Question

I’m creating a RESTful API with NodeJS, express, express-resource, and Sequelize that is used to manage datasets stored in a MySQL database.

I’m trying to figure out how to properly update a record using Sequelize.

I create a model:

module.exports = function (sequelize, DataTypes) {
  return sequelize.define('Locale', {
    id: {
      type: DataTypes.INTEGER,
      autoIncrement: true,
      primaryKey: true
    },
    locale: {
      type: DataTypes.STRING,
      allowNull: false,
      unique: true,
      validate: {
        len: 2
      }
    },
    visible: {
      type: DataTypes.BOOLEAN,
      defaultValue: 1
    }
  })
}

Then, in my resource controller, I define an update action.

In here I want to be able to update the record where the id matches a req.params variable.

First I build a model and then I use the updateAttributes method to update the record.

const Sequelize = require('sequelize')
const { dbconfig } = require('../config.js')

// Initialize database connection
const sequelize = new Sequelize(dbconfig.database, dbconfig.username, dbconfig.password)

// Locale model
const Locales = sequelize.import(__dirname + './models/Locale')

// Create schema if necessary
Locales.sync()


/**
 * PUT /locale/:id
 */

exports.update = function (req, res) {
  if (req.body.name) {
    const loc = Locales.build()

    loc.updateAttributes({
      locale: req.body.name
    })
      .on('success', id => {
        res.json({
          success: true
        }, 200)
      })
      .on('failure', error => {
        throw new Error(error)
      })
  }
  else
    throw new Error('Data not provided')
}

Now, this does not actually produce an update query as I would expect.

Instead, an insert query is executed:

INSERT INTO `Locales`(`id`, `locale`, `createdAt`, `updatedAt`, `visible`)
VALUES ('1', 'us', '2011-11-16 05:26:09', '2011-11-16 05:26:15', 1)

So my question is: What is the proper way to update a record using Sequelize ORM?

Answer 1

I have not used Sequelize, but after reading its documentation, it’s obvious that you are instantiating a new object, that’s why Sequelize inserts a new record into the db.

First you need to search for that record, fetch it and only after that change its properties and update it, for example:

Project.find({ where: { title: 'aProject' } })
  .on('success', function (project) {
    // Check if record exists in db
    if (project) {
      project.update({
        title: 'a very different title now'
      })
      .success(function () {})
    }
  })