Add a procedure for invalidating the cache.

README.md

@@ -212,6 +212,23 @@ erased, but the memory storing `mf(4)` is still in use.
 
 The second parameter also allows sharing a single cache amongst two memoized functions.
 
+Optionally, the second parameter may contain a validator method for determining
+the validity of a cache entry.  When the validator returns nil or false,
+the current cache entry is discarded and a new one will be computed.
+For example, suppose that we want to declare a cache entry stale after 10
+seconds.
+
+``` lua
+local cache = {}
+function cache:validator(current_validity)
+  if current_validity == nil then
+    return os.time()
+  elseif (os.time() - current_validity) > 10 then
+    return nil
+  end
+  return current_validity
+end
+```
 
 ## Changelog
 

memoize.lua

@@ -50,6 +50,12 @@ local function cache_get(cache, params)
     node = node.children and node.children[params[i]]
     if not node then return nil end
   end
+  if node.results and cache.validator then
+    node.validity = cache:validator(node.validity)
+    if not node.validity then
+      node.results = nil
+    end
+  end
   return node.results
 end
 
@@ -63,6 +69,9 @@ local function cache_put(cache, params, results)
     node = node.children[param]
   end
   node.results = results
+  if cache.validator then
+    node.validity = cache:validator(nil)
+  end
 end
 
 -- public function

rockspecs/memoize-scm-0.rockspec

@@ -0,0 +1,29 @@
+package = "memoize"
+version = "scm-0"
+source = {
+  url = "git+https://github.com/kikito/memoize.lua.git"
+}
+description = {
+  summary = "Memoized functions in Lua",
+  detailed = [[
+    * Caches the results based on multiple parameters instead of just 1.
+    * Doesn't rely on `tostring`; instead, it uses operator `==` on all the
+      parameters (this is accomplished by structuring the cache in a
+      tree structure, where each tree node corresponds to one
+      parameter).
+    * Works well with functions returning multiple values
+    * Can memoize both functions and "callable tables" (tables with a `__call`
+      metamethod)
+  ]],
+  homepage = "https://github.com/kikito/memoize.lua",
+  license = "MIT"
+}
+dependencies = {
+   "lua >= 5.1"
+}
+build = {
+   type = "builtin",
+   modules = {
+      memoize = "memoize.lua"
+   }
+}

spec/memoize_spec.lua

@@ -187,6 +187,30 @@ describe('memoize', function()
       assert.equal(4, mlen('a', 'b', 'c', 'd'))
       assert.equal(11, counter)
     end)
-  end)
 
-end)
+    it("invalidates based on an optional validator", function()
+      local cache = {}
+      function cache:validator(current_validity)
+       if not current_validity then
+	return 3
+       elseif current_validity == 0 then
+	return nil
+       end
+       return current_validity - 1
+      end
+      local mlen = memoize(len, cache)
+
+      assert.equal(1, mlen('a'))
+      assert.equal(1, counter)
+      assert.equal(1, mlen('a'))
+      assert.equal(1, counter)
+      assert.equal(1, mlen('a'))
+      assert.equal(1, counter)
+      assert.equal(1, mlen('a'))
+      assert.equal(1, counter)
+      assert.equal(1, mlen('a'))
+      assert.equal(2, counter)
+      end)
+
+  end)
+  end)