accessing messages from outside the handler and bookkeeping of custom messages

[internet-memme]

I want to receive a message from python in js.
I followed the example on https://anywidget.dev/en/jupyter-widgets-the-good-parts/ regarding custom messages.

this.on("msg:custom", msg => {
      console.log("msg custom", msg)
        ret = msg}
    )
    console.log("ret:", ret)
  }

"this" refers to a message handler wrote for the javascript side.
In my little text example I run send() on a button click and then echo the message.
This is what gets printed to the console on the first run

ret: undefined 
msg custom 
Object { fn: "fun", args: (2) […] }

on subsequent runs the number of "msg custom" lines increases

ret: undefined 
msg custom 
Object { fn: "fun", args: (2) […] }

ret: undefined 
msg custom 
Object { fn: "fun", args: (2) […] }
msg custom 
Object { fn: "fun", args: (2) […] }

How can I access the message outside of the msg handler and why do the messages pile up. Do I need to clear some queue?

[manzt]

How can I access the message outside of the msg handler and why do the messages pile up. Do I need to clear some queue?

Can you please provide a minimal reproducible example? You can use the example from the documentation as a starting point. There is not context here to what ret is originally defined or how this code is being used.

This doesn't seem to be an issue with anywidget, but rather a question about eventful programming in JavaScript. I am moving to a discussion.