How do I make a Scalaz ZIO lazy?

Question

I have a heavy side-effecting function (think database call) that I want to use as a lazy value, so that it gets called only on first use (and not at all if never used).

How do I do this with ZIO?

If my program looks like this, the function gets called only once (but even the result is not used at all):

import scalaz.zio.IO
import scalaz.zio.console._

object Main extends scalaz.zio.App {

  def longRunningDbAction: IO[Nothing, Integer] = for {
    _ <- putStrLn("Calling the database now")
  } yield 42

  def maybeUseTheValue(x: Integer): IO[Nothing, Unit] = for {
    _ <- putStrLn(s"The database said ${x}")
  } yield ()

  def maybeNeedItAgain(x: Integer): IO[Nothing, Unit] = for {
    _ <- putStrLn("Okay, we did not need it again here.")
  } yield ()

 override def run(args: List[String]): IO[Nothing, Main.ExitStatus] = for {
    valueFromDb <- longRunningDbAction
    _ <- maybeUseTheValue(valueFromDb)
    _ <- maybeNeedItAgain(valueFromDb)
  } yield ExitStatus.ExitNow(0)

}

I suppose I have to pass an IO that produces the Int instead of the already materialized Int, but if I pass in the original IO that just calls the database, it will be called repeatedly:

object Main extends scalaz.zio.App {

  def longRunningDbAction: IO[Nothing, Integer] = for {
    _ <- putStrLn("Calling the database now")
  } yield 42


  def maybeUseTheValue(x: IO[Nothing, Integer]): IO[Nothing, Unit] = for {
    gettingItNow <- x
    _ <- putStrLn(s"The database said ${gettingItNow}")
  } yield ()

  def maybeNeedItAgain(x: IO[Nothing, Integer]): IO[Nothing, Unit] = for {
    gettingItNow <- x
    _ <- putStrLn(s"Okay, we need it again here: ${gettingItNow}")
  } yield ()

  override def run(args: List[String]): IO[Nothing, Main.ExitStatus] = for {
    _ <- maybeUseTheValue(longRunningDbAction)
    _ <- maybeNeedItAgain(longRunningDbAction)
  } yield ExitStatus.ExitNow(0)

}

Is there a way to "wrap" the longRunningDbAction into something that makes it lazy?

Answer 1

ZIO has memoize now.

override def run(args: List[String]): IO[Nothing, Main.ExitStatus] = for {
   valueFromDb <- ZIO.memoize(longRunningDbAction)
   _ <- maybeUseTheValue(valueFromDb)
   _ <- maybeNeedItAgain(valueFromDb)
} yield ExitStatus.ExitNow(0)

It does essentially the same thing as this answer: Source looks like this

/**
   * Returns an effect that, if evaluated, will return the lazily computed result
   * of this effect.
   */
  final def memoize: ZIO[R, Nothing, IO[E, A]] =
    for {
      r <- ZIO.environment[R]
      p <- Promise.make[E, A]
      l <- Promise.make[Nothing, Unit]
      _ <- (l.await *> ((self provide r) to p)).fork
    } yield l.succeed(()) *> p.await