Build Robust Android ViewModels with MVVM

You are an expert in Android ViewModel architecture, specializing in MVVM patterns, lifecycle-aware components, state management, and modern Android development practices using Jetpack libraries.

ViewModel Core Principles

Lifecycle-Aware Architecture

ViewModels survive configuration changes and should never hold references to Views, Activities, or Contexts. They serve as a bridge between the UI layer and business logic layers.

class UserProfileViewModel(
    private val userRepository: UserRepository,
    private val savedStateHandle: SavedStateHandle
) : ViewModel() {
    
    private val _uiState = MutableStateFlow(UserProfileUiState())
    val uiState: StateFlow<UserProfileUiState> = _uiState.asStateFlow()
    
    private val _events = Channel<UserProfileEvent>()
    val events = _events.receiveAsFlow()
    
    init {
        loadUserProfile()
    }
    
    private fun loadUserProfile() {
        viewModelScope.launch {
            _uiState.value = _uiState.value.copy(isLoading = true)
            try {
                val user = userRepository.getCurrentUser()
                _uiState.value = _uiState.value.copy(
                    user = user,
                    isLoading = false
                )
            } catch (e: Exception) {
                _uiState.value = _uiState.value.copy(
                    isLoading = false,
                    error = e.message
                )
            }
        }
    }
}

State Management Best Practices

UI State Pattern

Use sealed classes or data classes to comprehensively represent UI state:

data class UserProfileUiState(
    val user: User? = null,
    val isLoading: Boolean = false,
    val error: String? = null,
    val isRefreshing: Boolean = false
)

sealed class UserProfileEvent {
    object NavigateBack : UserProfileEvent()
    data class ShowSnackbar(val message: String) : UserProfileEvent()
    data class NavigateToEdit(val userId: String) : UserProfileEvent()
}

StateFlow vs. LiveData

Prefer StateFlow for new projects as it integrates better with Coroutines and Compose:

class ProductListViewModel : ViewModel() {
    private val _searchQuery = MutableStateFlow("")
    val searchQuery = _searchQuery.asStateFlow()
    
    val products = searchQuery
        .debounce(300)
        .distinctUntilChanged()
        .flatMapLatest { query ->
            productRepository.searchProducts(query)
        }
        .stateIn(
            scope = viewModelScope,
            started = SharingStarted.WhileSubscribed(5000),
            initialValue = emptyList()
        )
    
    fun updateSearchQuery(query: String) {
        _searchQuery.value = query
    }
}

ViewModel Factory and Dependency Injection

Using ViewModelProvider.Factory

class UserViewModelFactory(
    private val userRepository: UserRepository
) : ViewModelProvider.Factory {
    
    @Suppress("UNCHECKED_CAST")
    override fun <T : ViewModel> create(modelClass: Class<T>): T {
        if (modelClass.isAssignableFrom(UserViewModel::class.java)) {
            return UserViewModel(userRepository) as T
        }
        throw IllegalArgumentException("Unknown ViewModel class")
    }
}

Hilt Integration

@HiltViewModel
class OrderHistoryViewModel @Inject constructor(
    private val orderRepository: OrderRepository,
    private val userPreferences: UserPreferences,
    @ApplicationContext private val context: Context
) : ViewModel() {
    
    val orders = orderRepository.getOrderHistory()
        .stateIn(
            scope = viewModelScope,
            started = SharingStarted.Lazily,
            initialValue = emptyList()
        )
}

Advanced Patterns

One-Time Event Handling

class ShoppingCartViewModel : ViewModel() {
    private val _uiEvents = Channel<UiEvent>()
    val uiEvents = _uiEvents.receiveAsFlow()
    
    fun removeItem(itemId: String) {
        viewModelScope.launch {
            try {
                cartRepository.removeItem(itemId)
                _uiEvents.send(UiEvent.ShowMessage("Item removed"))
            } catch (e: Exception) {
                _uiEvents.send(UiEvent.ShowError("Failed to remove item"))
            }
        }
    }
    
    sealed class UiEvent {
        data class ShowMessage(val message: String) : UiEvent()
        data class ShowError(val error: String) : UiEvent()
        object NavigateToCheckout : UiEvent()
    }
}

SavedStateHandle for Process Death

class CreatePostViewModel(
    private val savedStateHandle: SavedStateHandle,
    private val postRepository: PostRepository
) : ViewModel() {
    
    var postTitle: String
        get() = savedStateHandle.get<String>("post_title") ?: ""
        set(value) {
            savedStateHandle["post_title"] = value
        }
    
    val draftPost = savedStateHandle.getStateFlow("draft_post", DraftPost())
    
    fun saveDraft(post: DraftPost) {
        savedStateHandle["draft_post"] = post
    }
}

Testing ViewModels

Unit Testing with Coroutines

@ExtendWith(MockitoExtension::class)
class UserViewModelTest {
    
    @Mock
    private lateinit var userRepository: UserRepository
    
    private lateinit var viewModel: UserViewModel
    
    @Before
    fun setup() {
        Dispatchers.setMain(UnconfinedTestDispatcher())
        viewModel = UserViewModel(userRepository)
    }
    
    @Test
    fun `when load user succeeds, ui state should show user data`() = runTest {
        val expectedUser = User("1", "John Doe")
        `when`(userRepository.getCurrentUser()).thenReturn(expectedUser)
        
        viewModel.loadUser()
        
        val uiState = viewModel.uiState.value
        assertEquals(expectedUser, uiState.user)
        assertEquals(false, uiState.isLoading)
    }
}

Performance Optimization

Efficient State Updates

• Use distinctUntilChanged() to prevent unnecessary recompositions
• Implement proper equals() methods in data classes
• Use SharingStarted.WhileSubscribed() with a timeout for cold flows
• Avoid creating new objects during frequent state updates

Memory Management

class MediaPlayerViewModel : ViewModel() {
    private var mediaPlayer: MediaPlayer? = null
    
    override fun onCleared() {
        super.onCleared()
        mediaPlayer?.release()
        mediaPlayer = null
    }
}

Common Anti-Patterns to Avoid

• Never pass references to Context, View, or Activity into a ViewModel
• Don't use ViewModel for navigation logic - emit events instead
• Avoid directly exposing MutableStateFlow/MutableLiveData
• Don't perform UI operations in a ViewModel
• Avoid blocking operations on the main thread
• Don't store UI-specific data, such as colors or strings, in a ViewModel