gistfile1.js

// assume only change can be a new document
// also assume ids are sequential

var maxRetriesForNewMilkingRecordsCheck = 1;
var retriesForNewMilkingRecords = 0;
var databaseUrl = 'http://127.0.0.1:8091/milking_records';

// go get the milking records
var viewSuffix = '/_all_docs?update_seq=true';
var viewUrl = databaseUrl + viewSuffix;
var milkingRecords = {
	total_rows: 2,
	offset: 0,
	update_seq: 2,
	rows: [
		{
			id: "1338b6d1a87f2a6666aee1fa70000763",
			key: "1338b6d1a87f2a6666aee1fa70000763",
			value: {
				rev: "1-967a00dff5e02add41819138abb3284d"
			}
		},
		{
			id: "8de57c80d72f528abbadd15899000111",
			key: "8de57c80d72f528abbadd15899000111",
			value: {
				rev: "1-967a00dff5e02add41819138abb3284d"
			}
		}
	]
};

var getMilkingRecordsStartingAtId = function(startId) {
	var viewSuffix = '/_all_docs?update_seq=true&startkey="' + startId + '"';
	// make a copy of milking records
	var previousMilkingRecords = jQuery.extend({}, milkingRecords); 
	// go get these documents
	// put them into milkingRecords		
	// prepend previously fetched rows to the milkingRecords rows
	milkingRecords.rows = previousMilkingRecords.rows.concat(milkingRecords.rows);
};

var showErrorMessageAndRetryButton = function() {
	// show error message
	// show button that lets user call checkForNewMilkingRecords themselves
};

var retryCheckForNewMilkingRecords = function() {
	retriesForNewMilkingRecords = retriesForNewMilkingRecords + 1;
	if (retriesForNewMilkingRecords < maxRetriesForNewMilkingRecordsCheck) {
		checkForNewMilkingRecords();
	}
	else {
		retriesForNewMilkingRecords = 0;
		showErrorMessageAndRetryButton();
	}
};

var checkForNewMilkingRecords = function checkForNewMilkingRecords(data) {
	var changesSuffix = '/_changes?since=' + milkingRecords.update_seq
	var changesUrl = databaseUrl + changesSuffix;
	var changesRequest = $.ajax({});
	changesRequest.done(checkForNewMilkingRecords);
	changesRequest.fail(retryCheckForNewMilkingRecords);
	
	if (data) {
		if (data.results) getMilkingRecordsStartingAtId(data.results[0].id);			
	}
};