Response Pool

Response Pool is a very small library (< 40 LoC), based on js-csp, that can be used to pause subsequently redundant function calls and pass a value from the first call to the callback functions of the redundant calls as soon as it becomes available.

For example: Functions within a Web API library may depend on having an access token available. If the library instance has not yet been authenticated, and then four such functions are executed from within the same block, each function will check the token state and will attempt to concurrently log-in.

This library provides an easy way of preventing this behavior in JavaScript, and in the example case, prevents four concurrent login attempts when only one with the same parameters is desired.

Response Pool was created for a specific purpose and meets the goals that it was written for, though feel free to submit a pull request or an issue.

Example Implementation

expensiveCall blocks subsequent calls while running and then passes the result from the first function call into the callback functions of the subsequent calls.

import ResponsePool from 'response-pool';
const rPool = new ResponsePool();                 // Create a new pool for a specific function or set of parameters.

function expensiveCall(respCallback) {
  if (rPool.pending) {                            // Check if a response value might be published.
    rPool.subVal(respCallback);                   // Wait for the value, then pass it to respCallback.
    return;                                       // Done.
  }
  try {
    rPool.setPending();                           // Effectively disable expensiveNetworkRequest.

    handler(expensiveNetworkRequest(), val => {
      try {
        rPool.pubVal(val, respCallback);          // Publish response value to subscribers.
        rPool.done();                             // Enable expensiveNetworkRequest again.
      }
      catch (ex) {
        throw ex;
      }
    });
  }
  catch (ex) {
    rPool.reset();                                // Publish null value to subscribers and enable expensiveNetworkRequest again.
    throw ex;
  }
}

• Each implementation should determine whether or not a response value is pending, and then if so, pass in a callback function to the (Subscribe to Response Value) subVal method.

• The setPending method is called from within a try...catch block. It starts the process of subscribing subsequently redundant calls to the pool, which was set up in the previous block.

• The catch block should include a reset method call. This sends back a null value to, and releases, the blocking calls.

• From within the callback that passes the response value into scope, the pubVal method is used, by passing in the response value and a callback function.

• The done method is called after the response value is published to the pool. It removes the pending request state that was set by the setPending method.

License

The source code is available under the MIT License.