Return method only when ready? - ios

Question

I have a method in which I run a couple of other methods. These have completion blocks, I only want to return a value at the end of my main method once I have a result from each of my sub methods. Example:
-(NSMutableDictionary *)mainMethod
{
[self subMethod1Complete:^(NSMutableArray *results)
{
}
[self subMethod2Complete:^(NSMutableArray *results)
{
}
//return...
}
I only want to return my dictionary at the end once the two sub method have completed. How can I do this?
I did have the idea of storing a BOOL for each method, so I know, NO incomplete and YES complete. So when both are YES, I return my dict. But how I can call it on time and not prematurely?
Update
I have tweaked my code to use a completion block, so when I finally receive the data from two other completion blocks from other methods, I run the final one with compiled results. Below you can see my method. You can see my method below, no success thus far, the final completion block is still getting called prematurely.
Important bits for me. getTitles and getThumbnails methods. In the completion block of these I get the data I need. Only when I have both of these, do I want to call my final completion block of this main method. As a result, it will pass on both titles and thumbnails once they have been received.
-(void)getFeedForUserID:(NSString *)channelID delegate:(id<YTHelperDelegate>)delegate complete:(void (^)(NSMutableDictionary * result))completionBlock properties:(NSString *)element, ...
{
va_list args;
va_start(args, element);
NSMutableArray *array = [NSMutableArray new];
for (NSString *arg = element; arg != nil; arg = va_arg(args, NSString *)) [array addObject:arg];
va_end(args);
NSMutableDictionary *resultsDict = [NSMutableDictionary new];
dispatch_queue_t queue = dispatch_get_global_queue(0, 0);
dispatch_group_t group = dispatch_group_create();
for (NSString *string in array)
{
if ([string isEqualToString:kFeedElementTitle])
{
dispatch_group_async(group, queue, ^{
[self getTitlesArrayForChannel:channelID completionHandler:^(NSMutableArray *results) {
dispatch_group_async(group, dispatch_get_main_queue(), ^{
[resultsDict setObject:results forKey:kFeedElementTitle];
});
}];
});
}
if ([string isEqualToString:kFeedElementTitle])
{
dispatch_group_async(group, queue, ^{
[self getThumbnailsArrayForChannel:channelID completionHandler:^(NSMutableArray *results) {
dispatch_group_async(group, dispatch_get_main_queue(), ^{
[resultsDict setObject:results forKey:kFeedElementThumbnail];
});
}];
});
}
}
dispatch_group_notify(group, dispatch_get_main_queue(), ^{
completionBlock(resultsDict);
});
}

Answer 1

You can use GCD and the dispatch groups feature. Here's an article that explains it: http://www.objc.io/issue-2/low-level-concurrency-apis.html#groups
For example in your case, your code might look something like this (shamelessly copied from the article and adapted a bit)...
- (void)asyncMethod {
dispatch_group_t group = dispatch_group_create();
dispatch_queue_t queue = dispatch_get_global_queue(0, 0);
dispatch_group_async(group, queue, ^(){
NSMutableArray * results = [self subMethod1];
dispatch_group_async(group, dispatch_get_main_queue(), ^(){
self.subMethod1Results = results;
});
});
dispatch_group_async(group, queue, ^(){
NSMutableArray * results = [self subMethod2];
dispatch_group_async(group, dispatch_get_main_queue(), ^(){
self.subMethod2Results = results;
});
});
// This block will run once everything above is done:
dispatch_group_notify(group, dispatch_get_main_queue(), ^(){
// notify the app that both sets of data are ready
[self notifyWorkIsDone];
// and release the dispatch group
dispatch_release(group);
});
}
This requires a little modification to how your class works, because the above method is asynchronous (which is a good thing--it's not going to block your app while all that work is being done). All you need is some sort of handler to call and notify your app that your data is ready and you can update your UI or do whatever additional processing is necessary.

Answer 2

You are looking for GCD's dispatch_group APIs. Here is some sample code from Apple's Concurrency Programming Guide:
dispatch_queue_t queue = dispatch_get_global_queue(DISPATCH_QUEUE_PRIORITY_DEFAULT, 0);
dispatch_group_t group = dispatch_group_create();
// Add a task to the group
dispatch_group_async(group, queue, ^{
// Some asynchronous work
});
// Do some other work while the tasks execute.
// When you cannot make any more forward progress,
// wait on the group to block the current thread.
dispatch_group_wait(group, DISPATCH_TIME_FOREVER);
// Release the group when it is no longer needed.
dispatch_release(group);
Comments on updated code:
Are you sure your mistake is not that your second if statement checks kFeedElementTitle a second time instead of kFeedElementThumbnail which I think may be what you intended?
Updated with working example:
- (BOOL)application:(UIApplication *)application didFinishLaunchingWithOptions:(NSDictionary *)launchOptions
{
NSString *kFeedElementTitle = #"some";
NSString *kFeedElementThumbnail = #"strings";
NSArray *array = #[#"some", #"test", #"strings"];
NSMutableDictionary *resultsDict = [NSMutableDictionary new];
NSLog(#"App launched");
dispatch_queue_t queue = dispatch_get_global_queue(DISPATCH_QUEUE_PRIORITY_DEFAULT, 0);
dispatch_group_t group = dispatch_group_create();
for (NSString *string in array)
{
if ([string isEqualToString:kFeedElementTitle])
{
dispatch_group_async(group, queue, ^{
[NSThread sleepForTimeInterval:5]; // simulate network call
dispatch_group_async(group, dispatch_get_main_queue(), ^{
[resultsDict setObject:#"title result" forKey:kFeedElementTitle];
NSLog(#"Received title result");
});
});
}
if ([string isEqualToString:kFeedElementThumbnail]) // Note: this was changed to kFeedElementThumbnail from kFeedElementTitle
{
dispatch_group_async(group, queue, ^{
[NSThread sleepForTimeInterval:10]; // simulate network call
dispatch_group_async(group, dispatch_get_main_queue(), ^{
[resultsDict setObject:#"thumbnail result" forKey:kFeedElementThumbnail];
NSLog(#"Received thumbnail result");
});
});
}
}
dispatch_group_notify(group, dispatch_get_main_queue(), ^{
NSLog(#"final dictionary: %#", resultsDict);
});
return YES;
}
Output:
2013-07-16 21:02:46.468 d[947:a0b] App launched
2013-07-16 21:02:51.471 d[947:a0b] Received title result
2013-07-16 21:02:56.471 d[947:a0b] Received thumbnail result
2013-07-16 21:02:56.472 d[947:a0b] final dictionary: {
some = "title result";
strings = "thumbnail result";
}

Answer 3

you do not know when the blocks are going to return so you will not know if you have the data at the time, if i may make a suggestion you call a method with in those blocks that method will check to see if both dictionaries are set and if they are then continue with the process otherwise don't continue
- (void)mainMethod
{
[self subMethod1Complete:^(NSMutableArray *results)
{
self.result1 = results;
[self method3];
}
[self subMethod2Complete:^(NSMutableArray *results)
{
self.results2 = results;
[self method3];
}
}
- (void)method3 {
if ( self.results1 != nil && self.results2 != nil ) {
[self startProcedure];
} else {
// do nothing
}
}
although all together i would suggest reworking your code to do this differently, simply because you can't guarantee that one of the blocks will be done by the time of the return, let alone both of them
you can also do something like this
-(NSMutableDictionary *)mainMethod
{
[self subMethod1Complete:^(NSMutableArray *results)
{
}
[self subMethod2Complete:^(NSMutableArray *results)
{
}
while(result == nil)
sleep(1);
//return...
}
which again is really bad.... it's just better to re-write the code