Android implement search with view model and live data

Question

I'm working on a project in android for a udacity course I'm currently trying to implement a search function while adhering to android architecture components and using firestore and room I'm fairly new to all these concepts so please point out anything that seems wrong.

So I made a database repository to keep my firestore and room databases in sync and to deliver the data. I'm then using viewmodel and the observer pattern (I think) so my observer gets the data and looks for changes gives it to my adapter (refreshMyList(List)) which populates a recyclerview like this :

 contactViewModel = ViewModelProviders.of(this).get(ContactsViewModel.class);
 contactViewModel.getAllContacts().observe(this, new 
 Observer<List<DatabaseContacts>>() {
        @Override
        public void onChanged(@Nullable List<DatabaseContacts> 
        databaseContacts) {
            ArrayList<DatabaseContacts> tempList = new ArrayList<>();
            tempList.addAll(databaseContacts);
            contactsAdapter.refreshMyList(tempList);
            if (tempList.size() < 1) {
                results.setVisibility(View.VISIBLE);
            } else {
                results.setVisibility(View.GONE);
            }
        }
    });

I now want to perform a search of the data, I have my room queries all set up fine and I have methods in my data repository to get contacts based on a search string but I cant seem to refresh my list I've read that there are ways to do it like Transformations.switchMap ? but i cant seem to wrap my head around how it works can anyone help me

Currently I'm trying to return a List of results from an async task, it used to return live data but I changed it as getValue() was always null, not sure if that's correct, heres the async :

private static class searchContactByName extends AsyncTask<String, Void, 
ArrayList<DatabaseContacts>> {

    private LiveDatabaseContactsDao mDao;

    searchContactByName(LiveDatabaseContactsDao dao){
        this.mDao = dao;
    }

    @Override
    protected ArrayList<DatabaseContacts> doInBackground(String... params) {
        ArrayList<DatabaseContacts> contactsArrayList = new ArrayList<>();
        mDao.findByName("%" + params[0] + "%");
        return contactsArrayList;
    }
}

I call this from my contacts repository in its own sort of wrapper :

public List<DatabaseContacts> getContactByName(String name) throws 
ExecutionException, InterruptedException {
    //return databaseContactsDao.findByName(name);
    return new searchContactByName(databaseContactsDao).execute(name).get();
}

and this is called from my view model like this :

public List<DatabaseContacts> getContactByName(String name) throws 
ExecutionException, InterruptedException {
    return  contactRepository.getContactByName(name);
}

I'm then calling this from my fragment :

private void searchDatabase(String searchString) throws ExecutionException, 
InterruptedException {
    List<DatabaseContacts> searchedContacts = 
    contactViewModel.getContactByName("%" + searchString + "%");
    ArrayList<DatabaseContacts> contactsArrayList = new ArrayList<>();
    if (searchedContacts !=  null){
        contactsArrayList.addAll(searchedContacts);
        contactsAdapter.refreshMyList(contactsArrayList);
    }
}

and this is called from an on search query text changed method in my onCreateOptionsMenu :

        @Override
        public boolean onQueryTextChange(String newText) {
            try {
                searchDatabase(newText);
            } catch (ExecutionException e) {
                e.printStackTrace();
            } catch (InterruptedException e) {
                e.printStackTrace();
            }
            return false;
        }

but it just does nothing my original recyclerview contents never change any ideas?

Answer 1

you can use Transformation.switchMap to do search operations.

1. In viewmodel create MutableLiveData which has latest search string.

2. Inside viewmodel use:

    LiveData<Data> data = 
    LiveDataTransformations.switchMap(searchStringLiveData, string ->  
    repo.loadData(string)))

3. Return the above live data to activity so it can observe and update view.