MemoFunc - A Function Memoization Package for R

Programmable memory for R functions.

memofunc memoizes R functions with explicit, predictable cache behavior. Function calls become reusable memory: repeated computations return quickly, while cache keys remain transparent and deterministic.

Why memofunc

  • Deterministic keys: cached values are keyed by normalized call inputs and function identity (formals + body) by default.
  • Pluggable storage: memory, file, and object storage providers.
  • Runtime controls: force recomputation or dry-run cache checks without side effects.
  • Safe evolution: implementation changes naturally invalidate stale values.
  • Predictable behavior: clear options for NULL caching and key scoping via id.

Installation

Install from CRAN:

install.packages("memofunc")

Install latest release:

devtools::install_github("rwetherall/memofunc")

Quick Start 

library(memofunc)
library(magrittr)

slow_add <- function(a, b = 1) {
  Sys.sleep(1)
  a + b
}

memo_add <- memo(slow_add)

# first call executes
system.time(memo_add(10, 2))

# second call with same inputs hits cache
system.time(memo_add(10, 2))

Memo Options and When to Use Them

  • id: use to create an explicit cache namespace across wrappers/renames or generated functions.
  • allow.null = TRUE: use when NULL is a valid return value and should be cached.
  • memo.force = TRUE (call-time): use when you need to refresh a value now.
  • memo.dryrun = TRUE (call-time): use to check whether execution would occur, without executing.
  • invalidate(memo) / invalidate(memo, key): clear one memo’s cache without clearing all storage.
  • function_hash_override: use only when you intentionally want function-identity changes to share the same key space.

Practical Examples

1) Basic memoization 

simple_fn <- function(value) {
  print("Executing")
  value
}

simple_memo <- memo(simple_fn)
simple_memo(10)  # executes
simple_memo(10)  # cached

2) In-place memoization 

simple_fn %<>% memo()
simple_fn(10)
simple_fn(10)

3) Explicit id for anonymous/generated functions 

anon_memo <- memo(function(value) value * 2, id = "pricing/double")
anon_memo(5)
anon_memo(5)

4) Runtime controls (memo.force, memo.dryrun) 

simple_memo(30, memo.dryrun = TRUE)   # TRUE if not cached yet
simple_memo(30)                        # executes and caches
simple_memo(30, memo.dryrun = TRUE)   # FALSE because cached

simple_memo(30, memo.force = TRUE)     # forces recomputation

5) Caching NULL values 

returns_null <- memo(function(x) NULL)
returns_null(1)
returns_null(1)  # executes again because NULL is not cached by default

returns_null_cached <- memo(function(x) NULL, allow.null = TRUE)
returns_null_cached(1)
returns_null_cached(1)  # cached

6) Stable keys across implementation changes (advanced) 

# to share cache across memo instances, use persistent storage
base_dir <- file.path(tempdir(), "memofunc-readme-function-hash")
unlink(base_dir, recursive = TRUE, force = TRUE)

old_opts <- options(memofunc.storage.provider = list(name = "file", base.dir = base_dir))
on.exit(options(old_opts), add = TRUE)
on.exit(unlink(base_dir, recursive = TRUE, force = TRUE), add = TRUE)

counter <- new.env(parent = emptyenv())
counter$n <- 0

f_v1 <- function(value) {
  counter$n <- counter$n + 1
  value
}

f_v2 <- function(value) {
  counter$n <- counter$n + 1
  value + 1
}

# default behavior: changed implementation gets a different function component
memo(f_v1, id = "shared-id")(10)  # 10 (executes)
counter$n <- 0
memo(f_v2, id = "shared-id")(10)  # 11 (executes, no cache hit from v1)
counter$n                          # 1

# override behavior: force both implementations to share function component
memo(f_v1, id = "shared-id", function_hash_override = "stable-v1")(20)  # 20 (executes)
counter$n <- 0
memo(f_v2, id = "shared-id", function_hash_override = "stable-v1")(20)  # 20 (cache hit from v1)
counter$n                                                                    # 0 (v2 did not execute)

# note: this reuse works because both calls share the same file-backed storage.
# with separate in-memory memo instances, keys may match but values are not shared.

7) Per-function invalidation 

expensive <- memo(function(value) value * 10, id = "expensive")

expensive(1)
expensive(2)

# invalidate a single cached call by function arguments
invalidate(expensive, list(value = 1))

# invalidate all cached entries for this memo only
invalidate(expensive)

Hashing Strategy (How Values Are Stored)

Each memoized call is stored against a final key that combines three hashed components:

  1. id component
    • explicit id when supplied
    • otherwise inferred function name when available
  2. function component
    • default: hash of function formals + body
    • optional override: hash of function_hash_override
  3. call component
    • normalized argument values for the specific call
    • includes defaulted parameters
    • named arguments are order-insensitive (f(a = 1, b = 2) equals f(b = 2, a = 1))

Conceptually:

final_key = H(
  id_component,
  function_component,
  call_component
)

Important: key equality and storage equality are separate concerns.

  • Matching keys are necessary to reuse a value.
  • Memo instances must also read/write the same underlying store.
  • Default in-memory memo instances have separate stores.
  • Shared file/object storage allows separate memo instances to reuse matching keys.

Implications:

  • Function changes naturally invalidate future reads from older entries by default.
  • Historical entries remain in storage until explicitly cleared.
  • function_hash_override should be used deliberately, because it can keep cache continuity across implementation changes.

Storage Backends

By default, memoized values are stored in memory. You can opt into file or object storage.

# direct local file storage
file_storage <- storage.init("file", base.dir = file.path(tempdir(), "memofunc"))

# provider-backed object storage using local files
object_storage <- storage.init("object", provider = "file", base.dir = file.path(tempdir(), "memofunc"))

# set default provider globally
options(memofunc.storage.provider = list(name = "file", base.dir = file.path(tempdir(), "memofunc")))
storage.init()

Azure Blob example (requires AzureStor and credentials):

if (requireNamespace("AzureStor", quietly = TRUE)) {
  account <- Sys.getenv("AZURE_STORAGE_ACCOUNT")
  container <- Sys.getenv("AZURE_STORAGE_CONTAINER")
  key <- Sys.getenv("AZURE_STORAGE_KEY")
  token <- Sys.getenv("AZURE_STORAGE_TOKEN")

  if (account != "" && container != "" && (key != "" || token != "")) {
    storage.init(
      "object",
      provider = "azure.blob",
      account = account,
      container = container,
      key = if (key == "") NULL else key,
      token = if (token == "") NULL else token,
      prefix = "memofunc"
    )
  }
}

Documentation Site Workflow

pkgdown is now CI-driven:

  • Pull requests run a pkgdown-preview workflow and upload a pkgdown-site-preview artifact.
  • Pushes to master/main run pkgdown-deploy and publish the site via GitHub Pages.

This means local pkgdown::build_site() is optional for contributors. Update source docs (README.md, roxygen comments, .Rd inputs, _pkgdown.yml) and let CI build/publish the site. Generated docs/ output is published by CI and should not be committed from local builds.