureLayer loadStatus is loaded.");
  });

// Use a comparison operator to observe for a first time
// difference in numerical values
const someFunction = async () => {
  await reactiveUtils.once(() => view.zoom > 20));
  console.log("Zoom level is greater than 20!");
}

// Use a comparison operator and optional chaining to observe for a
// first time difference in numerical values.
reactiveUtils.once(
  () => map?.allLayers?.length > 2)
  .then((value) => {
    console.log(`The map now has ${value} layers.`);
  });

watch Method watch(getValue, callback, options){WatchHandle}

Tracks any properties accessed in the getValue function and calls the callback when any of them change.

Parameters

getValue ReactiveWatchExpression

Function used to get the current value. All accessed properties will be tracked.

callback ReactiveWatchCallback

The function to call when there are changes.

options ReactiveWatchOptions

optional

Options used to configure how the tracking happens and how the callback is to be called.

Returns

Type	Description
WatchHandle	A watch handle.

Examples

// Watching for changes in a boolean value
// Equivalent to watchUtils.watch()
reactiveUtils.watch(
 () => view.popup.visible,
 () => {
   console.log(`Popup visible: ${visible}`);
 });

// Watching for changes within a Collection
reactiveUtils.watch(
 () => view.map.allLayers.length,
 () => {
   console.log(`Layer collection length changed: ${view.map.allLayers.length}`);
 });

// Watch for changes in a numerical value.
// Providing `initial: true` in ReactiveWatchOptions
// checks immediately after initialization
// Equivalent to watchUtils.init()
reactiveUtils.watch(
 () => view.zoom,
 () => {
   console.log(`zoom changed to ${view.zoom}`);
 },
 {
   initial: true
 });

// Watch properties from multiple sources
const handle = reactiveUtils.watch(
 () => [view.stationary, view.zoom],
 ([stationary, zoom]) => {
   // Only print the new zoom value when the view is stationary
   if(stationary){
     console.log(`Change in zoom level: ${zoom}`);
   }
 }
);

when Method when(getValue, callback, options){WatchHandle}

Watches the value returned by the getValue function and calls the callback when it becomes truthy.

Parameters

getValue ReactiveWatchExpression

Function used to get the current value. All accessed properties will be tracked.

callback ReactiveWatchCallback

The function to call when the value becomes truthy.

options ReactiveWatchOptions

optional

Options used to configure how the tracking happens and how the callback is to be called.

Returns

Type	Description
WatchHandle	A watch handle.

Examples

// Observe for when a boolean property becomes not truthy
// Equivalent to watchUtils.whenFalse()
reactiveUtils.when(
  () => !layerView.updating,
  () => {
    console.log("LayerView finished updating.");
  });

// Observe for when a boolean property becomes true
// Equivalent to watchUtils.whenTrue()
reactiveUtils.when(
  () => view?.stationary === true,
  async () => {
    console.log("User is no longer interacting with the map");
    await drawBuffer();
  });

// Observe a boolean property for truthiness.
// Providing `once: true` in ReactiveWatchOptions
// only fires the callback once
// Equivalent to watchUtils.whenFalseOnce()
reactiveUtils.when(
  () => !widget.visible,
  () => {
    console.log(`The widget visibility is ${widget.visible}`);
  },
  {
    once: true
  });

whenOnce Method whenOnce(getValue, signal){Promise}

Tracks any properties being evaluated by the getValue function. When getValue becomes truthy, it returns a promise containing the value. This method only tracks a single change.

Parameters

getValue ReactiveWatchExpression

Expression to be tracked.

signal AbortSignal

optional

Abort signal which can be used to cancel the promise from resolving.

Returns

Type	Description
Promise	A promise which resolves once the tracked expression becomes truthy.

Examples

// Check for the first time a property becomes truthy
// Equivalent to watchUtils.whenOnce()
reactiveUtils.whenOnce(
  () => view.popup?.visible)
  .then(() => {
    console.log("Popup used for the first time");
  });

// Check for the first time a property becomes not truthy
// Equivalent to watchUtils.whenFalseOnce()
const someFunction = async () => {
  await reactiveUtils.whenOnce(() => !layerview.updating);
  console.log("LayerView is no longer updating");
}

// Check for the fist time a property becomes truthy
// And, use AbortController to potentially cancel the async callback
const abortController = new AbortController();

// Observe the View's animation state
reactiveUtils.whenOnce(
  () => view?.animation, abortController.signal)
  .then((animation) => {
    console.log(`View animation state is ${animation.state}`)
  });

// Cancel the async callback
const someFunction = () => {
  abortController.abort();
}

Type Definitions

ReactiveEqualityFunction Type Definition ReactiveEqualityFunction(newValue, oldValue){Boolean}

Function used to check whether two values are the same, in which case the watch callback isn't called.

Parameters

newValue *

The new value.

oldValue *

The old value.

Returns

Type	Description
Boolean	Whether the new value is equal to the old value.

ReactiveListenerChangeCallback Type Definition ReactiveListenerChangeCallback(target)

Callback to be called when a event listener is added or removed.

Parameter

target *

optional

The event target to which the listener was added or from which it was removed.

ReactiveListenerOptions Type Definition ReactiveListenerOptions Object

Options used to configure the behavior of reactiveUtils.

Properties: sync Boolean

optional
Default Value:false

Whether to fire the callback synchronously or on the next tick.

once Boolean

optional
Default Value:false

Whether to fire the callback only once.

onListenerAdd ReactiveListenerChangeCallback

optional
Called when the event listener is added.

onListenerRemove ReactiveListenerChangeCallback

optional
Called when the event listener is removed.

ReactiveOnCallback Type Definition ReactiveOnCallback(event)

Function called to be called when an event is emitted or dispatched.

Parameter

event *

The event emitted by the target.

ReactiveOnExpression Type Definition ReactiveOnExpression(){*}

Function which is auto-tracked and should return an event target to which an event listener is to be added.

Returns

Type	Description
*	The event target.

ReactiveWatchCallback Type Definition ReactiveWatchCallback(newValue, oldValue)

Function to be called when a value changes.

Parameters

newValue *

The new value.

oldValue *

The old value.

ReactiveWatchExpression Type Definition ReactiveWatchExpression(){*}

Function which is auto-tracked and should return a value to pass to the ReactiveWatchCallback

Returns

Type	Description
*	The new value.

ReactiveWatchOptions Type Definition ReactiveWatchOptions Object

Options used to configure how auto-tracking is performed and how the callback should be called.

Properties: initial Boolean

optional
Default Value:false

Whether to fire the callback immediately after initialization, if the necessary conditions are met.

sync Boolean

optional
Default Value:false

Whether to fire the callback synchronously or on the next tick.

once Boolean

optional
Default Value:false

Whether to fire the callback only once.

equals ReactiveEqualityFunction

optional
Function used to check whether two values are the same, in which case the callback isn't called. Checks whether two objects, arrays or primitive values are shallow equal, e.g. one level deep. Non-plain objects are considered equal if they are strictly equal (===).