posit-dev / posit-dev/py-shiny
Invalidating a `reactive.Value` with a mutable object currently requires making a copy
Nobody has claimed this yet.
- Dominant language
- Python
- Stars
- 1.8k
- Forks
- 135
- Avg merge
- 2d 18h
- Merged PRs (30d)
- 21
Description
For example, suppose you have a list of numbers that you append to each time a button is clicked. Currently, in order to trigger invalidation, you need to make a copy of that list. For example:
nums = reactive.Value([])
@reactive.Effect
@reactive.event(input.btn)
def _():
nums2 = nums().copy()
nums2.append(input.btn())
nums.set(nums2)
This requires making a copy of the object simply so that the .set() method knows to invalidate reactive dependents. For large objects, the copy could take a nontrivial amount of time and memory. It would be better if there one of:
- An option on the
Valuewhich causes the.set()method to always invalidate, even when the value is the same. - An argument to force invalidation when setting a value, as in
.set(x, force=True). - An
.invalidate()method to manually invalidate.
I think for most cases, the second option would be the best. For example, the code above could drop the .copy():
@reactive.Effect
@reactive.event(input.btn)
def _():
nums2 = nums()
nums2.append(input.btn())
nums.set(nums2, force=True)
It could even drop the nums2 intermediate variable, like this:
@reactive.Effect
@reactive.event(input.btn)
def _():
nums().append(input.btn())
nums.set(nums(), force=True)
If the .invalidate() method existed, it would look like this:
@reactive.Effect
@reactive.event(input.btn)
def _():
nums().append(input.btn())
nums.invalidate()
Contributor guide
No contributing guide indexed for this repository
First steps
- Read the whole issue, then the project's contributing guide.
- Comment on the issue to say you are picking it up — it saves two people doing the same work.
- Fork the repository and make your change on a branch.
- Open a pull request that references the issue number.
Research direction
Start at the reactive.Value API, especially set() and its invalidation behavior. Compare the proposed force-setting and invalidate() approaches, then establish which API should be implemented and how mutable values should trigger dependents; done means the selected behavior is documented and covered by tests.
Written by the indexing model from the issue text.
Assessment
- Tech stack
- python
- Domain
- backend
- Issue type
- Feature
- Difficulty
- 5/5
- Estimated time
- Over a week
- Activity status
- Stale
- Clarity
- Needs clarification
- Newbie friendliness
- 35/100