Converting blocking code to using scala futures - scala

Question

My old code looks something like below, where all db calls blocking.
I need help converting this over to using Futures.
def getUserPoints(username: String): Option[Long]
db.getUserPoints(username) match {
case Some(userPoints) => Some(userPoints.total)
case None => {
if (db.getSomething("abc").isEmpty) {
db.somethingElse("asdf") match {
case Some(pointId) => {
db.setPoints(pointId, username)
db.findPointsForUser(username)
}
case _ => None
}
} else {
db.findPointsForUser(username)
}
}
}
}
My new API is below where I am returning Futures.
db.getUserPoints(username: String): Future[Option[UserPoints]]
db.getSomething(s: String): Future[Option[Long]]
db.setPoints(pointId, username): Future[Unit]
db.findPointsForUser(username): Future[Option[Long]]
How can I go about converting the above to use my new API that uses futures.
I tried using a for-compr but started to get wierd errors like Future[Nothing].
var userPointsFut: Future[Long] = for {
userPointsOpt <- db.getUserPoints(username)
userPoints <- userPointsOpt
} yield userPoints.total
But it gets a bit tricky with all the branching and if clauses and trying to convert it over to futures.

Answer 1

I would argue that the first issue with this design is that the port of the blocking call to a Future should not wrap the Option type:
The blocking call:
def giveMeSomethingBlocking(for:Id): Option[T]
Should become:
def giveMeSomethingBlocking(for:Id): Future[T]
And not:
def giveMeSomethingBlocking(for:Id): Future[Option[T]]
The blocking call give either a value Some(value) or None, the non-blocking Future version gives either a Success(value) or Failure(exception) which fully preserves the Option semantics in a non-blocking fashion.
With that in mind, we can model the process in question using combinators on Future. Let's see how:
First, lets refactor the API to something we can work with:
type UserPoints = Long
object db {
def getUserPoints(username: String): Future[UserPoints] = ???
def getSomething(s: String): Future[UserPoints] = ???
def setPoints(pointId:UserPoints, username: String): Future[Unit] = ???
def findPointsForUser(username: String): Future[UserPoints] = ???
}
class PointsNotFound extends Exception("bonk")
class StuffNotFound extends Exception("sthing not found")
Then, the process would look like:
def getUserPoints(username:String): Future[UserPoints] = {
db.getUserPoints(username)
.map(userPoints => userPoints /*.total*/)
.recoverWith{
case ex:PointsNotFound =>
(for {
sthingElse <- db.getSomething("abc")
_ <- db.setPoints(sthingElse, username)
points <- db.findPointsForUser(username)
} yield (points))
.recoverWith{
case ex: StuffNotFound => db.findPointsForUser(username)
}
}
}
Which type-checks correctly.
Edit
Given that the API is set in stone, a way to deal with nested monadic types is to define a MonadTransformer. In simple words, let's make Future[Option[T]] a new monad, let's call it FutureO that can be composed with other of its kind. [1]
case class FutureO[+A](future: Future[Option[A]]) {
def flatMap[B](f: A => FutureO[B])(implicit ec: ExecutionContext): FutureO[B] = {
val newFuture = future.flatMap{
case Some(a) => f(a).future
case None => Future.successful(None)
}
FutureO(newFuture)
}
def map[B](f: A => B)(implicit ec: ExecutionContext): FutureO[B] = {
FutureO(future.map(option => option map f))
}
def recoverWith[U >: A](pf: PartialFunction[Throwable, FutureO[U]])(implicit executor: ExecutionContext): FutureO[U] = {
val futOtoFut: FutureO[U] => Future[Option[U]] = _.future
FutureO(future.recoverWith(pf andThen futOtoFut))
}
def orElse[U >: A](other: => FutureO[U])(implicit executor: ExecutionContext): FutureO[U] = {
FutureO(future.flatMap{
case None => other.future
case _ => this.future
})
}
}
And now we can re-write our process preserving the same structure as the future-based composition.
type UserPoints = Long
object db {
def getUserPoints(username: String): Future[Option[UserPoints]] = ???
def getSomething(s: String): Future[Option[Long]] = ???
def setPoints(pointId: UserPoints, username:String): Future[Unit] = ???
def findPointsForUser(username: String): Future[Option[Long]] = ???
}
class PointsNotFound extends Exception("bonk")
class StuffNotFound extends Exception("sthing not found")
def getUserPoints2(username:String): Future[Option[UserPoints]] = {
val futureOpt = FutureO(db.getUserPoints(username))
.map(userPoints => userPoints /*.total*/)
.orElse{
(for {
sthingElse <- FutureO(db.getSomething("abc"))
_ <- FutureO(db.setPoints(sthingElse, username).map(_ => Some(())))
points <- FutureO(db.findPointsForUser(username))
} yield (points))
.orElse{
FutureO(db.findPointsForUser(username))
}
}
futureOpt.future
}
[1] with acknowledgements to http://loicdescotte.github.io/posts/scala-compose-option-future/