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How to get a boolean value from `dataStore Preference` *synchronously*(one-shot) without delay?

It's not really possible. The best you can do is :point_up_2:

It's very wired, when you replace `SharedPrefrence` with `dataStore` to optimize the process but actually you miss very basic requirement like this!

What's your use case for synchronous access to some saved data?

<@U01G9ACGG4S> the problem is that the shared preferences read from internal storage, blocking the main thread while doing it as it is IO. This is a flaw and you should anyway already have used an asynchronous way if you wished to do it correctly (I don't do it but I know I should :smile: )
The data store is there to fix this problem and correctly return a flow that doesn't block the main thread. You have to find a way to do this and adjust your app and perhaps some of the architecture to handle it, coming from a synchronous way and transform it in an asynchronous way is not a trivial task. I for example in a private app return a result (Loading, Error, Success) and while the data "am I signed on or not" is being loaded from the DataStore I show a start screen. ORRR (don't try this at home) wrap the `first()` in a `runBlocking {}` and mess up your apps (startup) performance.

but as with the good old preferences, there is no way to do it without delay. The preferences just masked it

<@U01G9ACGG4S> my answer should cover your usecase. If you want to block the current thread, wrap it with runBlocking {}

<@US36YQXN3> Unfortunately it's not, it's just like normal flow.

<@U3ZLHBTLG> Showing onBoarding(welcome) screens or skip it.

Can you elaborate? You asked a way to be able to get data in a one-shot, which is what my answer gives you.

&gt; Showing onBoarding(welcome) screens or skip it.
Well, you can do that asynchronously

<@U3ZLHBTLG> nope, if do it asynchronously and you need to skip welcome screen so it will be shown for seconds then will skip it.

you should show a splash screen while loading the information

and then decide if you transition to a welcome or some other screen

<@U0156DSJ8RH> Thanks for the explanation it's helpful, so when I use SharedPref then will take the same time that datastore takes but with a frozen UI thread? is this right?

<@U01G9ACGG4S> Look for the new androidx.splashscreen library if not showing the main UI for *milliseconds* (or seconds if the device is insanely slow, which would get your app killed anyway if it lasts 5 seconds), if showing it briefly is an issue.

<@US36YQXN3> I just test it and it takes same time with normal flow:man-shrugging:

By killed, I mean ANR/freeze, but since Android 9 IIRC, if the freeze lasts 5 seconds, the system is more likely to just kill the app.

<@U01G9ACGG4S> you're right, it takes same time of old sharedprefs and new data store. Also, if you dont want it to block the ui thread, just launch it in a new coroutine, even better