Use when observing iii functions with iii.observe, writing filters, reacting to engine events, writing observable functions with owner delivery (onObserverAdded, obs.emit, obs.call), tuning local dispatch, or migrating from the deprecated registerTrigger / registerTriggerType across TypeScript, browser, Python, Rust, and Go.
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Since iii 0.25 every function is observable. iii.observe(source, target, options?) connects a
source function to a target function: each event of the source that passes the observer's filters
invokes the target. It replaces registerTrigger, and an observe descriptor on
registerFunction replaces registerTriggerType. Both old APIs still work in 0.25 (see
Migrating from triggers).
| Part | Fields | Notes |
|---|---|---|
source (left side) | function_id, namespace?, args?, filters?, on?, capture?, deliver? | args only for owner-delivered functions. on (auto only): success (default), error, complete. capture (auto and obs.emit): default ['input', 'output', 'caller'], [] allowed. deliver: envelope (default), input, output |
target (right side) | a registered function id (or { function_id, namespace }) | No inline handler. The observer stays pending until the target is registered |
options | id?, max_fires?, expires_in_ms?, max_in_flight?, metadata? | id defaults to a UUID kept across replays. metadata is the sidecar of every activation |
The source namespace resolves like trigger(): the worker's namespace, except engine::* and
configuration::*, which resolve in default.
Register the target first, then observe. This alerts on failed charges of 500 or more:
import { registerWorker, type Observed } from "iii-sdk";
const iii = registerWorker(process.env.III_URL ?? "ws://localhost:49134");
iii.registerFunction("alerts::payment-failed", async (event: Observed<{ amount: number }>) => {
console.log(event.function_id, event.error?.code, event.input?.amount, event.caller?.worker_name);
return null; // ignored for auto delivery
});
const failures = iii.observe(
{
function_id: "payments::charge",
on: "error",
filters: { "input.amount": { $gte: 500 } },
capture: ["input", "error", "caller"],
},
"alerts::payment-failed",
{ max_in_flight: 4 },
);
await failures.ready(); // rejects with ObserveRejection (error.code) on error or disposed
// later: await failures.dispose()iii.register_function("alerts::payment-failed", lambda event: print(event["error"]["code"]))
failures = iii.observe(
{"function_id": "payments::charge", "on": "error",
"filters": {"input.amount": {"$gte": 500}}, "capture": ["input", "error", "caller"]},
"alerts::payment-failed",
{"max_in_flight": 4},
)
failures.ready() # blocks; in async code: await failures.ready_async()use iii_sdk::{Capture, Error, ObserverOptions, Observed, On, RegisterFunction, Source};
use serde_json::{json, Value};
iii.register_function(
"alerts::payment-failed",
RegisterFunction::new(|event: Observed<Value>| {
println!("{} failed: {:?}", event.function_id, event.error);
Ok::<_, Error>(())
}),
);
let failures = iii.observe_with(
Source::function("payments::charge")
.on(On::Error)
.filters(json!({ "input.amount": { "$gte": 500 } }))
.capture([Capture::Input, Capture::Error, Capture::Caller]),
"alerts::payment-failed",
ObserverOptions::default().max_in_flight(4),
);
failures.ready().await?;client.RegisterFunction("alerts::payment-failed", func(ctx context.Context, data json.RawMessage) (any, error) {
var ev iii.Observed
if err := json.Unmarshal(data, &ev); err != nil {
return nil, err
}
log.Printf("%s failed: %s", ev.FunctionID, ev.Error.Code)
return nil, nil
})
failures, err := client.Observe(iii.Source{
FunctionID: "payments::charge",
On: iii.OnError,
Filters: iii.Filters{"input.amount": iii.Op{"$gte": 500}},
Capture: []iii.Capture{iii.CaptureInput, iii.CaptureError, iii.CaptureCaller},
}, "alerts::payment-failed", iii.ObserverOptions{MaxInFlight: 4})
if err == nil {
err = failures.Ready(ctx) // *iii.ObserveRejectionError carries the code
}The browser SDK (iii-browser-sdk) has the same observe API as Node.
deliver): { observer_id, activation_id, function_id, namespace, invocation_id, status, input?, output?, error?, caller?, metadata?, started_at_ms, duration_ms }.
Only captured fields are present. deliver: 'input' or 'output' sends that value alone.options.metadata arrives as the handler's metadata argument (Node and browser
second argument, Python metadata parameter, the Option<Value> of a Rust
Fn(Value, Option<Value>) handler, Go iii.MetadataFromContext(ctx)).obs.call (below). Drops are counted, never silent.pending (no owner, no ack, or no target yet) → active or error. suspended while the
target is away, or while the observing worker is disconnected (30 s grace, then disposed).
disposed after dispose(), max_fires, or expiry. observe() returns synchronously, works before the connection is up, and is
replayed with the same id on reconnect. onStateChange(listener) (Python on_state_change, Go
OnStateChange, Rust on_state_change) reports every transition with a reason code.
Filters are declarative JSON, evaluated by the same iii-filter language in the engine and every
SDK. Full reference: https://iii.dev/docs/reference/filters.
"<path>": { "$op": operand }. Explicit operators only: { "input.op": "insert" }
is INVALID_FILTER; write { "input.op": { "$eq": "insert" } }. Clauses are ANDed.input, output, error, caller, metadata. A filter may read fields it does not
capture.$eq $ne $in $nin $gt $gte $lt $lte $exists $prefix $any; combinators $and $or $not. $any matches array elements (operator object, or a filter over @).$ne, $nin and $exists: false match an absent path. null is a value. No type
coercion; no implicit fan-out over arrays (use $any).$in items, 16 path segments, 8 KiB as written.request_format / response_format: an unknown
property under a closed schema is INVALID_FILTER_PATH.{ "caller.parent.worker_name": { "$ne": "search-indexer" },
"input.items": { "$any": { "@.sku": { "$prefix": "VIP-" } } } }A function decides how its observers are delivered with an observe descriptor. Full guide:
https://iii.dev/docs/creating-workers/observable-functions.
auto (default) | owner | |
|---|---|---|
| Events | every invocation | what the owner hands over |
| Args | none (INVALID_ARGS if sent) | validated by the engine against args_format |
| Delivery | engine or host SDK, after the call | obs.emit(event) (fire-and-forget) or obs.call(payload) (returns the target's result) |
import { type Observer, ObserveRejection } from "iii-sdk";
const schedules = new Map<string, Set<Observer>>(); // expression -> observers
const onTick = iii.registerFunction(
"cron::on-tick",
async (tick: { expression: string; scheduled_time: string }) => {
for (const obs of schedules.get(tick.expression) ?? []) obs.emit(tick); // false: filters said no
return null;
},
{
observe: {
delivery: "owner",
args_format: { type: "object", required: ["expression"], properties: { expression: { type: "string" } } },
legacy_trigger_type: "cron", // optional: old registerTrigger({ type: 'cron' }) consumers keep working
onObserverAdded(obs) {
const expression = obs.args.expression as string;
if (!isValidCron(expression)) throw new ObserveRejection("INVALID_CRON_EXPRESSION", expression); // your validator
if (!schedules.has(expression)) schedules.set(expression, new Set());
schedules.get(expression)!.add(obs); // index before the ack
},
onObserverRemoved(obs) {
schedules.get(obs.args.expression as string)?.delete(obs);
},
},
},
);
// your scheduler fires: iii.trigger({ function_id: "cron::on-tick", payload: tick }) (runs in-process)
// onTick.isObserved() is one load: skip building events nobody receivesfrom iii import ObserveHooks, ObserveRejection
schedules: dict[str, set] = {} # expression -> observers
def on_tick(tick):
for obs in list(schedules.get(tick["expression"], ())):
obs.emit(tick) # False when the observer's filters reject the tick
def added(obs): # sync or async; raise ObserveRejection(code, message) to refuse
schedules.setdefault(obs.args["expression"], set()).add(obs)
def removed(obs):
schedules.get(obs.args["expression"], set()).discard(obs)
iii.register_function("cron::on-tick", on_tick, observe=ObserveHooks(
delivery="owner",
args_format={"type": "object", "required": ["expression"],
"properties": {"expression": {"type": "string"}}},
on_observer_added=added,
on_observer_removed=removed,
))use iii_sdk::{Error, Observe, ObserveHandler, ObserveRejection, Observer, RegisterFunction};
use schemars::JsonSchema;
use serde::{Deserialize, Serialize};
use std::{collections::HashMap, sync::{Arc, Mutex}};
#[derive(Deserialize, JsonSchema)]
#[serde(deny_unknown_fields)]
struct CronArgs { expression: String }
#[derive(Serialize, Deserialize, JsonSchema)]
struct CronTick { expression: String, scheduled_time: String }
#[derive(Clone, Default)]
struct Schedules(Arc<Mutex<HashMap<String, Vec<Observer>>>>); // expression -> observers
#[async_trait::async_trait] // ObserveHandler needs the async-trait crate
impl ObserveHandler for Schedules {
async fn on_observer_added(&self, obs: &Observer) -> Result<(), ObserveRejection> {
let CronArgs { expression } = obs.args()?; // validated by the engine
self.0.lock().unwrap().entry(expression).or_default().push(obs.clone());
Ok(())
}
async fn on_observer_removed(&self, obs: &Observer) {
for list in self.0.lock().unwrap().values_mut() { list.retain(|o| o.id() != obs.id()); }
}
}
let schedules = Schedules::default();
iii.register_function(
"cron::on-tick",
RegisterFunction::new({
let schedules = schedules.clone();
move |tick: CronTick| {
let observers = schedules.0.lock().unwrap().get(&tick.expression).cloned();
for obs in observers.unwrap_or_default() { obs.emit(&tick)?; } // Ok(false): filters said no
Ok::<_, Error>(())
}
})
.observe(Observe::owner().args_format::<CronArgs>().handler(schedules)),
);// onTick is the function's handler; index is your expression -> observers map.
client.RegisterFunction("cron::on-tick", onTick, iii.RegisterFunctionOptions{Observe: &iii.ObserveHooks{
Delivery: iii.DeliveryOwner,
ArgsFormat: json.RawMessage(`{"type":"object","required":["expression"],"properties":{"expression":{"type":"string"}}}`),
OnObserverAdded: func(ctx context.Context, obs *iii.Observer) error {
expr, _ := obs.Args["expression"].(string)
return index.Add(expr, obs) // or iii.ObserveRejection("INVALID_CRON_EXPRESSION", "...")
},
OnObserverRemoved: func(ctx context.Context, obs *iii.Observer) { index.Remove(obs) },
}})
// inside onTick: ok, err := obs.Emit(ctx, tick); result, err := obs.Call(ctx, payload)Rules:
onObserverAdded runs once per observer, before the ack; the observer turns active only after
it returns. Throwing rejects it (ObserveRejection sets the code, anything else is
OBSERVE_REJECTED, 30 s is OWNER_TIMEOUT). onObserverRemoved cannot fail.obs.args and never edits filters: the SDK checks the observer's filters in
emit and call. obs.matches(doc) checks them up front.obs.emit returns false when the filters reject the event or the observer is inactive.
obs.call rejects with FILTERS_NOT_MATCHED or OBSERVER_NOT_ACTIVE; both throw
NOT_OWNER_DELIVERED on an auto function. obs.reject(code, message) is a late rejection.args_format with delivery: 'auto' fails at registration (INVALID_OBSERVE_DESCRIPTOR).
allow: false refuses every observer (NOT_OBSERVABLE). obs.legacy is set for observers the
engine created from an old registerTrigger (its config replaces the args).A worker calling a function it registered itself runs it in-process once the engine confirmed it
(functionregistered): no frames when nobody observes it; matching calls are reported in batches.
The handler gets a copy of the payload, there is no 16 MiB limit on that path, and a Rust sync
handler runs inline on the caller's task. Opt out per call (dispatch: 'remote', Rust
.dispatch(Dispatch::Remote), Go Dispatch: iii.DispatchRemote), per function
(localDispatch: false, Python local_dispatch=False, Rust .local_dispatch(false), Go
LocalDispatch: &off), or engine-wide (observers.local_dispatch: false). Enqueue calls always
go through the engine.
caller is { worker_id, worker_name, function_id?, invocation_id?, parent? }. worker_* is
stamped by the engine; parent is the caller of the handler the call came from, one level only.
Filter on it to stop echo loops: { "caller.parent.worker_name": { "$ne": "indexer" } }.iii.currentInvocation() (Python iii.current_invocation(),
Rust iii_sdk::current_invocation(), Go iii.InvocationFromContext(ctx)). In Go pass the
handler's ctx to Trigger; in Rust code you tokio::spawn loses it unless wrapped in
iii_sdk::scope(ctx, fut); in the browser it ends at the first await (use
iii.withInvocation(inv, fn)).observers.max_observe_depth (default 8) it
is dropped as LOOP_GUARD. A target equal to the observed function is SELF_TARGET.Auto functions in the default namespace whose events the engine emits. They have no output, so
observe them with deliver: 'input'. Calling one directly is FORBIDDEN. The old trigger types
keep firing.
| Function | Replaces trigger type | input |
|---|---|---|
engine::on-functions-changed | engine::functions-available | { event: "functions_changed", functions: [...] }, bursts coalesced (~100 ms) |
engine::on-workers-changed | engine::workers-available | { event, worker_id }, event one of worker_connected, worker_disconnected, worker_metadata_updated |
configuration::on-updated | configuration | { type, event_type, id, name, ... }, no value (read it with configuration::get) |
observability::on-log | log | one log record |
observability::on-span | trace | { trace_ids: [...] } per window (~300 ms) |
iii.observe({ function_id: "engine::on-workers-changed", deliver: "input" }, "ops::on-worker");
iii.observe(
{ function_id: "configuration::on-updated", deliver: "input",
filters: { "input.id": { $eq: "orders" }, "input.event_type": { $eq: "configuration:updated" } } },
"orders::reload",
);
// observability::* does not resolve to default automatically: name it from a namespaced worker
iii.observe(
{ function_id: "observability::on-log", namespace: "default", deliver: "input",
filters: { "input.severity_text": { $eq: "ERROR" } } },
"alerts::log",
);registerTrigger and registerTriggerType (every SDK and spelling) are deprecated in 0.25. They
keep working, log one warning per process, and will be removed in a future release. Guide:
https://iii.dev/docs/upgrading/from-0-24-x.
| 0.24 | 0.25 |
|---|---|
registerTrigger({ type, function_id, config, metadata }) | observe({ function_id: <source>, args: config, filters }, function_id, { metadata }) |
trigger.unregister() | handle.dispose() |
registerTriggerType({ id }, handler) | registerFunction('<worker>::on-<event>', handler, { observe: { delivery: 'owner', ... } }) |
TriggerHandler.registerTrigger(config) / unregisterTrigger | onObserverAdded(obs) (obs.args) / onObserverRemoved(obs) |
provider fan-out with iii.trigger(binding.function_id) | obs.emit(event) or obs.call(payload) |
trigger_request_format / call_request_format | observe.args_format / the function's request_format |
condition_function_id | filters for declarative conditions; a condition that needs code stays on registerTrigger or moves into the target |
The built-in providers have not migrated in 0.25. The http, cron, queue
(durable:subscriber), state, stream, pubsub (subscribe) and database workers still
register trigger types and do not host source functions (http::on-request, cron::on-tick, ...)
yet. Keep registerTrigger for them; the warning is informational. Use observe for regular
functions, the engine-hosted sources above, and providers that ship source functions. A provider
that migrates declares legacy_trigger_type so existing registerTrigger consumers keep working.
| When | Codes |
|---|---|
Creating an observer (ready() rejects) | UNSUPPORTED (engine older than 0.25, or an unknown on/capture/deliver), INVALID_ARGS, INVALID_FILTER, INVALID_FILTER_PATH, NOT_OBSERVABLE, FORBIDDEN, SELF_TARGET, LIMIT_EXCEEDED, OBSERVER_ID_CONFLICT, OWNER_TIMEOUT, OBSERVE_REJECTED, or the owner's own code |
obs.call | FILTERS_NOT_MATCHED, OBSERVER_NOT_ACTIVE, NOT_OWNER_DELIVERED, OBSERVER_NOT_FOUND, NOT_FUNCTION_OWNER, TARGET_MISMATCH, LOOP_GUARD, OVERFLOW, TIMEOUT, or the target's error |
| State reasons | OWNER_UNAVAILABLE, TARGET_UNAVAILABLE, OBSERVER_DISCONNECTED, EXPIRED, MAX_FIRES, UNOBSERVED |
| Drop reasons (metrics) | INACTIVE, LOOP_GUARD, MAX_FIRES, OVERFLOW, REPORTER_NOT_OWNER, CANCELLED, INVALID_REPORT, BUFFER_FULL, TOO_LARGE |
Inspect observers with engine::observers::list({ function_id?, namespace?, worker? }) and
engine::observers::get({ id }); engine::observers::dispose({ id }) removes one. Docs:
https://iii.dev/docs/using-iii/observers.
registerTrigger / registerTriggerType code to 0.25, or when a
deprecation warning about them appears.http, cron, queue, state, stream, pub/sub, or database events in
0.25, use registerTrigger as taught in iii-core-primitives; those providers have not migrated.observers: engine config section and RBAC hooks, use iii-engine-config.iii-sdk-reference; for error handling in general,
use iii-error-handling.http::on-request, cron::on-tick, database::on-row-changed)
as available: they exist only once the provider worker ships them.iii-hq/iii
618a6fb
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