about the new `retain` api -- stupid question but ...

# compose

[ursus]

about the new retain api -- stupid question but how is that different from just holding the reference statically?

[jw]

Retain still has a defined lifecycle. Statics match the process lifecycle.

[jw]

We retain while a screen is in the back stack, for example, and propagate that across the activity non config instance during config change

[jw]

But if you leave the back stack we clear that state

[ursus]

hmm how does a composable know about a backstack? do you mean a nav lib has to "implement"something from the retain package in order for it to work?

[jw]

Yes

[jw]

Our back stack provides the lifecycle of each retain scope

[ursus]

so.. out of the box, without a nav lib, its going to be same as a static ref?

[jw]

Out of the box it'll probably do nothing

[Kyant]

If I enable the restrict background activity setting, what happened to the retained things, will them be cleared?

[ursus]

they wont survive process restore