Can an Android Architecture Components ViewModel compose an object from multiple LiveData returning models?

Question

I\'ve been unable to create an Android Architecuture Components ViewModel that composes multiple LiveData models into one LiveData class for my Fragment to observe. I want t

Answer 1

I would suggest to take a different approach:

• Use reactive streams (RxJava) to represent your model
• Convert your RxJava Observables into LiveData using lifecycle-reactivestreams from the Architecture Components.

By using RxJava you can easily merge observables together and only expose that combination to the view using LiveData. I would recommend to use LiveData only to expose state to the view (Fragment or Activity).

I wrote an article on how to do this. You might find it useful.

Answer 2

Hope my work satisfy your question.

I have made a sample project before and now integrate another fake livedata into this view model. Difference of the file

Use MediatorLiveData class to wrap multi data source to one.

FeedEntryListViewModel.java

public class FeedEntryListViewModel extends ViewModel {

  //list all your live data here
  private LiveData<List<FeedEntry>> feedEntries = new MutableLiveData<>();
  private MutableLiveData<String> userId = new MutableLiveData<>();
  //show your composite model here
  private MediatorLiveData<CompositeModel> compositeModelLiveData;

  //list all your repository
  private FeedEntryRepository feedEntryDBRepository;

  /*
  The complete model to show the data
   */
  public static class CompositeModel {

    String userId = "SystemId";
    private List<FeedEntry> feedEntries = new ArrayList<>();


    public String getUserId() {
      return userId;
    }

    public void setUserId(String userId) {
      this.userId = userId;
    }

    public List<FeedEntry> getFeedEntries() {
      return feedEntries;
    }

    public void setFeedEntries(
        List<FeedEntry> feedEntries) {
      this.feedEntries = feedEntries;
    }


  }

  public FeedEntryListViewModel(
      FeedEntryRepository feedEntryDBRepository) {
    this.feedEntryDBRepository = feedEntryDBRepository;
    this.feedEntries = feedEntryDBRepository.getAll();
    this.compositeModelLiveData = new MediatorLiveData<>();
    this.compositeModelLiveData.addSource(feedEntries, data ->
    {
      CompositeModel compositeModel = compositeModelLiveData.getValue();
      compositeModel.setFeedEntries(data);
      compositeModelLiveData.postValue(compositeModel);
    });
    this.compositeModelLiveData.addSource(userId, data -> {
      CompositeModel compositeModel = compositeModelLiveData.getValue();
      compositeModel.setUserId(data);
      compositeModelLiveData.postValue(compositeModel);
    });
    //initialize the composite model to avoid NullPointerException
    this.compositeModelLiveData.postValue(new CompositeModel());
  }

  public void loadUserId(String userId) {
    this.userId.setValue(userId);
  }

  public LiveData<List<FeedEntry>> getFeedEntrys() {
    return feedEntryDBRepository.getAll();
  }

  public LiveData<CompositeModel> getCompositeEntrys() {
    return compositeModelLiveData;
  }

  public LiveData<List<FeedEntry>> insert(FeedEntry... feedEntries) {
    feedEntryDBRepository.insertAll(feedEntries);
    return feedEntryDBRepository.getAll();
  }

  public void delete(FeedEntry feedEntry) {
    feedEntryDBRepository.delete(feedEntry);
  }


  public int update(FeedEntry feedEntry) {
    return feedEntryDBRepository.update(feedEntry);
  }

}

In the Activity, you still can get the composite with the statement

viewModel.getCompositeEntrys().observe(this, entries -> {...});

View Model Constructor add the live data and bind to the composite live data

 public FeedEntryListViewModel(
      FeedEntryRepository feedEntryDBRepository) {
    this.feedEntryDBRepository = feedEntryDBRepository;
    this.feedEntries = feedEntryDBRepository.getAll();
    this.compositeModelLiveData = new MediatorLiveData<>();
    this.compositeModelLiveData.addSource(feedEntries, data ->
    {
      CompositeModel compositeModel = compositeModelLiveData.getValue();
      compositeModel.setFeedEntries(data);
      compositeModelLiveData.postValue(compositeModel);
    });
    this.compositeModelLiveData.addSource(userId, data -> {
      CompositeModel compositeModel = compositeModelLiveData.getValue();
      compositeModel.setUserId(data);
      compositeModelLiveData.postValue(compositeModel);
    });
    //initialize the composite model to avoid NullPointerException
    this.compositeModelLiveData.postValue(new CompositeModel());
  }