repository.save uses insert instead of update - typeorm

Question

I am using TypeORM's repository pattern with a simple table, two columns, estate_num as primary key and estateId with mysql.
The repository.save method is supposed to insert if the record by primary key does not exist, otherwise, update it.
Instead, I get the following error:
query: SELECT `estate`.`estate_num` AS `estate_estate_num`, `estate`.`estateId` AS `estate_estateId` FROM `estate` `estate` WHERE (`estate`.`estate_num` = ?) -- PARAMETERS: ["0"]
query: START TRANSACTION
query: INSERT INTO `estate`(`estate_num`, `estateId`) VALUES (?, ?) -- PARAMETERS: ["0","caae4e67796e4ac000743f009210fcb0467fdf87d0fbbf6107359cf53f5b544b79eefdfdd78f95d50301f20a9c3212cd3970af22b722e59313813e8c5d2732d0"]
query failed: INSERT INTO `estate`(`estate_num`, `estateId`) VALUES (?, ?) -- PARAMETERS: ["0","caae4e67796e4ac000743f009210fcb0467fdf87d0fbbf6107359cf53f5b544b79eefdfdd78f95d50301f20a9c3212cd3970af22b722e59313813e8c5d2732d0"]
error: { Error: ER_DUP_ENTRY: Duplicate entry '0' for key 'PRIMARY'
I can run the SELECT manually, which is what I think determines whether to insert vs update. It returns a row as I would expect with the matching estate_num.
The entity model for this is:
#Entity()
export class Estate {
#PrimaryColumn({
name: 'estate_num',
})
estateNum: number;
#Column({
name: 'estateId',
})
estateId: string;
}
Note: the estate_num is not auto-increment, the key will be always supplied. It is odd, I understand.
Thanks!

Answer 1

I had the same problem. I was doing it wrong.
Before I was doing it multiple ways, but in the wrong way.
First I was doing it like this:
const user = User.create({ id: 1, username: "newName" })
user.save();
giving me an error of ID Duplicate Entry
Second I was doing it like this:
const user = User.create({ id: 1, username: "newName" })
User.save(user);
same error, Duplicate Entry.
Third I was doing it like this:
const user = User.findOneOrFaile(1);
const newUser = { ...user, ..req.body }
User.save(newUser);
same error.
And I just got helped and It should be done like this. You need to get the instance and merged it using Object.assign()
try {
const user: User = await User.findOneOrFail(id);
Object.assign(user, { ...req.body }); <---- SO ITS LIKE THIS
await user.save();
res.json({
meta: {},
payload: {
...req.body
}
});
} catch (error) {
logger.error(error);
res.status(404).json({
error
});
}

Answer 2

From your logs it's clear that you've passed ID as a string -- PARAMETERS: ["0"], but Estate entity estateNum is of type number. Convert the ID to number before passing it to repository.save.

Answer 3

I put together the following ts file to test this:
import 'reflect-metadata';
import { createConnection } from 'typeorm';
import { Estate } from './entity/Estate';
createConnection().then(async connection => {
const estate = new Estate();
estate.estateNum = 0;
estate.estateId = 'alpha';
await connection.getRepository(Estate).save(estate);
estate.estateId = 'beta';
await connection.getRepository(Estate).save(estate);
});
It works as expected (based on the following log output):
query: SELECT "Estate"."estate_num" AS "Estate_estate_num", "Estate"."estateId" AS
"Estate_estateId" FROM "estate" "Estate" WHERE ("Estate"."estate_num" = ?) --
PARAMETERS: [0]
query: BEGIN TRANSACTION
query: INSERT INTO "estate"("estate_num", "estateId") VALUES (?, ?) -- PARAMETERS:
[0,"alpha"]
query: COMMIT
query: SELECT "Estate"."estate_num" AS "Estate_estate_num", "Estate"."estateId" AS
"Estate_estateId" FROM "estate" "Estate" WHERE ("Estate"."estate_num" = ?) --
PARAMETERS: [0]
query: BEGIN TRANSACTION
query: UPDATE "estate" SET "estateId" = ? WHERE "estate_num" = ? -- PARAMETERS:
["beta",0]
query: COMMIT
I did notice that if you you do not await the save results, typeorm will attempt to insert the row twice (because the first save didn't complete before the second started).
Could this be your problem?
(Note I used sqlite3 in this example).