Promisify stop()?

[haadcode]

We currently return from stop() with a callback.

In order to stop IPFS properly, we write:

ipfs.stop(() => {
// do other shutdown things
})

I find myself often preferring to use Promises and more recently await. As per IPFS api functions, we return a Promise (or callback) and I find it confusing that stop() is only callback.

If we returned a Promise, we would write:

ipfs.stop().then(() => {
// do other shutdown things
})

// Or:
await ipfs.stop()
// do other shutdown things

I'd like to propose we promisify the stop function.

We would keep the original callback in addition to returning a Promise, same as we do for API functions and the start() function.

How does everyone feel about this?

I'd be happy to PR this, but this would be a great task for first contributors if someone wants to work on it!

[mitra42]

Absolutely - the functions with only callbacks add substantial weirdness to building anything on top of it. (Block.get and Block.put are two others that I have to promisify in my code).

[daviddias]

@haadcode sounds good! Seems that we missed that one. Wanna submit that as a PR?

[daviddias]

@mitra42 just noticed that indeed block.get and block.put are not promisified, wanna add a PR with that? https:/ipfs/js-ipfs/blob/master/src/core/components/block.js#L11-L15

[mitra42]

All we are doing is

    _makepromises() {
        this.promisified = { ipfs: { block: {
            put: promisify(this.ipfs.block.put),
            get: promisify(this.ipfs.block.get)
        }}}
    }

Then call

await this.promisified.ipfs.block.get(cid)

as part of the workaround to the bug in #1049
Which i don't think is what you want for a PR. (I'm assuming what you want is something that tests for existence of a callback and returns a promise in its absence ?

Anyway ... I haven't done any PRs for IPFS because given all the multiple repositories etc I have zero confidence in finding accurate docs to do the full cycle - clone; edit; test; submit PR, especially not to do something that breaks other code elsewhere in IPFS.

[haadcode]

PR for promisifying stop is here #1082. cc @diasdavid

[haadcode]

@mitra42 @diasdavid I went ahead and PRed the promisified block functions here #1085. We also need updated tests from ipfs-inactive/interface-js-ipfs-core#170 to merge it.

[daviddias]

thank you so much @haadcode 🌟

@mitra42 if you happen to have the intention to try, I'm happy to provide you pointers and help when you get blocked. Right now, you can check how @haadcode submitted this PRs so that you can learn what was necessary.