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SubscriptionRef

Stores mutable state and publishes changes as a stream.

A SubscriptionRef<A> stores the latest value, publishes the initial value, and publishes every committed update so subscribers can observe state over time. Updates are serialized so only one change is applied at a time. This module includes constructors, current-value reads, the changes stream, writes, updates, partial updates, and effectful update helpers.

26 exports Added in v2.0.0 Source

Constructors

make

Added in v2.0.0 Source

Constructs a new SubscriptionRef from an initial value.

When to use

Use to create a SubscriptionRef when consumers need to read the latest value and subscribe to every update.

Details

The initial value is published during construction, so changes starts new subscribers with that value before future updates.

See

  • changes for streaming the current value and subsequent updates
  • set for replacing the value and notifying subscribers

Signature

declare function make<A>(value: A): Effect<SubscriptionRef<A>>

Getters

get

Added in v2.0.0 Source

Retrieves the current value of the SubscriptionRef.

Signature

declare function get<A>(self: SubscriptionRef<A>): Effect<A>

Example

(Reading the current value)

import { Effect, SubscriptionRef } from "effect"
const program = Effect.gen(function*() {
const ref = yield* SubscriptionRef.make(42)
return yield* SubscriptionRef.get(ref)
})
await Effect.runPromise(program) // => 42

getAndSet

Added in v2.0.0 Source

Retrieves the current value and sets a new value atomically, notifying subscribers of the change.

Signature

declare const getAndSet: {
<A>(value: A): (self: SubscriptionRef<A>) => Effect<A>;
<A>(self: SubscriptionRef<A>, value: A): Effect<A>;
}

Example

(Getting and setting a value)

import { Effect, SubscriptionRef } from "effect"
const program = Effect.gen(function*() {
const ref = yield* SubscriptionRef.make(10)
const oldValue = yield* SubscriptionRef.getAndSet(ref, 20)
const newValue = yield* SubscriptionRef.get(ref)
return [oldValue, newValue]
})
await Effect.runPromise(program) // => [10, 20]

getAndUpdate

Added in v2.0.0 Source

Retrieves the current value and updates it atomically with the result of applying a function, notifying subscribers of the change.

Signature

declare const getAndUpdate: {
<A>(update: (a: A) => A): (self: SubscriptionRef<A>) => Effect<A>;
<A>(self: SubscriptionRef<A>, update: (a: A) => A): Effect<A>;
}

Example

(Getting and updating a value)

import { Effect, SubscriptionRef } from "effect"
const program = Effect.gen(function*() {
const ref = yield* SubscriptionRef.make(10)
const oldValue = yield* SubscriptionRef.getAndUpdate(ref, (n) => n * 2)
const newValue = yield* SubscriptionRef.get(ref)
return [oldValue, newValue]
})
await Effect.runPromise(program) // => [10, 20]

Retrieves the current value and updates it atomically with the result of applying an effectful function, notifying subscribers of the change.

Signature

declare const getAndUpdateEffect: {
<A, E, R>(update: (a: A) => Effect<A, E, R>): (self: SubscriptionRef<A>) => Effect<A, E, R>;
<A, E, R>(self: SubscriptionRef<A>, update: (a: A) => Effect<A, E, R>): Effect<A, E, R>;
}

Example

(Getting and updating with an effect)

import { Effect, SubscriptionRef } from "effect"
const program = Effect.gen(function*() {
const ref = yield* SubscriptionRef.make(10)
const oldValue = yield* SubscriptionRef.getAndUpdateEffect(
ref,
(n) => Effect.succeed(n + 5)
)
const newValue = yield* SubscriptionRef.get(ref)
return [oldValue, newValue]
})
await Effect.runPromise(program) // => [10, 15]

Retrieves the current value and optionally updates the reference.

When to use

Use to read the old SubscriptionRef value while applying a synchronous update only when a new value is available.

Details

If the function returns Option.some, the new value is set and published. If it returns Option.none, the reference is left unchanged and no update is published.

Signature

declare const getAndUpdateSome: {
<A>(update: (a: A) => Option<A>): (self: SubscriptionRef<A>) => Effect<A>;
<A>(self: SubscriptionRef<A>, update: (a: A) => Option<A>): Effect<A>;
}

Example

(Getting and conditionally updating a value)

import { Effect, Option, SubscriptionRef } from "effect"
const program = Effect.gen(function*() {
const ref = yield* SubscriptionRef.make(10)
const oldValue = yield* SubscriptionRef.getAndUpdateSome(
ref,
(n) => n > 5 ? Option.some(n * 2) : Option.none()
)
const newValue = yield* SubscriptionRef.get(ref)
return [oldValue, newValue]
})
await Effect.runPromise(program) // => [10, 20]

Retrieves the current value and optionally updates the reference effectfully.

When to use

Use to read the old SubscriptionRef value while applying an effectful update only when a new value is available.

Details

If the effect succeeds with Option.some, the new value is set and published. If it succeeds with Option.none, the reference is left unchanged and no update is published.

Signature

declare const getAndUpdateSomeEffect: {
<A, R, E>(update: (a: A) => Effect<Option<A>, E, R>): (self: SubscriptionRef<A>) => Effect<A, E, R>;
<A, R, E>(self: SubscriptionRef<A>, update: (a: A) => Effect<Option<A>, E, R>): Effect<A, E, R>;
}

Example

(Getting and conditionally updating with an effect)

import { Effect, Option, SubscriptionRef } from "effect"
const program = Effect.gen(function*() {
const ref = yield* SubscriptionRef.make(10)
const oldValue = yield* SubscriptionRef.getAndUpdateSomeEffect(
ref,
(n) => Effect.succeed(n > 5 ? Option.some(n + 3) : Option.none())
)
const newValue = yield* SubscriptionRef.get(ref)
return [oldValue, newValue]
})
await Effect.runPromise(program) // => [10, 13]

getUnsafe

Added in v4.0.0 Source

Retrieves the current value of the SubscriptionRef unsafely.

When to use

Use when you are in synchronous internals or test setup where concurrent updates are controlled.

Gotchas

This function directly accesses the underlying reference without any synchronization. It should only be used when you are certain there are no concurrent modifications.

Signature

declare function getUnsafe<A>(self: SubscriptionRef<A>): A

Example

(Reading the current value unsafely)

import { Effect, SubscriptionRef } from "effect"
const program = Effect.gen(function*() {
const ref = yield* SubscriptionRef.make(42)
return SubscriptionRef.getUnsafe(ref)
})
await Effect.runPromise(program) // => 42

Guards

Returns true if the provided value is a SubscriptionRef.

When to use

Use to narrow an unknown value before calling SubscriptionRef operations that require a subscription reference.

Signature

declare const isSubscriptionRef: (u: unknown) => u is SubscriptionRef<unknown>

Models

SubscriptionRef interface

Added in v2.0.0 Source

A mutable reference whose updates are serialized and published to subscribers.

When to use

Use to observe the current value and subsequent updates as a stream.

Signature

interface SubscriptionRef<in out A> extends Variance<A>, Pipeable {
readonly pubsub: PubSub<A>;
readonly semaphore: Semaphore;
value: A;
}

Mutations

modify

Added in v2.0.0 Source

Modifies the SubscriptionRef atomically with a function that computes a return value and a new value, notifying subscribers of the change.

Signature

declare const modify: {
<A, B>(modify: (a: A) => readonly [B, A]): (self: SubscriptionRef<A>) => Effect<B>;
<A, B>(self: SubscriptionRef<A>, f: (a: A) => readonly [B, A]): Effect<B>;
}

Example

(Modifying a value)

import { Effect, SubscriptionRef } from "effect"
const program = Effect.gen(function*() {
const ref = yield* SubscriptionRef.make(10)
const result = yield* SubscriptionRef.modify(ref, (n) => [
`Old value was ${n}`,
n * 2
])
const newValue = yield* SubscriptionRef.get(ref)
return [result, newValue]
})
await Effect.runPromise(program) // => ["Old value was 10", 20]

modifyEffect

Added in v2.0.0 Source

Modifies the SubscriptionRef atomically with an effectful function that computes a return value and a new value, notifying subscribers of the change.

Signature

declare const modifyEffect: {
<B, A, E, R>(modify: (a: A) => Effect<readonly [B, A], E, R>): (self: SubscriptionRef<A>) => Effect<B, E, R>;
<A, B, E, R>(self: SubscriptionRef<A>, modify: (a: A) => Effect<readonly [B, A], E, R>): Effect<B, E, R>;
}

Example

(Modifying with an effect)

import { Effect, SubscriptionRef } from "effect"
const program = Effect.gen(function*() {
const ref = yield* SubscriptionRef.make(10)
const result = yield* SubscriptionRef.modifyEffect(
ref,
(n) => Effect.succeed([`Doubled from ${n}`, n * 2] as const)
)
const newValue = yield* SubscriptionRef.get(ref)
return [result, newValue]
})
await Effect.runPromise(program) // => ["Doubled from 10", 20]

modifySome

Added in v2.0.0 Source

Computes a return value and optionally updates the reference.

When to use

Use to return a separate result while synchronously deciding whether to publish a new SubscriptionRef value.

Details

If the function returns Option.some for the new value, the value is set and published. If it returns Option.none, the reference is left unchanged and no update is published.

Signature

declare const modifySome: {
<B, A>(modify: (a: A) => readonly [B, Option<A>]): (self: SubscriptionRef<A>) => Effect<B>;
<A, B>(self: SubscriptionRef<A>, modify: (a: A) => readonly [B, Option<A>]): Effect<B>;
}

Example

(Conditionally modifying a value)

import { Effect, Option, SubscriptionRef } from "effect"
const program = Effect.gen(function*() {
const ref = yield* SubscriptionRef.make(10)
const result = yield* SubscriptionRef.modifySome(
ref,
(n) =>
n > 5 ? ["Updated", Option.some(n * 2)] : ["Not updated", Option.none()]
)
const newValue = yield* SubscriptionRef.get(ref)
return [result, newValue]
})
await Effect.runPromise(program) // => ["Updated", 20]

Computes a return value and optionally updates the reference effectfully.

When to use

Use to return a separate result while effectfully deciding whether to publish a new SubscriptionRef value.

Details

If the effect succeeds with Option.some, the new value is set and published. If it succeeds with Option.none, the reference is left unchanged and no update is published.

Signature

declare const modifySomeEffect: {
<A, B, R, E>(modify: (a: A) => Effect<readonly [B, Option<A>], E, R>): (self: SubscriptionRef<A>) => Effect<B, E, R>;
<A, B, R, E>(self: SubscriptionRef<A>, modify: (a: A) => Effect<readonly [B, Option<A>], E, R>): Effect<B, E, R>;
}

Example

(Conditionally modifying with an effect)

import { Effect, Option, SubscriptionRef } from "effect"
const program = Effect.gen(function*() {
const ref = yield* SubscriptionRef.make(10)
const result = yield* SubscriptionRef.modifySomeEffect(
ref,
(n) =>
Effect.succeed(
n > 5
? (["Updated", Option.some(n + 5)] as const)
: (["Not updated", Option.none()] as const)
)
)
const newValue = yield* SubscriptionRef.get(ref)
return [result, newValue]
})
await Effect.runPromise(program) // => ["Updated", 15]

set

Added in v2.0.0 Source

Sets the value of the SubscriptionRef, notifying all subscribers of the change.

Signature

declare const set: {
<A>(value: A): (self: SubscriptionRef<A>) => Effect<void>;
<A>(self: SubscriptionRef<A>, value: A): Effect<void>;
}

Example

(Setting a value)

import { Effect, SubscriptionRef } from "effect"
const program = Effect.gen(function*() {
const ref = yield* SubscriptionRef.make(0)
yield* SubscriptionRef.set(ref, 42)
return yield* SubscriptionRef.get(ref)
})
await Effect.runPromise(program) // => 42

setAndGet

Added in v2.0.0 Source

Sets the value of the SubscriptionRef and returns the new value, notifying all subscribers of the change.

Signature

declare const setAndGet: {
<A>(value: A): (self: SubscriptionRef<A>) => Effect<A>;
<A>(self: SubscriptionRef<A>, value: A): Effect<A>;
}

Example

(Setting and reading the new value)

import { Effect, SubscriptionRef } from "effect"
const program = Effect.gen(function*() {
const ref = yield* SubscriptionRef.make(0)
return yield* SubscriptionRef.setAndGet(ref, 42)
})
await Effect.runPromise(program) // => 42

update

Added in v2.0.0 Source

Updates the value of the SubscriptionRef with the result of applying a function, notifying subscribers of the change.

Signature

declare const update: {
<A>(update: (a: A) => A): (self: SubscriptionRef<A>) => Effect<void>;
<A>(self: SubscriptionRef<A>, update: (a: A) => A): Effect<void>;
}

Example

(Updating a value)

import { Effect, SubscriptionRef } from "effect"
const program = Effect.gen(function*() {
const ref = yield* SubscriptionRef.make(10)
yield* SubscriptionRef.update(ref, (n) => n * 2)
return yield* SubscriptionRef.get(ref)
})
await Effect.runPromise(program) // => 20

updateAndGet

Added in v2.0.0 Source

Updates the value of the SubscriptionRef with the result of applying a function and returns the new value, notifying subscribers of the change.

Signature

declare const updateAndGet: {
<A>(update: (a: A) => A): (self: SubscriptionRef<A>) => Effect<A>;
<A>(self: SubscriptionRef<A>, update: (a: A) => A): Effect<A>;
}

Example

(Updating and reading the new value)

import { Effect, SubscriptionRef } from "effect"
const program = Effect.gen(function*() {
const ref = yield* SubscriptionRef.make(10)
return yield* SubscriptionRef.updateAndGet(ref, (n) => n * 2)
})
await Effect.runPromise(program) // => 20

Updates the value of the SubscriptionRef with the result of applying an effectful function and returns the new value, notifying subscribers of the change.

Signature

declare const updateAndGetEffect: {
<A, E, R>(update: (a: A) => Effect<A, E, R>): (self: SubscriptionRef<A>) => Effect<A, E, R>;
<A, E, R>(self: SubscriptionRef<A>, update: (a: A) => Effect<A, E, R>): Effect<A, E, R>;
}

Example

(Updating with an effect and reading the new value)

import { Effect, SubscriptionRef } from "effect"
const program = Effect.gen(function*() {
const ref = yield* SubscriptionRef.make(10)
return yield* SubscriptionRef.updateAndGetEffect(
ref,
(n) => Effect.succeed(n + 5)
)
})
await Effect.runPromise(program) // => 15

updateEffect

Added in v2.0.0 Source

Updates the value of the SubscriptionRef with the result of applying an effectful function, notifying subscribers of the change.

Signature

declare const updateEffect: {
<A, E, R>(update: (a: A) => Effect<A, E, R>): (self: SubscriptionRef<A>) => Effect<void, E, R>;
<A, E, R>(self: SubscriptionRef<A>, update: (a: A) => Effect<A, E, R>): Effect<void, E, R>;
}

Example

(Updating with an effect)

import { Effect, SubscriptionRef } from "effect"
const program = Effect.gen(function*() {
const ref = yield* SubscriptionRef.make(10)
yield* SubscriptionRef.updateEffect(ref, (n) => Effect.succeed(n + 5))
return yield* SubscriptionRef.get(ref)
})
await Effect.runPromise(program) // => 15

updateSome

Added in v2.0.0 Source

Applies an update function to the current value. If it returns Option.some, sets and publishes that value; if it returns Option.none, leaves the reference unchanged and does not publish.

Signature

declare const updateSome: {
<A>(update: (a: A) => Option<A>): (self: SubscriptionRef<A>) => Effect<void>;
<A>(self: SubscriptionRef<A>, update: (a: A) => Option<A>): Effect<void>;
}

Example

(Conditionally updating a value)

import { Effect, Option, SubscriptionRef } from "effect"
const program = Effect.gen(function*() {
const ref = yield* SubscriptionRef.make(10)
yield* SubscriptionRef.updateSome(
ref,
(n) => n > 5 ? Option.some(n * 2) : Option.none()
)
return yield* SubscriptionRef.get(ref)
})
await Effect.runPromise(program) // => 20

Applies an optional update and returns the current value afterward.

When to use

Use to conditionally update a SubscriptionRef and read the value that is current after the update decision.

Details

If the function returns Option.some, the new value is set, published, and returned. If it returns Option.none, the unchanged current value is returned without publishing.

Signature

declare const updateSomeAndGet: {
<A>(update: (a: A) => Option<A>): (self: SubscriptionRef<A>) => Effect<A>;
<A>(self: SubscriptionRef<A>, update: (a: A) => Option<A>): Effect<A>;
}

Example

(Conditionally updating and reading the new value)

import { Effect, Option, SubscriptionRef } from "effect"
const program = Effect.gen(function*() {
const ref = yield* SubscriptionRef.make(10)
return yield* SubscriptionRef.updateSomeAndGet(
ref,
(n) => n > 5 ? Option.some(n * 2) : Option.none()
)
})
await Effect.runPromise(program) // => 20

Applies an effectful optional update and returns the current value afterward.

When to use

Use to conditionally update a SubscriptionRef effectfully and read the value that is current after the update decision.

Details

If the effect succeeds with Option.some, the new value is set, published, and returned. If it succeeds with Option.none, the unchanged current value is returned without publishing.

Signature

declare const updateSomeAndGetEffect: {
<A, E, R>(update: (a: A) => Effect<Option<A>, E, R>): (self: SubscriptionRef<A>) => Effect<A, E, R>;
<A, E, R>(self: SubscriptionRef<A>, update: (a: A) => Effect<Option<A>, E, R>): Effect<A, E, R>;
}

Example

(Conditionally updating with an effect and reading the new value)

import { Effect, Option, SubscriptionRef } from "effect"
const program = Effect.gen(function*() {
const ref = yield* SubscriptionRef.make(10)
return yield* SubscriptionRef.updateSomeAndGetEffect(
ref,
(n) => Effect.succeed(n > 5 ? Option.some(n + 3) : Option.none())
)
})
await Effect.runPromise(program) // => 13

Applies an effectful update only when it produces a new value.

When to use

Use to conditionally update a SubscriptionRef with an effectful function while discarding the resulting value.

Details

If the effect succeeds with Option.some, the new value is set and published. If it succeeds with Option.none, the reference is left unchanged and no update is published.

Signature

declare const updateSomeEffect: {
<A, E, R>(update: (a: A) => Effect<Option<A>, E, R>): (self: SubscriptionRef<A>) => Effect<void, E, R>;
<A, E, R>(self: SubscriptionRef<A>, update: (a: A) => Effect<Option<A>, E, R>): Effect<void, E, R>;
}

Example

(Conditionally updating with an effect)

import { Effect, Option, SubscriptionRef } from "effect"
const program = Effect.gen(function*() {
const ref = yield* SubscriptionRef.make(10)
yield* SubscriptionRef.updateSomeEffect(
ref,
(n) => Effect.succeed(n > 5 ? Option.some(n + 3) : Option.none())
)
return yield* SubscriptionRef.get(ref)
})
await Effect.runPromise(program) // => 13

Other

The SubscriptionRef namespace containing type definitions associated with subscription references.

Subscriptions

changes

Added in v4.0.0 Source

Creates a stream that emits the current value and all subsequent changes to the SubscriptionRef.

Details

The stream will first emit the current value, then emit all future changes as they occur.

Signature

declare function changes<A>(self: SubscriptionRef<A>): Stream<A>

Example

(Streaming changes)

import { Deferred, Effect, Fiber, Stream, SubscriptionRef } from "effect"
const program = Effect.gen(function*() {
const ref = yield* SubscriptionRef.make(0)
const ready = yield* Deferred.make<void>()
const fiber = yield* SubscriptionRef.changes(ref).pipe(
Stream.tap(() => Deferred.succeed(ready, void 0)),
Stream.take(3),
Stream.runCollect,
Effect.forkChild
)
yield* Deferred.await(ready)
yield* SubscriptionRef.set(ref, 1)
yield* SubscriptionRef.set(ref, 2)
const values = yield* Fiber.join(fiber)
return Array.from(values)
})
await Effect.runPromise(program) // => [0, 1, 2]