Is there any reason that `channelFlow` doesn't expose something like `fun channelFlow(buffer: Int = ...

# coroutines

[kevin.cianfarini]

Is there any reason that channelFlow doesn't expose something like fun channelFlow(buffer: Int = ...) And instead we have to call .buffer downstream?

[Zach Klippenstein (he/him) [MOD]]

It would be confusing to have code that looks like:

channelFlow(buffer = UNLIMITED) {
  …
}.conflate()

Because the two buffer specifications would compete (since the operators are fused under the hood and use a single channel), and only one of the specifications would actually be used.

[kevin.cianfarini]

The missing piece I had was that operators are fused.

[kevin.cianfarini]

knowing that solves this question

[kevin.cianfarini]

here's the bit in question

return if (this is ChannelFlow)
        update(capacity = capacity)
    else
        ChannelFlowOperatorImpl(this, capacity = capacity)

[kevin.cianfarini]

and from the docs for anyone who reads this later

Adjacent applications of channelFlow, flowOn, buffer, produceIn, and broadcastIn are always fused so that only one properly configured channel is used for execution.