We learned about ❚ scan and ❚ reduce. Here is how you can use them to count the number of values emitted on an input stream:

In scan, the accumulator function accumulated values. In the example above, it only increments the acc (accumulation) and the values are ignored. The acc is emitted as a count value.

On the one hand, ❚ scan progressively emits on the output stream the current number of values emitted on the input stream. On the other hand, ❚ reduce emits the count only when the input stream completes. If the input stream never completes, the output stream will never emit the count.

In RxJS, you actually have a ❚ count operator. It is equivalent to the ❚ reduce card seen above:

This is how ❚ count operates with one input stream:

• When the input stream completes, the output stream:
  • emits the number of values emitted on the input stream
  • and immediately completes

Count values that satisfy a predicate

Can you update the cards above to count the number of ✼?

You can slightly modify the accumulator function to increment the acc only when the input value is ✼:

In RxJS, you can simply use ❚ count with a predicate:

This is how ❚ count operates with one input stream and a predicate:

• When the input stream completes, the output stream:
  • emits the number of values emitted on the input stream that satisfied the predicate
  • and immediately completes

See also

max