Sails.JS - Created user wont return user object

Question

I have a function in my Sails 1.0 application that adds a new user to the MongoDB and then at the end should return the User object as JSON...

The User does get added to the collection but it throws an error when trying to get the _id of the new User object. When I attempt to console.log() the createdUser it comes back as Undefined. Trying to figure out how the user can get created in Mongo but not be returned as an object in the same function?

In short the Register() function does the following:

• Validates some inputs
• Checks for valid email address
• Encrypts the password
• Finds Gravatar URL if applicable
• Inserts User into collection
• Set user._id in req.session (ERROR IS OCCURRING HERE)
• Return User object as JSON

Error:

info: ·• Auto-migrating...  (alter)
info:    Hold tight, this could take a moment.
info:  ✓ Auto-migration complete.

warn: Ignored attempt to bind route (/resend-username) to unknown action :: UserController.resendUsername
info:
info:                .-..-.
info:
info:    Sails              <|    .-..-.
info:    v1.0.0-37           |\
info:                       /|.\
info:                      / || \
info:                    ,'  |'  \
info:                 .-'.-==|/_--'
info:                 `--'-------'
info:    __---___--___---___--___---___--___
info:  ____---___--___---___--___---___--___-__
info:
info: Server lifted in `D:\Development\Sails\goknack-sails-1.0`
info: To shut down Sails, press <CTRL> + C at any time.

debug: -------------------------------------------------------
debug: :: Tue Sep 05 2017 18:08:33 GMT-0500 (Central Daylight Time)

debug: Environment : development
debug: Port        : 1337
debug: -------------------------------------------------------
undefined
D:\Development\Sails\goknack-sails-1.0\node_modules\mongodb\lib\utils.js:123
    process.nextTick(function() { throw err; });
                                  ^

TypeError: Cannot read property '_id' of undefined
    at D:\Development\Sails\goknack-sails-1.0\api\controllers\UserController.js:259:47
    at D:\Development\Sails\goknack-sails-1.0\node_modules\parley\lib\private\Deferred.js:232:16
    at _afterTalkingToAdapter (D:\Development\Sails\goknack-sails-1.0\node_modules\waterline\lib\waterline\methods\create.js:282:22)
    at D:\Development\Sails\goknack-sails-1.0\node_modules\sails-mongo\lib\private\do-with-connection.js:223:16
    at D:\Development\Sails\goknack-sails-1.0\node_modules\sails-mongo\lib\private\do-with-connection.js:123:18
    at Object.success (D:\Development\Sails\goknack-sails-1.0\node_modules\sails-mongo\lib\private\build-std-adapter-method.js:61:47)
    at afterMaybeArtificiallyWaiting (D:\Development\Sails\goknack-sails-1.0\node_modules\sails-mongo\node_modules\machine\lib\private\intercept-exit-callbacks.js:406:21)
    at maybeArtificiallyWait (D:\Development\Sails\goknack-sails-1.0\node_modules\sails-mongo\node_modules\machine\lib\private\intercept-exit-callbacks.js:220:20)
    at afterPotentiallyCaching (D:\Development\Sails\goknack-sails-1.0\node_modules\sails-mongo\node_modules\machine\lib\private\intercept-exit-callbacks.js:240:11)
    at _cacheIfAppropriate (D:\Development\Sails\goknack-sails-1.0\node_modules\sails-mongo\node_modules\machine\lib\private\intercept-exit-callbacks.js:98:18)
    at Function._interceptExit [as success] (D:\Development\Sails\goknack-sails-1.0\node_modules\sails-mongo\node_modules\machine\lib\private\intercept-exit-callbacks.js:111:9)
    at D:\Development\Sails\goknack-sails-1.0\node_modules\sails-mongo\lib\private\machines\create-record.js:99:22
    at D:\Development\Sails\goknack-sails-1.0\node_modules\mongodb\lib\collection.js:437:18
    at handleCallback (D:\Development\Sails\goknack-sails-1.0\node_modules\mongodb\lib\utils.js:120:56)
    at D:\Development\Sails\goknack-sails-1.0\node_modules\mongodb\lib\collection.js:743:5
    at D:\Development\Sails\goknack-sails-1.0\node_modules\mongodb-core\lib\connection\pool.js:461:18
                              ^

I have tried switching id to _id since it is Mongo but no luck, when I try to console.log createdUser it is Undefined.

The record is being created in the database... Any help on where I might be screwing up would be appreciated.

The full Register function I am using:

  register: function (req, res) {

    if (_.isUndefined(req.param('first'))) {
      return res.badRequest('A first name is required!');
    }

    if (_.isUndefined(req.param('last'))) {
      return res.badRequest('A last name is required!');
    }

    if (_.isUndefined(req.param('phone'))) {
      return res.badRequest('A phone number is required!');
    }

    if (_.isUndefined(req.param('email'))) {
      return res.badRequest('An email address is required!');
    }

    if (req.param('email') !== req.param('emailConfirm')) {
      return res.badRequest('Email addresses do not match!');
    }

    if (_.isUndefined(req.param('password'))) {
      return res.badRequest('A password is required!');
    }

    if (req.param('password').length < 6) {
      return res.badRequest('Password must be at least 6 characters!');
    }

    if (req.param('password') !== req.param('confirmPassword')) {
      return res.badRequest('Passwords do not match!');
    }

    if (_.isUndefined(req.param('tos'))) {
      return res.badRequest('You must review and accept the Goknack Terms of Service & Privacy policy.');
    }



    Emailaddresses.validate({
      string: req.param('email'),
    }).exec({
      // An unexpected error occurred.
      error: function (err) {
        return res.serverError(err);
      },
      // The provided string is not an email address.
      invalid: function () {
        return res.badRequest('Doesn\'t look like an email address to me!');
      },
      // OK.
      success: function () {

        Passwords.encryptPassword({
          password: req.param('password'),
        }).exec({

          error: function (err) {
            return res.serverError(err);
          },

          success: function (result) {

            var options = {};

            // gravitar image for user, if present
            try {

              options.gravatarURL = Gravatar.getImageUrl({
                emailAddress: req.param('email')
              }).execSync();

            } catch (err) {
              return res.serverError(err);
            }

            options.email = req.param('email');
            options.username = req.param('username');
            options.encryptedPassword = result;
            options.deleted = false;
            options.deletedDate = '';
            options.admin = false;
            options.banned = false;
            options.paypalEmail = '';


            // validate that email address has not been used before
            User.find({email: req.param('email')}).exec(function(err, user) {
              if (err) {
                return res.negotiate(err);
              }

              if (user.length > 0) {
                return res.badRequest('Invalid email, this email address is already in use.');
              } else {
                // create new user
                User.create(options).exec(function (err, createdUser) {

                  if (err) {
                    console.log('the error is: ', err.invalidAttributes);
                    return res.negotiate(err);
                  }

                  // Log the user in
                  console.log(createdUser);
                  req.session.userId = createdUser._id;

                  // NOTHING IS BEING RETURNED IN createdUser

                  return res.json(createdUser);
                });

              }
            });

          }
        });
      }
    });
  },

Answer 1

That seems really strange. But I see one possible culprit... when you check for email uniqueness using User.find(), I don't recognize your use of find. You are calling it like:

User.find({email: req.param('email')}, function(err, user) {
    //...
});

But I don't think find accepts a second input. You probably mean exec:

User.find({email: req.param('email')}).exec(function(err, user) {
    //...
});

I can't follow the exact logic that leads to your specific error, but if you are somehow executing a function parameter that is not meant to be there, fixing that is a place to start.

Answer 2

I don't know if anyone figured this out, I've been having the same problem with Sails v1.0 for HOURS today.

I finally gave up and installed v0.12, ported my controller and models, and it worked fine.

This must be a bug in v1.0 where neither .exec(function(err,result){...}) nor .then(function(result){...}).catch(function(err){...}) returns an object!

I can attest that the await/fetch() method DOES work in v1.0, but I'm not sure how to implement with file upload. So v0.12 it remains.

Answer 3

I thing that the problem is the new architecture of controllers in SailsJS v1. It is recomended to use actions. I had the same error. I fixed it with classic actions

Specifically I used this code in the file "api/controller/user/create.js":

module.exports = async function create (req, res) {
var userData = {
    /* pick from req.body... */
}
var user = await User.create(userData).fetch();
if(user){
  /* ... code to process the user object ... */
}

I hope this help other. Best regards !

Answer 4

Try this:

User.create({...}, function(err, createdUser) {
    //...
}, { fetch: true });

I hope this helps :) The problem is that in sails 1.0 waterline does not autmoatically fetch the created/updated object, you need to add { fetch: true } in order the get the created object.

This method can also be used with await:

var createdUser = await User.create({...}).fetch();

But if you want to use the traditional Node callbacks, then the previous example should work !

Answer 5

I had the same issue. I then tried findOrCreate which returned the new record. I think this is a bug of Sails 1.0 as I never had this issue with 0.12.

Answer 6

As of sails 1.0 you need to specify that you want that model to be returned from the create call. To do that chain you create with a fetch call.

let createdUser = await User.create({ name: "Some name" }).fetch();

Also, await is now preferred over callbacks.

More on this here: https://next.sailsjs.com/documentation/reference/waterline-orm/models/create

Answer 7

My answer is late, but this might help someone in the future. This syntax:

User.find({email: req.param('email')}, function(err, user) {
    //...
});

is the syntax used by Mike McNeil in the book Sails.js in action. It actually does work, at least in V0.12.

Concerning the error, the only reason I could think of to cause this problem, where the record is created but not returned is if you have created your own create() method on the UserController and you do not return the object once created.