Can't POST to nested array

JavaScript
1

It’s my first post here so please let me know if there’s anything incomplete about my question, or if there’s anything else that is missing :slight_smile:

I’m trying to make a POST request to an array in my data structure called features:

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

const CategorySchema = new Schema({
  user: {
    type: Schema.Types.ObjectId,
    ref: 'users'
  },
  categoryname: {
    type: String,
    required: true
  },
  items: [
    {
      user: {
        type: Schema.Types.ObjectId,
        ref: 'users'
      },
      itemname: {
        type: String,
        required: true
      },
      features: [
        {
          user: {
            type: Schema.Types.ObjectId,
            ref: 'users'
          },
          firstfeature: {
            type: String
          },
         date: {
        type: Date,
        default: Date.now
      }
    },
    {
      user: {
        type: Schema.Types.ObjectId,
        ref: 'users'
      },
      secondfeature: {
        type: String
      },
      date: {
        type: Date,
        default: Date.now
      }
    }
  ],
  date: {
    type: Date,
    default: Date.now
  }
}
  ],
  date: {
    type: Date,
    default: Date.now
  }
});

module.exports = Category = mongoose.model('category', CategorySchema);

When I post the following data to the array (with Postman):

Key: firstfeature, Value: test data1

Key: secondfeature, Value: test data2

It only pushes the first piece of data to the array:

"items": [

{

"features": [

{

"date": "2018-06-30T18:41:58.285Z",

"_id": "5b37cef693ed12168001ac68",

"firstfeature": "test data1",

"user": "5b2b6efe4c356e1368d73a3f"

},

{

"_id": "5b3b6868b8139f0cd08aab4a",

"user": "5b2b6efe4c356e1368d73a3f",

"date": "2018-07-03T12:13:28.130Z"

}

]

I can’t figure out what I need to change here in order to add data to the whole array, already tried category.items.features.push(newFeature):

router.post(
  '/feature/:id/:item_id',
  passport.authenticate('jwt', { session: false }),
  (req, res) => {
    Category.findById(req.params.id)
      .then(category => {
        const newFeature = {
          firstfeature: req.body.firstfeature,
          secondfeature: req.body.secondfeature,
          user: req.user.id
        };

        // Add to item array
        category.items[0].features.push(newFeature);

        // Save
        category.save().then(category => res.json(category));
      })
      .catch(err => res.status(404).json({ itemnotfound: 'Item not found' 
}));
  }
    );
    router.post(
  '/feature/:id/:item_id',
  passport.authenticate('jwt', { session: false }),
  (req, res) => {
    Category.findById(req.params.id)
      .then(category => {
        const newFeature = {
          firstfeature: req.body.firstfeature,
          secondfeature: req.body.secondfeature,
          user: req.user.id
        };

        // Add to item array
        category.items[0].features.push(newFeature);

        // Save
        category.save().then(category => res.json(category));
      })
      .catch(err => res.status(404).json({ itemnotfound: 'Item not found' 
}));
  }
    );
2

If you could share a screen shot from postman? Is your code on github or codepen or some other place you could link to?

Try sending the data as a application/json request and setting the body as raw json, like this:

{
   "FirstFeature": "testing feature",
   "SecondFeature": "another great feature"
}

As an aside this seems more like a patch or put. post is generally used to add new records. You are modifying a record here?
more info here: http://restful-api-design.readthedocs.io/en/latest/methods.html

3

Thanks for the reply. I am adding new data, not modifying anything.

I’m not sure what you mean with “Try sending the data as a application/json request and setting the body as raw json”

When I send this data:

Key: firstfeature, Value: test data1

Key: secondfeature, Value: test data2

I end up with only “firstfeature”, but no data for “secondfeature”, only _id, user and date for the last one.

Screenshot of what exactly? These are the exact values I’m posting.