vivisector

Vivisector.js | Create observable JavaScript datatypes

Table of Contents

• Introduction
  • Features
• Installation + Usage
• Documentation

Introduction

Vivisector.js is a light-weight Nodejs library that exposes custom event-driven datatypes. Vivisector's Observable types broadcast unique events correlated to specific types of mutations and accessors. As such, one can bind methods to variables and render them event-bound.

Vivisector is flexible, compact, and straightforward; it affords you fine-grained control by allowing you to decide when and what happens when a variable changes.

Features

• custom Observable datatypes for Array, Object/Array, and String data
• instantly link/unlink actions to a variable's state
• bind unlimited callbacks to specific types of state-mutation events e.g. itemadded, itemremoved
• custom, chainable methods maintain stable execution context i.e. method-chaining without the need to explicitly pipe this
• helper accessors on all Observables to simplify evaluation
• no need to use new keyword, no configuration; Vivisector types work out-of-the-box
• absolutely zero dependencies

Installation and Usage

Install via NPM with npm i vivisector.

Import Vivisector's caller alias Vx:

const Vx = require("vivisector");

Create a new Observable - in this example, of type Array - and register a handler to fire when any new elements are added:

const logAdditions = ({item, index}) => console.log(`Added ${item} at index ${index}.`);
                    
const users = Vx("Array", ["Alice","Bob"]);

users.addEventListener("itemadded", logAdditions);
// every time an item is added to the array, fire `logAdditions`

users.push("Charlie");
// "Added Charlie at index 2."

Have a look at these usage guides for a full overview:

• See Usage Guide for ObservableArray
• See Usage Guide for ObservableString

Because Arrays are Objects, you certainly can instantiate an ObservableObject with Array data. However, you might find some of the Array-specific properties of the decoupled ObservableArray useful in certain instances.

Documentation

• Types
  • Arrays
  • Objects
  • Strings
• Ubiquitous Properties

Vivisector Types

---

ObservableArray (extends Array)

an Array-like Object

Example:

const albums = Vx("Array", ["Tago Mago", "Monster Movie", "Ege Bamyasi"]);

Unique Methods and Props

findIndexAll

Returns an Array of all indices that contain a match to given argument. Does not evaluate nested items.

Example:

const users = Vx("Array", ["hello", "world", "world", "hello", "world"]);
console.log(users.findIndexAll("hello"));
// [0, 3]

findIndexAllDeep

Returns an Array of all indices that contain a match to given argument. Walks entire Array tree and evaluates nested items.

Example:

const users = Vx("Array", ["hello",["hello"], "world", ["world", "hello"], ["world", ["world",["hello"]]]]);
console.log(users.findIndexAllDeep("hello"));
// [ [ 0 ], [ 1, 0 ], [ 3, 1 ], [ 4, 1, 1, 0 ] ]

Event Types

itemadded

A new item has been added to the Array. Callbacks will receive an Object consisting of:

Property	Value
type	String "itemadded", denoting the event-type that was triggered
item	the new item, now added to the Array
index	the index at which the item was added
Fires on: push, unshift, splice

itemset

An item in the Array has moved. Callbacks will receive an Object consisting of:

Property	Value
type	String "itemset", denoting the event-type that was triggered
item	the item set in the Array
index	the index to which the item was allocated
Fires on: unshift, using index accessors to set Array items

**Note:** Shuffling the Array or using methods like `unshift` will fire `itemset` for *each* index change

itemremoved

An item has been removed from the Array. Callbacks will receive an Object consisting of:

Property	Value
type	String "itemremoved", denoting the event-type that was triggered
item	the item removed from the Array
index	the index at which the item was removed
Fires on: pop, shift, splice

mutated

The Array value has been reassigned. Callbacks will receive an Object consisting of :

Property	Value
type	String "mutated", denoting the event-type that was triggered
item	the new Array value
index	String "all", denoting all indices will have been affected
Fires on: Using the value accessor to mutate the Array value

---

ObservableObject (extends Proxy)

an extended Object Proxy

Example:

const target = {
    name: "La Monte Young",
    genre: "Minimalism"
};

const music = Vx("Object", target);

Event Types

itemget

An Object property value has been accessed. Callbacks will receive an Object consisting of:

Property	Value
type	String "itemget", denoting the event-type that was triggered
prop	The name or Symbol of the property being accessed
target	The target object
value	The specific value being accessed

itemset

An Object property value has been set. Callbacks will receive an Object consisting of:

Property	Value
type	String "itemset", denoting the event-type that was triggered
prop	The name or Symbol of the property being set
target	The target object
value	The new value that has been set on prop

itemdeleted

An Object property value has been deleted. Callbacks will receive an Object consisting of:

Property	Value
type	String "itemdeleted", denoting the event-type that was triggered
prop	The name or Symbol of the property being deleted
target	The stringified target object
value	A Boolean value indicating deletion success

---

ObservableString (extends String)

a mutable, String-like Object

Example:

const hash = Vx("String", "UmVhZE1vcmVZdWtpb01pc2hpbWEK");

Unique Methods and Props

reassign

Mutates String value, chainable (returns this).

Example:

const str = Vx("String", "Hello, world");
str.reassign("Hello, moon").addEventListener(...

console.log(str);
// Hello, moon

length

Returns String value length; non-configurable.

Event Types

mutated

The String value has been reassigned. Callbacks will receive an Object consisting of:

Property	Value
type	String "mutated", denoting the event-type that was triggered
value	the previous String value
mutant	the reassigned String value

---

Ubiquitous Methods and Props

value

A non-enumerable accessor for getting and/or setting the core value of a given Observable

Example:

 const users = Vx("Array", ["Alice", "Bob"]);

 console.log(users.value);
 // ["Alice", "Bob"]

 users.value = ["Alexei", "Quinn"];

 console.log(users.value);
 // ["Alexei", "Quinn"]

Note: Get/Set on types String, Array; Get on types Object

identifier

A unique identifier assigned to all Observables. Namespace confined to the Nodejs runtime's global, or 'module context'. Currently a paused feature.

type

The type identifier of a given Observable, e.g. "Array", "Object", "String"

addEventListener

Bind a callback to fire whenever a given event-type has been triggered.
See also: debounce option.

Example:

const logMsg = function(event) {
    // every time an item is added to the array, fire this callback
    console.log(`Added ${event.item} at index ${event.index}.`);
});

const users = Vx("Array", ["Alice","Bob"]).addEventListener("itemadded", logMsg);

users.push("Charlie");
// "Added Charlie at index 2."

removeEventListener

Remove an existing callback from the respective event-type to which it has been registered.
See also: debounce option.

Example:

const logMsg = function(event) {
    console.log(`Added ${event.item} at index ${event.index}.`); 
});

const users = Vx("Array", ["Alice","Bob"])
    .addEventListener("itemadded", logMsg)
    .removeEventListener("itemadded", logMsg);

users.push("Charlie");
// no log - handler was removed ^

debounce (option)

Optionally enforce a debounce on a given event-listener; handler calls will be throttled for a duration of n milliseconds.

To provide the Vx constructor a debounce directive, one need only specify a third and optional argument when calling addEventListener - a Number denoting milliseconds to which the debounce timeout will be set.

To unregister a debounced handler via removeEventListener, simply pass the handler name as usual.

Example:

const logMsg = function(event) {
    console.log(`Added ${event.item} at index ${event.index}.`); 
});

const users = Vx("Array", ["Alice","Bob"]).addEventListener("itemadded", logMsg, 2000);

users.push("Charlie");
// two seconds later..."Added Charlie at index 2."

// Vx will find and remove the debounced `logMsg`; no debounce directive needed here
users.removeEventListener("itemadded", logMsg);

users.push("RMS");
// no log - debounced handler was removed ^