Connecting streams

This is the engineering specification for connecting streams with existing information.

Overview

Values are the data emitted by a MotionObservable. Values are generated by systems and are eventually written to reactive properties. In practice, the most common types of values are:

• Floating point numbers.
• Multi-dimensional positions.
• Rectangles.
• Sizes.

Systems generate values

A system emits values on an observable’s next channel.

Some examples:

• Scroll events from a scroll view.
• Values from a physics simulation.
• Interpolated values.
• Gesture recognition events.

Systems are often reactively configurable, meaning changes to their configuration are expected to be immediately reflected in the values they emit. For example, a Spring’s stiffness can be changed, causing the spring’s simulation to immediately be affected.

Reactive properties store values

A reactive property is an object that stores a value of generic type T. Reactive properties must be initialized with a default value. Reactive properties can be observed like a MotionObservable.

Some examples:

• A view’s position.
• A transition’s direction.

A note on properties representing existing information

Reactive properties that represent existing information are often configured to update the existing information when the property changes. This is sometimes referred to as “external writes” within the property implementations. Consider the following diagram, in which writes made to the reactive property are propagated to the external information:

Reactive properties that represent existing information don’t know when the existing information has changed. It is the responsibility of the existing information’s owner to keep the property synchronized. Consider the following code example:

// Some existing information
element.opacity = 0.5

// Create a property representing the external information
let opacity = runtime.get(element).opacity

opacity.value // 0.5

// Changing the property will cause an external write to the existing information.
opacity.value = 1.0
opacity.value   // 1.0
element.opacity // 1.0

// Changing the existing information will not update the property.
element.opacity = 0.0
opacity.value   // 1.0
element.opacity // 0.0