How to update subdocuments in MongoDB with Mongoose, Express, and Node?

Question

So I have a Mongoose Model called Profile:

const mongoose = require("mongoose");
const Schema = mongoose.Schema;

const ProfileSchema = new Schema({
  user: {
    type: mongoose.Schema.ObjectId,
    ref: "user",
  },
  company: {
    type: String,
  },
  website: {
    type: String,
  },
  location: {
    type: String,
  },
  status: {
    type: String,
    required: true,
  },
  skills: {
    type: [String],
    required: true,
  },
  bio: {
    type: String,
  },
  githubusername: {
    type: String,
  },
  experience: [{
    title: {
      type: String,
      required: true,
    },
    company: {
      type: String,
      required: true,
    },
    location: {
      type: String,
    },
    from: {
      type: Date,
      required: true,
    },
    to: {
      type: Date,
    },
    current: {
      type: Boolean,
      default: false,
    },
    description: {
      type: String,
    },
  }, ],
  education: [{
    school: {
      type: String,
      required: true,
    },
    degree: {
      type: String,
      required: true,
    },
    fieldofstudy: {
      type: String,
      required: true,
    },
    from: {
      type: Date,
      required: true,
    },
    to: {
      type: Date,
    },
    current: {
      type: Boolean,
      default: false,
    },
    description: {
      type: String,
    },
  }, ],
  social: {
    youtube: {
      type: String,
    },
    twitter: {
      type: String,
    },
    facebook: {
      type: String,
    },
    linkedin: {
      type: String,
    },
    instagram: {
      type: String,
    },
  },
  date: {
    type: Date,
    default: Date.now,
  },
});

module.exports = Profile = mongoose.model("profile", ProfileSchema);

As you can see I have a bunch of nested subdocuments and I want to be able to update them. In particular I want to be able to able to update the experience with a PUT endpoint.

Here is the endpoint to add an experience:

router.put(
  "/experience", [
    auth, [
      check("title", "Title is required").not().isEmpty(),
      check("company", "Company is required").not().isEmpty(),
      check("from", "From date is required and needs to be from the past")
      .not()
      .isEmpty()
      .custom((value, {
        req
      }) => (req.body.to ? value < req.body.to : true)),
    ],
  ],
  async(req, res) => {
    const errors = validationResult(req);
    if (!errors.isEmpty()) {
      return res.status(400).json({
        errors: errors.array()
      });
    }

    const {
      title,
      company,
      location,
      from,
      to,
      current,
      description,
    } = req.body;

    const newExp = {
      title,
      company,
      location,
      from,
      to,
      current,
      description,
    };

    try {
      const profile = await Profile.findOne({
        user: req.user.id
      });

      profile.experience.unshift(newExp);

      await profile.save();

      res.json(profile);
    } catch (err) {
      console.error(err.message);
      res.status(500).send("Server Error");
    }
  }
);

And this works I am able to add an experience to that array. But When I try and Update it does not work here is what I have tried:

router.put("/experience/:exp_id", auth, async(req, res) => {
  try {
    const profile = await Profile.experience.findByIdAndUpdate(
      req.params._id, {
        $set: req.body,
      }, {
        new: true
      }
    );
    res.json(profile);
  } catch (error) {
    console.error(error);
    return res.status(500).json({
      msg: "Server error"
    });
  }
});

I get this error TypeError: Cannot read property 'findByIdAndUpdate' of undefined what am I doing wrong?

Here is a some Profile data I have when I create a Profile

{
  "social": {
    "youtube": "https://youtube.com/user/mojara2009",
    "twitter": null,
    "instagram": null,
    "linkedin": "https://linkedin.com/in/amen-ra",
    "facebook": null
  },
  "skills": [
    " HTML",
    " CSS",
    " JAVASCRIPT",
    " REACT",
    " REDUX",
    " JEST"
  ],
  "_id": "5eb1a19b83001bdb87e26492",
  "user": {
    "_id": "5eb10fecc3de3526caba5e50",
    "name": "Amen Ra",
    "avatar": "//www.gravatar.com/avatar/ee452fcb90a3913ca75ed4b4f06c4de6?s=200&r=pg&d=mm"
  },
  "__v": 19,
  "bio": "I am a Senior Full Stack Developer for Web App Company",
  "company": "Web App Company",
  "githubusername": "mojaray2k",
  "location": "Aventura, Fl",
  "status": "Developer",
  "website": "https://imaginationeverywhere.info",
  "date": "2020-05-05T22:33:41.596Z",
  "education": [{
      "current": false,
      "_id": "5eb2eccd659559371b2162f4",
      "school": "Bethune-Cookman University",
      "degree": "Bachelor of Arts",
      "fieldofstudy": "Mass Communication",
      "from": "1994-08-04T00:00:00.000Z",
      "to": "1999-04-26T00:00:00.000Z",
      "description": "Attended Bethune Cookman College in Daytona Beach, Fl"
    },
    {
      "current": false,
      "_id": "5eb2ecc2659559371b2162f3",
      "school": "Manual High School",
      "degree": "Diploma",
      "fieldofstudy": "NA",
      "from": "1990-09-01T00:00:00.000Z",
      "to": "1994-06-01T00:00:00.000Z",
      "description": "Attended High School my sophomore through senior year"
    },
    {
      "current": false,
      "_id": "5eb2ecb5659559371b2162f2",
      "school": "John F. Kennedy High School",
      "degree": "NA",
      "fieldofstudy": "NA",
      "from": "1989-09-01T00:00:00.000Z",
      "to": "1990-06-01T00:00:00.000Z",
      "description": "Attended High School my sophomore through senior year"
    },
    {
      "current": false,
      "_id": "5eb2ea28659559371b2162eb",
      "school": "Kunsmiller",
      "degree": "NA",
      "fieldofstudy": "Middle School",
      "from": "1988-02-01T05:00:00.000Z",
      "to": "1989-06-01T04:00:00.000Z",
      "description": "Attended Middle School There"
    }
  ],
  "experience": [{
      "current": false,
      "_id": "5eb356f74cc1ad499167567d",
      "title": "Senior Full Stack Engineer",
      "company": "Concept Solutions",
      "location": "Aventura, Fl",
      "from": "2016-01-03T00:00:00.000Z",
      "to": "2018-02-28T00:00:00.000Z",
      "description": "Worked as Full Stack Developer"
    },
    {
      "current": false,
      "_id": "5eb2de8fccd73b25fd1b2b39",
      "title": "Senior Full Stack Engineer",
      "company": "Jehovah Jireh, Inc",
      "location": "Aventura, Fl",
      "from": "2018-07-01T04:00:00.000Z",
      "to": "2019-07-01T04:00:00.000Z",
      "description": "Worked as Full Stack Developer"
    },
    {
      "current": true,
      "_id": "5eb203af1e004371b3284883",
      "title": "Senior Full Stack Engineer",
      "company": "Web App Company",
      "location": "Aventura, Fl",
      "from": "2019-07-01T04:00:00.000Z",
      "description": "Worked as Full Stack Developer"
    }
  ]
}

@Fayad That does not work

Amen Ra
– Amen Ra

2020-05-07 01:40:14 +00:00
Commented May 7, 2020 at 1:40 — Amen Ra
– Amen Ra, Commented May 7, 2020 at 1:40

Fayad · Accepted Answer · 2020-05-07 02:42:20Z

1

It is not possible to access a mongoose model schema as a Profile object. Instead if you want to update a specific part of the model, in this case experience, you can do as follows:

try {
    const await profile = Profile.findOneAndUpdate(
        { experience: { $elemMatch: { _id: req.params.exp_id } } },
        { $set: { 'experience.$': req.body } },
        { new: true }
    );
    res.json(profile);
} catch (error) {
    console.error(error);
    return res.status(500).json({ msg: 'Server error' });
}

Also I believe it be req.params.exp_id instead of req.params._id.

edited May 7, 2020 at 2:42

answered May 7, 2020 at 1:41

Fayad

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8 Comments

Amen Ra Over a year ago

That does not work. This is the error I am getting Cannot read property 'findByIdAndUpdate' of undefined

Fayad Over a year ago

Do you have a reference to the model, something like var Profile = require('PATH_TO_PERSON_MODEL')

Amen Ra Over a year ago

This is what I have imported const Profile = require("../../models/Profile");

Fayad Over a year ago

I have edited my answer incase you have copied it, since I have put Person instead of Profile by mistake, let me know if that was the case.

Amen Ra Over a year ago

What do you put in the callback? Because I am getting null.

|

Darryl Fabian · Accepted Answer · 2020-05-07 03:11:31Z

0

Thats a normal response for mongoose, Because Profile is a Collection Model Schema, not an Profile object. Also if you want to update an specific element on the array, You need to add query to help mongo to find which data will only update on the array.

Here's the alternate query for updating collection data on mongo.

    router.put("/:profile_id/experience/:exp_id", auth, async(req, res) => {
     const {profile_id = '', exp_id = ''} = req.params
      try {
        const profile = await Profile.findOne(
          {
             _id: mongoose.mongo.ObjectId(profile_id)
          }
        );
        if (!profile) {
           throw new Error('No profile found.')
        }
        const index = profile.experience.findIndex((exp) => exp._id === mongoose.mongo.ObjectId(exp_id))
        if (index === -1) {
           throw new Error('No experience data found.')
        }
        const {_id, ...experience} = req.body
        profile.experience[index] = experience
        profile.save
        res.json(profile);
      } catch (error) {
        console.error(error);
        return res.status(500).json({
          msg: "Server error"
        });
      }
    });

edited May 7, 2020 at 3:11

answered May 7, 2020 at 1:27

Darryl Fabian

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20 Comments

Amen Ra Over a year ago

I get this error TypeError: Cannot read property 'experience' of null

Darryl Fabian Over a year ago

I think thats mean that the exp id is not existing on the profile collection

Amen Ra Over a year ago

This is what the experience array looks like: experience[ { "current": false, "_id": "5eb356f74cc1ad499167567d", "title": "Senior Full Stack Engineer", "company": "Concept Innovations", "location": "Aventura, Fl", "from": "2016-01-03T00:00:00.000Z", "to": "2018-02-28T00:00:00.000Z", "description": "Worked as Full Stack Developer" }]

Darryl Fabian Over a year ago

ohh. i think you need to convert the _id or exp_id inside of the "req.body" from string to ObjectId of mongoose.

Amen Ra Over a year ago

Yeah the root object also has an _id along with experience which each one has it's own _id

|

Karl L · Accepted Answer · 2020-05-12 03:00:29Z

0

just use:

const profile = await Profile.findOneAndUpdate

instead of const profile = await Profile.experience.findByIdAndUpdate

answered May 12, 2020 at 3:00

Karl L

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