alien_signals 2.1.2

Alien Signals is a reactive state management library that brings the power of signals to Dart and Flutter applications.

2.1.2

• fix: clear queued effects after a failed flush to avoid running skipped effects later
• test: add regression test for failed flush queue cleanup

2.1.1

• fix: remove unsupported @pragma('dart2js:tryInline') on top-level fields for dart2js
• test: add dart2js compile regression test

2.1.0

• preset: Rename SignalNode.update/ComputedNode.update to didUpdate
• preset: Rename ComputedNode.value to currentValue

2.0.1

• pref: replace bitwise flags with inline comments for clarity
• example: add preset playground example

2.0.0

Status: Released (2025-11-26)

🚀 Major Architecture Refactoring

Version 2.0 represents a complete architectural overhaul of alien_signals, introducing a cleaner separation between the user-facing API and the reactive engine implementation. This release improves performance, maintainability, and developer experience while maintaining core functionality.

💥 Breaking Changes

WritableSignal API Changes

• BREAKING: WritableSignal now uses separate methods for reading and writing

  // Before (1.x): signal(value) for both read and write
  final count = signal(0);
  count(5);        // Set value
  count(5, true);  // Set with nulls parameter
  final val = count(); // Get value
    
  // After (2.0): Separate call() for read and set() for write
  final count = signal(0);
  count.set(5);    // Set value - clearer intent
  final val = count(); // Get value - unchanged
  

  • Removed nulls parameter - no longer needed with explicit set() method
  • set() method returns void instead of the value
  • Clearer separation between read and write operations

API Surface Restructuring

• BREAKING: Effect and EffectScope disposal now uses callable syntax () instead of .dispose() method

  // Before: effect.dispose()
  // After:   effect()
  

• BREAKING: Library exports reorganized into layers:
  • Main exports now come from surface.dart (Signal, WritableSignal, Computed, Effect, EffectScope, signal, computed, effect, effectScope)
  • Batch controls remain in preset exports (startBatch, endBatch, trigger)
• BREAKING: Low-level APIs no longer exported by default:
  • getBatchDepth(), getActiveSub(), setActiveSub() now require explicit import from preset.dart
  • Most applications should not need these APIs

Reactive System Changes

• BREAKING: ReactiveSystem refactored from concrete implementation to abstract class

  // Before: const ReactiveSystem system = PresetReactiveSystem();
  // After:  abstract class ReactiveSystem { ... }
  

  • ReactiveSystem is now an abstract base class for custom implementations
  • The preset system internally extends this abstract class
  • Enables advanced users to create custom reactive systems by extending ReactiveSystem
  • Most users won't interact with this directly as it's handled internally by the library

✨ New Features

Manual Trigger Function

• NEW: Added trigger() function for imperatively initiating reactive updates

  trigger(() {
    // Signal accesses here will propagate to subscribers
    someSignal();
  });
  

  • Useful for testing, forced updates, and non-reactive code integration
  • Creates temporary reactive context without persistent effects

🏗️ Architecture Improvements

Layer Separation

• Complete separation into three distinct layers:
  • surface.dart: High-level user-facing API with clean interfaces
  • preset.dart: Reactive engine with node implementations (SignalNode, ComputedNode, EffectNode)
  • system.dart: Core algorithms and data structures (Link, ReactiveNode, ReactiveFlags)
• Better encapsulation with private implementation classes (_SignalImpl, _ComputedImpl, _EffectImpl, _EffectScopeImpl)
• Improved inheritance hierarchy with surface implementations properly extending preset nodes

⚡ Performance Enhancements

• Aggressive inlining: Strategic @pragma annotations on hot paths for better performance
• Optimized dependency tracking: Improved cycle management and link traversal
• Reduced allocations: More efficient memory usage in the reactive graph
• Better cycle detection: Enhanced algorithm for circular dependency detection

📝 Documentation

• Comprehensive API documentation: Added detailed doc comments for all public APIs
• Migration guide: Complete guide for upgrading from 1.x to 2.0
• Code examples: Updated all examples to use new API patterns

🔧 Internal Changes

• Removed legacy code and deprecated patterns
• Improved type safety and null handling
• Cleaner separation of concerns between modules
• More maintainable codebase structure
• Fix trigger dependency cleanup to prevent stale notifications

📦 Migration

See MIGRATION.md for detailed migration instructions from 1.x.

Key migration points:

1. Replace signal(value) with signal.set(value) for write operations
2. Replace .dispose() with () for effects and scopes
3. Add explicit imports for low-level APIs if needed
4. Consider using new trigger() function for one-time reactive operations

🙏 Acknowledgments

Thanks to all contributors and users who provided feedback that shaped this major release.

---

1.0.3

• Restrict preset developer exports to public API
• Rename update method to shouldUpdated

1.0.1

• Change signal interface to use call() instead of .value getter/setter

1.0.0

Status: Released (2025-01-15)

🎉 First Stable Release!

After months of development and multiple beta releases, we're excited to announce the first stable version of Alien Signals for Dart! This release brings a mature, high-performance reactive signal library to the Dart ecosystem.

🚀 What's New in 1.0.0

• Stable API: All APIs are now stable and ready for production use
• Better Dart Integration: Redesigned API that feels natural in Dart
• Enhanced Performance: Optimized reactive system with cycle-based dependency tracking
• Comprehensive Documentation: Complete API documentation and examples
• Production Ready: Battle-tested through beta releases and community feedback

📋 Key Features

• Lightweight & Fast: The lightest signal library for Dart with excellent performance
• Simple API: Easy-to-use signal(), computed(), and effect() functions
• TypeScript Origins: Based on the excellent stackblitz/alien-signals
• Effect Scopes: Manage groups of effects with effectScope()
• Batch Updates: Control reactivity with startBatch() and endBatch()

🎯 Getting Started

import 'package:alien_signals/alien_signals.dart';

void main() {
  // Create a signal
  final count = signal(0);

  // Create a computed value
  final doubled = computed((_) => count.value * 2);

  // Create an effect
  effect(() {
    print('Count: ${count.value}, Doubled: ${doubled.value}');
  });

  // Update the signal
  count.value++; // Prints: Count: 1, Doubled: 2
}

🔧 Migration from Beta

If you're upgrading from a beta version, please see our Migration Guide for detailed instructions.

🙏 Acknowledgments

Special thanks to the StackBlitz team for creating the original alien-signals library and to our community for feedback during the beta period.

---

1.0.0-beta.4

Status: Released(2025-09-30)

• FIX: remove assertion in effectOper

1.0.0-beta.3

Status: Released(2025-09-30)

• FEATURE: Add preset_developer.dart, the basics of exporting Preset

1.0.0-beta.2

Status: Released(2025-09-29)

• Have good auto-imports, avoid auto-importing src
• Effect/EffectScope's call() is renamed to dispose()

1.0.0-beta.1

Status: Released(2025-09-29)

System

• BREAKING CHANGE: sync alien-signal 3.0.0 version
• BREAKING CHANGE: link add a third version count param
• BREAKING CHANGE: remove startTracking and endTracking API

Preset

• BREAKING CHANGE: remove deprecated system.dart entry point export
• BREAKING CHANGE: migrate batchDepth to getBatchDepth()
• BREAKING CHANGE: rename getCurrentSub/setCurrentSub to getActiveSub/setActiveSub
• BREAKING CHANGE: remove getCurrentScope/getCurrentScope, using getActiveScope/setActiveScope
• BREAKING CHANGE: remove signal/computed call(), using .value property
• FEATURE: add Signal,WritableSignal,Computed,Effect abstract interface

0.5.5

Status: Released (2025-09-28)

• Deprecate library entry point of package:alien_signals/system.dart

0.5.4

• perf(system): Move dirty flag declaration outside loop

0.5.3

Sync upstream alien-signals^v2.0.7

• system: Optimize isValidLink implementation
• system: Optimize reactive system dirty flag propagation loop
• system: Refactor reactive system dependency traversal logic
• system: Use explicit nullable types for Link variables
• system: Optimize reactive system flag checking logic
• system: Simplify recursive dependency check

0.5.2

• fix: Introduce per-cycle version to dedupe dependency links

0.5.1

• fix: Remove non-contiguous dep check

0.5.0

• pref: refactor: queue effects in linked effects list
• pref: Add pragma annotations for inlining to startTracking
• BREAKING CHANGE: Remove pauseTracking and resumeTracking
• BREAKING CHANGE: Remove ReactiveFlags, change flags to int type

0.4.4

• perf: Replace magic number with bitwise operation for clarity

0.4.3

• perf: Optimize computed values by using final result value in bit marks calculation (reduces unnecessary computations)
• docs: Add code comments to public API for better documentation

0.4.2

• pref: Add prefer-inline pragmas to core reactive methods. (Thx #17 at @Kypsis)

0.4.1

• refactor: simplifying unlink sub in effect cleanup
• refactor: update pauseTracking and resumeTracking to use setCurrentSub
• refactor(preset): change queuedEffects to map like JS Array
• refactor: remove generic type from effect, effectScope
• refactor: more accurate unwatched handling
• fix: invalidate parent effect when executing effectScope
• test: update untrack tests
• test: use setCurrentSub instead of pauseTracking

NOTE: Sync upstream v2.0.4 version.

0.4.0

Major Changes

• Sync with upstream alien-signal v2.0.1
• Complete package restructuring and reorganization
• Remove workspace structure in favor of a single package repository

Features

• Implement improved reactive system architecture
• Add comprehensive signal management capabilities
  • Add signal() function for creating reactive state
  • Add computed() function for derived state
  • Add effect() function for side effects
  • Add effectScope() for managing groups of effects
• Add batch processing with startBatch() and endBatch()
• Add tracking control with pauseTracking() and resumeTracking()

Development

• Lower minimum Dart SDK requirement to ^3.6.0 (from ^3.7.0)
• Add extensive test suite for reactivity features
• Remove separate packages in favor of a single focused package
• Update CI workflow for multi-SDK testing
• Add comprehensive examples showing signal features

Documentation

• Expanded example code to demonstrate more signal features