[angularjs] AngularJS : How to watch service variables?

I have a service, say:

factory('aService', ['$rootScope', '$resource', function ($rootScope, $resource) {
  var service = {
    foo: []
  };

  return service;
}]);

And I would like to use foo to control a list that is rendered in HTML:

<div ng-controller="FooCtrl">
  <div ng-repeat="item in foo">{{ item }}</div>
</div>

In order for the controller to detect when aService.foo is updated I have cobbled together this pattern where I add aService to the controller's $scope and then use $scope.$watch():

function FooCtrl($scope, aService) {                                                                                                                              
  $scope.aService = aService;
  $scope.foo = aService.foo;

  $scope.$watch('aService.foo', function (newVal, oldVal, scope) {
    if(newVal) { 
      scope.foo = newVal;
    }
  });
}

This feels long-handed, and I've been repeating it in every controller that uses the service's variables. Is there a better way to accomplish watching shared variables?

I have written two simple utility services that help me track service properties changes.

If you want to skip the long explanation, you can go strait to jsfiddle

1. WatchObj

mod.service('WatchObj', ['$rootScope', WatchObjService]);_x000D_
_x000D_
function WatchObjService($rootScope) {_x000D_
  // returns watch function_x000D_
  // obj: the object to watch for_x000D_
  // fields: the array of fields to watch_x000D_
  // target: where to assign changes (usually it's $scope or controller instance)_x000D_
  // $scope: optional, if not provided $rootScope is use_x000D_
  return function watch_obj(obj, fields, target, $scope) {_x000D_
    $scope = $scope || $rootScope;_x000D_
    //initialize watches and create an array of "unwatch functions"_x000D_
    var watched = fields.map(function(field) {_x000D_
      return $scope.$watch(_x000D_
        function() {_x000D_
          return obj[field];_x000D_
        },_x000D_
        function(new_val) {_x000D_
          target[field] = new_val;_x000D_
        }_x000D_
      );_x000D_
    });_x000D_
    //unregister function will unregister all our watches_x000D_
    var unregister = function unregister_watch_obj() {_x000D_
      watched.map(function(unregister) {_x000D_
        unregister();_x000D_
      });_x000D_
    };_x000D_
    //automatically unregister when scope is destroyed_x000D_
    $scope.$on('$destroy', unregister);_x000D_
    return unregister;_x000D_
  };_x000D_
}

This service is used in the controller in the following way: Suppose you have a service "testService" with the properties 'prop1', 'prop2', 'prop3'. You want to watch and assign to scope 'prop1' and 'prop2'. With the watch service it will look like that:

app.controller('TestWatch', ['$scope', 'TestService', 'WatchObj', TestWatchCtrl]);_x000D_
_x000D_
function TestWatchCtrl($scope, testService, watch) {_x000D_
  $scope.prop1 = testService.prop1;_x000D_
  $scope.prop2 = testService.prop2;_x000D_
  $scope.prop3 = testService.prop3;_x000D_
  watch(testService, ['prop1', 'prop2'], $scope, $scope);_x000D_
}

2. apply Watch obj is great, but it is not enough if you have asynchronous code in your service. For that case, I use a second utility which looks like that:

mod.service('apply', ['$timeout', ApplyService]);_x000D_
_x000D_
function ApplyService($timeout) {_x000D_
  return function apply() {_x000D_
    $timeout(function() {});_x000D_
  };_x000D_
}

I would trigger it in the end of my async code to trigger the $digest loop. Like that:

app.service('TestService', ['apply', TestService]);_x000D_
_x000D_
function TestService(apply) {_x000D_
  this.apply = apply;_x000D_
}_x000D_
TestService.prototype.test3 = function() {_x000D_
  setTimeout(function() {_x000D_
    this.prop1 = 'changed_test_2';_x000D_
    this.prop2 = 'changed2_test_2';_x000D_
    this.prop3 = 'changed3_test_2';_x000D_
    this.apply(); //trigger $digest loop_x000D_
  }.bind(this));_x000D_
}

So, all of that together will look like that (you can run it or open fiddle):

// TEST app code_x000D_
_x000D_
var app = angular.module('app', ['watch_utils']);_x000D_
_x000D_
app.controller('TestWatch', ['$scope', 'TestService', 'WatchObj', TestWatchCtrl]);_x000D_
_x000D_
function TestWatchCtrl($scope, testService, watch) {_x000D_
  $scope.prop1 = testService.prop1;_x000D_
  $scope.prop2 = testService.prop2;_x000D_
  $scope.prop3 = testService.prop3;_x000D_
  watch(testService, ['prop1', 'prop2'], $scope, $scope);_x000D_
  $scope.test1 = function() {_x000D_
    testService.test1();_x000D_
  };_x000D_
  $scope.test2 = function() {_x000D_
    testService.test2();_x000D_
  };_x000D_
  $scope.test3 = function() {_x000D_
    testService.test3();_x000D_
  };_x000D_
}_x000D_
_x000D_
app.service('TestService', ['apply', TestService]);_x000D_
_x000D_
function TestService(apply) {_x000D_
  this.apply = apply;_x000D_
  this.reset();_x000D_
}_x000D_
TestService.prototype.reset = function() {_x000D_
  this.prop1 = 'unchenged';_x000D_
  this.prop2 = 'unchenged2';_x000D_
  this.prop3 = 'unchenged3';_x000D_
}_x000D_
TestService.prototype.test1 = function() {_x000D_
  this.prop1 = 'changed_test_1';_x000D_
  this.prop2 = 'changed2_test_1';_x000D_
  this.prop3 = 'changed3_test_1';_x000D_
}_x000D_
TestService.prototype.test2 = function() {_x000D_
  setTimeout(function() {_x000D_
    this.prop1 = 'changed_test_2';_x000D_
    this.prop2 = 'changed2_test_2';_x000D_
    this.prop3 = 'changed3_test_2';_x000D_
  }.bind(this));_x000D_
}_x000D_
TestService.prototype.test3 = function() {_x000D_
  setTimeout(function() {_x000D_
    this.prop1 = 'changed_test_2';_x000D_
    this.prop2 = 'changed2_test_2';_x000D_
    this.prop3 = 'changed3_test_2';_x000D_
    this.apply();_x000D_
  }.bind(this));_x000D_
}_x000D_
//END TEST APP CODE_x000D_
_x000D_
//WATCH UTILS_x000D_
var mod = angular.module('watch_utils', []);_x000D_
_x000D_
mod.service('apply', ['$timeout', ApplyService]);_x000D_
_x000D_
function ApplyService($timeout) {_x000D_
  return function apply() {_x000D_
    $timeout(function() {});_x000D_
  };_x000D_
}_x000D_
_x000D_
mod.service('WatchObj', ['$rootScope', WatchObjService]);_x000D_
_x000D_
function WatchObjService($rootScope) {_x000D_
  // target not always equals $scope, for example when using bindToController syntax in _x000D_
  //directives_x000D_
  return function watch_obj(obj, fields, target, $scope) {_x000D_
    // if $scope is not provided, $rootScope is used_x000D_
    $scope = $scope || $rootScope;_x000D_
    var watched = fields.map(function(field) {_x000D_
      return $scope.$watch(_x000D_
        function() {_x000D_
          return obj[field];_x000D_
        },_x000D_
        function(new_val) {_x000D_
          target[field] = new_val;_x000D_
        }_x000D_
      );_x000D_
    });_x000D_
    var unregister = function unregister_watch_obj() {_x000D_
      watched.map(function(unregister) {_x000D_
        unregister();_x000D_
      });_x000D_
    };_x000D_
    $scope.$on('$destroy', unregister);_x000D_
    return unregister;_x000D_
  };_x000D_
}

<script src="https://ajax.googleapis.com/ajax/libs/jquery/2.1.1/jquery.min.js"></script>_x000D_
<script src="https://ajax.googleapis.com/ajax/libs/angularjs/1.2.23/angular.min.js"></script>_x000D_
<div class='test' ng-app="app" ng-controller="TestWatch">_x000D_
  prop1: {{prop1}}_x000D_
  <br>prop2: {{prop2}}_x000D_
  <br>prop3 (unwatched): {{prop3}}_x000D_
  <br>_x000D_
  <button ng-click="test1()">_x000D_
    Simple props change_x000D_
  </button>_x000D_
  <button ng-click="test2()">_x000D_
    Async props change_x000D_
  </button>_x000D_
  <button ng-click="test3()">_x000D_
    Async props change with apply_x000D_
  </button>_x000D_
</div>

As far as I can tell, you dont have to do something as elaborate as that. You have already assigned foo from the service to your scope and since foo is an array ( and in turn an object it is assigned by reference! ). So, all that you need to do is something like this :

function FooCtrl($scope, aService) {                                                                                                                              
  $scope.foo = aService.foo;

 }

If some, other variable in this same Ctrl is dependant on foo changing then yes, you would need a watch to observe foo and make changes to that variable. But as long as it is a simple reference watching is unnecessary. Hope this helps.

I've seen some terrible observer patterns here that cause memory leaks on large applications.

I might be a little late but it's as simple as this.

The watch function watches for reference changes (primitive types) if you want to watch something like array push simply use:

someArray.push(someObj); someArray = someArray.splice(0);

This will update the reference and update the watch from anywhere. Including a services getter method. Anything that's a primitive will be updated automatically.

For those like me just looking for a simple solution, this does almost exactly what you expect from using normal $watch in controllers. The only difference is, that it evaluates the string in it's javascript context and not on a specific scope. You'll have to inject $rootScope into your service, although it is only used to hook into the digest cycles properly.

function watch(target, callback, deep) {
    $rootScope.$watch(function () {return eval(target);}, callback, deep);
};

Building on dtheodor's answer you could use something similar to the below to ensure that you don't forget to unregister the callback... Some may object to passing the $scope to a service though.

factory('aService', function() {
  var observerCallbacks = [];

  /**
   * Registers a function that will be called when
   * any modifications are made.
   *
   * For convenience the callback is called immediately after registering
   * which can be prevented with `preventImmediate` param.
   *
   * Will also automatically unregister the callback upon scope destory.
   */
  this.registerObserver = function($scope, cb, preventImmediate){
    observerCallbacks.push(cb);

    if (preventImmediate !== true) {
      cb();
    }

    $scope.$on('$destroy', function () {
      observerCallbacks.remove(cb);
    });
  };

  function notifyObservers() {
    observerCallbacks.forEach(function (cb) {
      cb();
    });
  };

  this.foo = someNgResource.query().$then(function(){
    notifyObservers();
  });
});

Array.remove is an extension method which looks like this:

/**
 * Removes the given item the current array.
 *
 * @param  {Object}  item   The item to remove.
 * @return {Boolean}        True if the item is removed.
 */
Array.prototype.remove = function (item /*, thisp */) {
    var idx = this.indexOf(item);

    if (idx > -1) {
        this.splice(idx, 1);

        return true;
    }
    return false;
};

I came to this question but it turned out my problem was that I was using setInterval when I should have been using the angular $interval provider. This is also the case for setTimeout (use $timeout instead). I know it's not the answer to the OP's question, but it might help some, as it helped me.

I stumbled upon this question looking for something similar, but I think it deserves a thorough explanation of what's going on, as well as some additional solutions.

When an angular expression such as the one you used is present in the HTML, Angular automatically sets up a $watch for $scope.foo, and will update the HTML whenever $scope.foo changes.

<div ng-controller="FooCtrl">
  <div ng-repeat="item in foo">{{ item }}</div>
</div>

The unsaid issue here is that one of two things are affecting aService.foo such that the changes are undetected. These two possibilities are:

1. aService.foo is getting set to a new array each time, causing the reference to it to be outdated.
2. aService.foo is being updated in such a way that a $digest cycle is not triggered on the update.

Problem 1: Outdated References

Considering the first possibility, assuming a $digest is being applied, if aService.foo was always the same array, the automatically set $watch would detect the changes, as shown in the code snippet below.

Solution 1-a: Make sure the array or object is the same object on each update

angular.module('myApp', [])_x000D_
  .factory('aService', [_x000D_
    '$interval',_x000D_
    function($interval) {_x000D_
      var service = {_x000D_
        foo: []_x000D_
      };_x000D_
_x000D_
      // Create a new array on each update, appending the previous items and _x000D_
      // adding one new item each time_x000D_
      $interval(function() {_x000D_
        if (service.foo.length < 10) {_x000D_
          var newArray = []_x000D_
          Array.prototype.push.apply(newArray, service.foo);_x000D_
          newArray.push(Math.random());_x000D_
          service.foo = newArray;_x000D_
        }_x000D_
      }, 1000);_x000D_
_x000D_
      return service;_x000D_
    }_x000D_
  ])_x000D_
  .factory('aService2', [_x000D_
    '$interval',_x000D_
    function($interval) {_x000D_
      var service = {_x000D_
        foo: []_x000D_
      };_x000D_
_x000D_
      // Keep the same array, just add new items on each update_x000D_
      $interval(function() {_x000D_
        if (service.foo.length < 10) {_x000D_
          service.foo.push(Math.random());_x000D_
        }_x000D_
      }, 1000);_x000D_
_x000D_
      return service;_x000D_
    }_x000D_
  ])_x000D_
  .controller('FooCtrl', [_x000D_
    '$scope',_x000D_
    'aService',_x000D_
    'aService2',_x000D_
    function FooCtrl($scope, aService, aService2) {_x000D_
      $scope.foo = aService.foo;_x000D_
      $scope.foo2 = aService2.foo;_x000D_
    }_x000D_
  ]);

<!DOCTYPE html>_x000D_
<html>_x000D_
_x000D_
<head>_x000D_
  <script src="https://ajax.googleapis.com/ajax/libs/angularjs/1.2.23/angular.min.js"></script>_x000D_
  <link rel="stylesheet" href="style.css" />_x000D_
  <script src="script.js"></script>_x000D_
</head>_x000D_
_x000D_
<body ng-app="myApp">_x000D_
  <div ng-controller="FooCtrl">_x000D_
    <h1>Array changes on each update</h1>_x000D_
    <div ng-repeat="item in foo">{{ item }}</div>_x000D_
    <h1>Array is the same on each udpate</h1>_x000D_
    <div ng-repeat="item in foo2">{{ item }}</div>_x000D_
  </div>_x000D_
</body>_x000D_
_x000D_
</html>

As you can see, the ng-repeat supposedly attached to aService.foo does not update when aService.foo changes, but the ng-repeat attached to aService2.foo does. This is because our reference to aService.foo is outdated, but our reference to aService2.foo is not. We created a reference to the initial array with $scope.foo = aService.foo;, which was then discarded by the service on it's next update, meaning $scope.foo no longer referenced the array we wanted anymore.

However, while there are several ways to make sure the initial reference is kept in tact, sometimes it may be necessary to change the object or array. Or what if the service property references a primitive like a String or Number? In those cases, we cannot simply rely on a reference. So what can we do?

Several of the answers given previously already give some solutions to that problem. However, I am personally in favor of using the simple method suggested by Jin and thetallweeks in the comments:

just reference aService.foo in the html markup

Solution 1-b: Attach the service to the scope, and reference {service}.{property} in the HTML.

Meaning, just do this:

HTML:

<div ng-controller="FooCtrl">
  <div ng-repeat="item in aService.foo">{{ item }}</div>
</div>

JS:

function FooCtrl($scope, aService) {
    $scope.aService = aService;
}

angular.module('myApp', [])_x000D_
  .factory('aService', [_x000D_
    '$interval',_x000D_
    function($interval) {_x000D_
      var service = {_x000D_
        foo: []_x000D_
      };_x000D_
_x000D_
      // Create a new array on each update, appending the previous items and _x000D_
      // adding one new item each time_x000D_
      $interval(function() {_x000D_
        if (service.foo.length < 10) {_x000D_
          var newArray = []_x000D_
          Array.prototype.push.apply(newArray, service.foo);_x000D_
          newArray.push(Math.random());_x000D_
          service.foo = newArray;_x000D_
        }_x000D_
      }, 1000);_x000D_
_x000D_
      return service;_x000D_
    }_x000D_
  ])_x000D_
  .controller('FooCtrl', [_x000D_
    '$scope',_x000D_
    'aService',_x000D_
    function FooCtrl($scope, aService) {_x000D_
      $scope.aService = aService;_x000D_
    }_x000D_
  ]);

<!DOCTYPE html>_x000D_
<html>_x000D_
_x000D_
<head>_x000D_
  <script data-require="[email protected]" data-semver="1.4.7" src="https://ajax.googleapis.com/ajax/libs/angularjs/1.4.7/angular.js"></script>_x000D_
  <link rel="stylesheet" href="style.css" />_x000D_
  <script src="script.js"></script>_x000D_
</head>_x000D_
_x000D_
<body ng-app="myApp">_x000D_
  <div ng-controller="FooCtrl">_x000D_
    <h1>Array changes on each update</h1>_x000D_
    <div ng-repeat="item in aService.foo">{{ item }}</div>_x000D_
  </div>_x000D_
</body>_x000D_
_x000D_
</html>

That way, the $watch will resolve aService.foo on each $digest, which will get the correctly updated value.

This is kind of what you were trying to do with your workaround, but in a much less round about way. You added an unnecessary $watch in the controller which explicitly puts foo on the $scope whenever it changes. You don't need that extra $watch when you attach aService instead of aService.foo to the $scope, and bind explicitly to aService.foo in the markup.

Now that's all well and good assuming a $digest cycle is being applied. In my examples above, I used Angular's $interval service to update the arrays, which automatically kicks off a $digest loop after each update. But what if the service variables (for whatever reason) aren't getting updated inside the "Angular world". In other words, we dont have a $digest cycle being activated automatically whenever the service property changes?

Problem 2: Missing $digest

Many of the solutions here will solve this issue, but I agree with Code Whisperer:

The reason why we're using a framework like Angular is to not cook up our own observer patterns

Therefore, I would prefer to continue to use the aService.foo reference in the HTML markup as shown in the second example above, and not have to register an additional callback within the Controller.

Solution 2: Use a setter and getter with $rootScope.$apply()

I was surprised no one has yet suggested the use of a setter and getter. This capability was introduced in ECMAScript5, and has thus been around for years now. Of course, that means if, for whatever reason, you need to support really old browsers, then this method will not work, but I feel like getters and setters are vastly underused in JavaScript. In this particular case, they could be quite useful:

factory('aService', [
  '$rootScope',
  function($rootScope) {
    var realFoo = [];

    var service = {
      set foo(a) {
        realFoo = a;
        $rootScope.$apply();
      },
      get foo() {
        return realFoo;
      }
    };
  // ...
}

angular.module('myApp', [])_x000D_
  .factory('aService', [_x000D_
    '$rootScope',_x000D_
    function($rootScope) {_x000D_
      var realFoo = [];_x000D_
_x000D_
      var service = {_x000D_
        set foo(a) {_x000D_
          realFoo = a;_x000D_
          $rootScope.$apply();_x000D_
        },_x000D_
        get foo() {_x000D_
          return realFoo;_x000D_
        }_x000D_
      };_x000D_
_x000D_
      // Create a new array on each update, appending the previous items and _x000D_
      // adding one new item each time_x000D_
      setInterval(function() {_x000D_
        if (service.foo.length < 10) {_x000D_
          var newArray = [];_x000D_
          Array.prototype.push.apply(newArray, service.foo);_x000D_
          newArray.push(Math.random());_x000D_
          service.foo = newArray;_x000D_
        }_x000D_
      }, 1000);_x000D_
_x000D_
      return service;_x000D_
    }_x000D_
  ])_x000D_
  .controller('FooCtrl', [_x000D_
    '$scope',_x000D_
    'aService',_x000D_
    function FooCtrl($scope, aService) {_x000D_
      $scope.aService = aService;_x000D_
    }_x000D_
  ]);

<!DOCTYPE html>_x000D_
<html>_x000D_
_x000D_
<head>_x000D_
  <script src="https://ajax.googleapis.com/ajax/libs/angularjs/1.2.23/angular.min.js"></script>_x000D_
  <link rel="stylesheet" href="style.css" />_x000D_
  <script src="script.js"></script>_x000D_
</head>_x000D_
_x000D_
<body ng-app="myApp">_x000D_
  <div ng-controller="FooCtrl">_x000D_
    <h1>Using a Getter/Setter</h1>_x000D_
    <div ng-repeat="item in aService.foo">{{ item }}</div>_x000D_
  </div>_x000D_
</body>_x000D_
_x000D_
</html>

Here I added a 'private' variable in the service function: realFoo. This get's updated and retrieved using the get foo() and set foo() functions respectively on the service object.

Note the use of $rootScope.$apply() in the set function. This ensures that Angular will be aware of any changes to service.foo. If you get 'inprog' errors see this useful reference page, or if you use Angular >= 1.3 you can just use $rootScope.$applyAsync().

Also be wary of this if aService.foo is being updated very frequently, since that could significantly impact performance. If performance would be an issue, you could set up an observer pattern similar to the other answers here using the setter.

==UPDATED==

Very simple now in $watch.

Pen here.

HTML:

<div class="container" data-ng-app="app">

  <div class="well" data-ng-controller="FooCtrl">
    <p><strong>FooController</strong></p>
    <div class="row">
      <div class="col-sm-6">
        <p><a href="" ng-click="setItems([ { name: 'I am single item' } ])">Send one item</a></p>
        <p><a href="" ng-click="setItems([ { name: 'Item 1 of 2' }, { name: 'Item 2 of 2' } ])">Send two items</a></p>
        <p><a href="" ng-click="setItems([ { name: 'Item 1 of 3' }, { name: 'Item 2 of 3' }, { name: 'Item 3 of 3' } ])">Send three items</a></p>
      </div>
      <div class="col-sm-6">
        <p><a href="" ng-click="setName('Sheldon')">Send name: Sheldon</a></p>
        <p><a href="" ng-click="setName('Leonard')">Send name: Leonard</a></p>
        <p><a href="" ng-click="setName('Penny')">Send name: Penny</a></p>
      </div>
    </div>
  </div>

  <div class="well" data-ng-controller="BarCtrl">
    <p><strong>BarController</strong></p>
    <p ng-if="name">Name is: {{ name }}</p>
    <div ng-repeat="item in items">{{ item.name }}</div>
  </div>

</div>

JavaScript:

var app = angular.module('app', []);

app.factory('PostmanService', function() {
  var Postman = {};
  Postman.set = function(key, val) {
    Postman[key] = val;
  };
  Postman.get = function(key) {
    return Postman[key];
  };
  Postman.watch = function($scope, key, onChange) {
    return $scope.$watch(
      // This function returns the value being watched. It is called for each turn of the $digest loop
      function() {
        return Postman.get(key);
      },
      // This is the change listener, called when the value returned from the above function changes
      function(newValue, oldValue) {
        if (newValue !== oldValue) {
          // Only update if the value changed
          $scope[key] = newValue;
          // Run onChange if it is function
          if (angular.isFunction(onChange)) {
            onChange(newValue, oldValue);
          }
        }
      }
    );
  };
  return Postman;
});

app.controller('FooCtrl', ['$scope', 'PostmanService', function($scope, PostmanService) {
  $scope.setItems = function(items) {
    PostmanService.set('items', items);
  };
  $scope.setName = function(name) {
    PostmanService.set('name', name);
  };
}]);

app.controller('BarCtrl', ['$scope', 'PostmanService', function($scope, PostmanService) {
  $scope.items = [];
  $scope.name = '';
  PostmanService.watch($scope, 'items');
  PostmanService.watch($scope, 'name', function(newVal, oldVal) {
    alert('Hi, ' + newVal + '!');
  });
}]);

You can insert the service in $rootScope and watch:

myApp.run(function($rootScope, aService){
    $rootScope.aService = aService;
    $rootScope.$watch('aService', function(){
        alert('Watch');
    }, true);
});

In your controller:

myApp.controller('main', function($scope){
    $scope.aService.foo = 'change';
});

Other option is to use a external library like: https://github.com/melanke/Watch.JS

Works with: IE 9+, FF 4+, SF 5+, WebKit, CH 7+, OP 12+, BESEN, Node.JS , Rhino 1.7+

You can observe the changes of one, many or all object attributes.

Example:

var ex3 = {
    attr1: 0,
    attr2: "initial value of attr2",
    attr3: ["a", 3, null]
};   
watch(ex3, function(){
    alert("some attribute of ex3 changes!");
});
ex3.attr3.push("new value");?

A wee bit ugly, but I've added registration of scope variables to my service for a toggle:

myApp.service('myService', function() {
    var self = this;
    self.value = false;
    self.c2 = function(){};
    self.callback = function(){
        self.value = !self.value; 
       self.c2();
    };

    self.on = function(){
        return self.value;
    };

    self.register = function(obj, key){ 
        self.c2 = function(){
            obj[key] = self.value; 
            obj.$apply();
        } 
    };

    return this;
});

And then in the controller:

function MyCtrl($scope, myService) {
    $scope.name = 'Superhero';
    $scope.myVar = false;
    myService.register($scope, 'myVar');
}

You can always use the good old observer pattern if you want to avoid the tyranny and overhead of $watch.

In the service:

factory('aService', function() {
  var observerCallbacks = [];

  //register an observer
  this.registerObserverCallback = function(callback){
    observerCallbacks.push(callback);
  };

  //call this when you know 'foo' has been changed
  var notifyObservers = function(){
    angular.forEach(observerCallbacks, function(callback){
      callback();
    });
  };

  //example of when you may want to notify observers
  this.foo = someNgResource.query().$then(function(){
    notifyObservers();
  });
});

And in the controller:

function FooCtrl($scope, aService){
  var updateFoo = function(){
    $scope.foo = aService.foo;
  };

  aService.registerObserverCallback(updateFoo);
  //service now in control of updating foo
};

You can watch the changes within the factory itself and then broadcast a change

angular.module('MyApp').factory('aFactory', function ($rootScope) {
    // Define your factory content
    var result = {
        'key': value
    };

    // add a listener on a key        
    $rootScope.$watch(function () {
        return result.key;
    }, function (newValue, oldValue, scope) {
        // This is called after the key "key" has changed, a good idea is to broadcast a message that key has changed
        $rootScope.$broadcast('aFactory:keyChanged', newValue);
    }, true);

    return result;
});

Then in your controller:

angular.module('MyApp').controller('aController', ['$rootScope', function ($rootScope) {

    $rootScope.$on('aFactory:keyChanged', function currentCityChanged(event, value) {
        // do something
    });
}]);

In this manner you put all the related factory code within its description then you can only rely on the broadcast from outside

I am late to the part but I found a nicer way to do this than the answer posted above. Instead of assigning a variable to hold the value of the service variable, I created a function attached to the scope, that returns the service variable.

controller

$scope.foo = function(){
 return aService.foo;
}

I think this will do what you want. My controller keeps checking the value of my service with this implementation. Honestly, this is much simpler than the selected answer.

I'm using similar approach as @dtheodot but using angular promise instead of passing callbacks

app.service('myService', function($q) {
    var self = this,
        defer = $q.defer();

    this.foo = 0;

    this.observeFoo = function() {
        return defer.promise;
    }

    this.setFoo = function(foo) {
        self.foo = foo;
        defer.notify(self.foo);
    }
})

Then wherever just use myService.setFoo(foo) method to update foo on service. In your controller you can use it as:

myService.observeFoo().then(null, null, function(foo){
    $scope.foo = foo;
})

First two arguments of then are success and error callbacks, third one is notify callback.

Reference for $q.

while facing a very similar issue I watched a function in scope and had the function return the service variable. I have created a js fiddle. you can find the code below.

    var myApp = angular.module("myApp",[]);

myApp.factory("randomService", function($timeout){
    var retValue = {};
    var data = 0;

    retValue.startService = function(){
        updateData();
    }

    retValue.getData = function(){
        return data;
    }

    function updateData(){
        $timeout(function(){
            data = Math.floor(Math.random() * 100);
            updateData()
        }, 500);
    }

    return retValue;
});

myApp.controller("myController", function($scope, randomService){
    $scope.data = 0;
    $scope.dataUpdated = 0;
    $scope.watchCalled = 0;
    randomService.startService();

    $scope.getRandomData = function(){
        return randomService.getData();    
    }

    $scope.$watch("getRandomData()", function(newValue, oldValue){
        if(oldValue != newValue){
            $scope.data = newValue;
            $scope.dataUpdated++;
        }
            $scope.watchCalled++;
    });
});

Without watches or observer callbacks (http://jsfiddle.net/zymotik/853wvv7s/):

JavaScript:

angular.module("Demo", [])
    .factory("DemoService", function($timeout) {

        function DemoService() {
            var self = this;
            self.name = "Demo Service";

            self.count = 0;

            self.counter = function(){
                self.count++;
                $timeout(self.counter, 1000);
            }

            self.addOneHundred = function(){
                self.count+=100;
            }

            self.counter();
        }

        return new DemoService();

    })
    .controller("DemoController", function($scope, DemoService) {

        $scope.service = DemoService;

        $scope.minusOneHundred = function() {
            DemoService.count -= 100;
        }

    });

HTML

<div ng-app="Demo" ng-controller="DemoController">
    <div>
        <h4>{{service.name}}</h4>
        <p>Count: {{service.count}}</p>
    </div>
</div>

This JavaScript works as we are passing an object back from the service rather than a value. When a JavaScript object is returned from a service, Angular adds watches to all of its properties.

Also note that I am using 'var self = this' as I need to keep a reference to the original object when the $timeout executes, otherwise 'this' will refer to the window object.

Have a look at this plunker:: this is the simplest example i could think of

http://jsfiddle.net/HEdJF/

<div ng-app="myApp">
    <div ng-controller="FirstCtrl">
        <input type="text" ng-model="Data.FirstName"><!-- Input entered here -->
        <br>Input is : <strong>{{Data.FirstName}}</strong><!-- Successfully updates here -->
    </div>
    <hr>
    <div ng-controller="SecondCtrl">
        Input should also be here: {{Data.FirstName}}<!-- How do I automatically updated it here? -->
    </div>
</div>



// declare the app with no dependencies
var myApp = angular.module('myApp', []);
myApp.factory('Data', function(){
   return { FirstName: '' };
});

myApp.controller('FirstCtrl', function( $scope, Data ){
    $scope.Data = Data;
});

myApp.controller('SecondCtrl', function( $scope, Data ){
    $scope.Data = Data;
});

In a scenario like this, where multiple/unkown objects might be interested in changes, use $rootScope.$broadcast from the item being changed.

Rather than creating your own registry of listeners (which have to be cleaned up on various $destroys), you should be able to $broadcast from the service in question.

You must still code the $on handlers in each listener but the pattern is decoupled from multiple calls to $digest and thus avoids the risk of long-running watchers.

This way, also, listeners can come and go from the DOM and/or different child scopes without the service changing its behavior.

** update: examples **

Broadcasts would make the most sense in "global" services that could impact countless other things in your app. A good example is a User service where there are a number of events that could take place such as login, logout, update, idle, etc. I believe this is where broadcasts make the most sense because any scope can listen for an event, without even injecting the service, and it doesn't need to evaluate any expressions or cache results to inspect for changes. It just fires and forgets (so make sure it's a fire-and-forget notification, not something that requires action)

.factory('UserService', [ '$rootScope', function($rootScope) {
   var service = <whatever you do for the object>

   service.save = function(data) {
     .. validate data and update model ..
     // notify listeners and provide the data that changed [optional]
     $rootScope.$broadcast('user:updated',data);
   }

   // alternatively, create a callback function and $broadcast from there if making an ajax call

   return service;
}]);

The service above would broadcast a message to every scope when the save() function completed and the data was valid. Alternatively, if it's a $resource or an ajax submission, move the broadcast call into the callback so it fires when the server has responded. Broadcasts suit that pattern particularly well because every listener just waits for the event without the need to inspect the scope on every single $digest. The listener would look like:

.controller('UserCtrl', [ 'UserService', '$scope', function(UserService, $scope) {

  var user = UserService.getUser();

  // if you don't want to expose the actual object in your scope you could expose just the values, or derive a value for your purposes
   $scope.name = user.firstname + ' ' +user.lastname;

   $scope.$on('user:updated', function(event,data) {
     // you could inspect the data to see if what you care about changed, or just update your own scope
     $scope.name = user.firstname + ' ' + user.lastname;
   });

   // different event names let you group your code and logic by what happened
   $scope.$on('user:logout', function(event,data) {
     .. do something differently entirely ..
   });

 }]);

One of the benefits of this is the elimination of multiple watches. If you were combining fields or deriving values like the example above, you'd have to watch both the firstname and lastname properties. Watching the getUser() function would only work if the user object was replaced on updates, it would not fire if the user object merely had its properties updated. In which case you'd have to do a deep watch and that is more intensive.

$broadcast sends the message from the scope it's called on down into any child scopes. So calling it from $rootScope will fire on every scope. If you were to $broadcast from your controller's scope, for example, it would fire only in the scopes that inherit from your controller scope. $emit goes the opposite direction and behaves similarly to a DOM event in that it bubbles up the scope chain.

Keep in mind that there are scenarios where $broadcast makes a lot of sense, and there are scenarios where $watch is a better option - especially if in an isolate scope with a very specific watch expression.

Here's my generic approach.

mainApp.service('aService',[function(){
        var self = this;
        var callbacks = {};

        this.foo = '';

        this.watch = function(variable, callback) {
            if (typeof(self[variable]) !== 'undefined') {
                if (!callbacks[variable]) {
                    callbacks[variable] = [];
                }
                callbacks[variable].push(callback);
            }
        }

        this.notifyWatchersOn = function(variable) {
            if (!self[variable]) return;
            if (!callbacks[variable]) return;

            angular.forEach(callbacks[variable], function(callback, key){
                callback(self[variable]);
            });
        }

        this.changeFoo = function(newValue) {
            self.foo = newValue;
            self.notifyWatchersOn('foo');
        }

    }]);

In Your Controller

function FooCtrl($scope, aService) {
    $scope.foo;

    $scope._initWatchers = function() {
        aService.watch('foo', $scope._onFooChange);
    }

    $scope._onFooChange = function(newValue) {
        $scope.foo = newValue;
    }

    $scope._initWatchers();

}

FooCtrl.$inject = ['$scope', 'aService'];

// service: (nothing special here)

myApp.service('myService', function() {
  return { someVariable:'abc123' };
});

// ctrl:

myApp.controller('MyCtrl', function($scope, myService) {

  $scope.someVariable = myService.someVariable;

  // watch the service and update this ctrl...
  $scope.$watch(function(){
    return myService.someVariable;
  }, function(newValue){
    $scope.someVariable = newValue;
  });
});

I have found a really great solution on the other thread with a similar problem but totally different approach. Source: AngularJS : $watch within directive is not working when $rootScope value is changed

Basically the solution there tells NOT TO use $watch as it is very heavy solution. Instead they propose to use $emit and $on.

My problem was to watch a variable in my service and react in directive. And with the above method it very easy!

My module/service example:

angular.module('xxx').factory('example', function ($rootScope) {
    var user;

    return {
        setUser: function (aUser) {
            user = aUser;
            $rootScope.$emit('user:change');
        },
        getUser: function () {
            return (user) ? user : false;
        },
        ...
    };
});

So basically I watch my user - whenever it is set to new value I $emit a user:change status.

Now in my case, in the directive I used:

angular.module('xxx').directive('directive', function (Auth, $rootScope) {
    return {
        ...
        link: function (scope, element, attrs) {
            ...
            $rootScope.$on('user:change', update);
        }
    };
});

Now in the directive I listen on the $rootScope and on the given change - I react respectively. Very easy and elegant!