nullable field

[cyrilchapon]

When updating a document with a mongoose geojson schema, and trying to set it to null, when required: false, I'm getting :

error:  TypeError: Cannot read property 'type' of null
    at SchemaType.Polygon.cast (C:\Users\Cyril\Code\imagine-network-api\node_modules\mongoose-geojson-schema\index.js:27
5:15)
    at SchemaType.castForQuery (C:\Users\Cyril\Code\imagine-network-api\node_modules\mongoose\lib\schematype.js:952:15)
    at castUpdateVal (C:\Users\Cyril\Code\imagine-network-api\node_modules\mongoose\lib\services\query\castUpdate.js:288
:17)
    at walkUpdatePath (C:\Users\Cyril\Code\imagine-network-api\node_modules\mongoose\lib\services\query\castUpdate.js:20
9:20)
    at castUpdate (C:\Users\Cyril\Code\imagine-network-api\node_modules\mongoose\lib\services\query\castUpdate.js:70:18)
    at Query._castUpdate (C:\Users\Cyril\Code\imagine-network-api\node_modules\mongoose\lib\query.js:2804:10)
    at castDoc (C:\Users\Cyril\Code\imagine-network-api\node_modules\mongoose\lib\query.js:2830:18)
    at Query._findAndModify (C:\Users\Cyril\Code\imagine-network-api\node_modules\mongoose\lib\query.js:2000:17)
    at Query._findOneAndUpdate (C:\Users\Cyril\Code\imagine-network-api\node_modules\mongoose\lib\query.js:1856:8)
    at C:\Users\Cyril\Code\imagine-network-api\node_modules\kareem\index.js:253:8
    at C:\Users\Cyril\Code\imagine-network-api\node_modules\kareem\index.js:18:7
    at _combinedTickCallback (internal/process/next_tick.js:67:7)
    at process._tickCallback (internal/process/next_tick.js:98:9)

[joshkopecek]

I believe the preferred approach would be deleting the property from the containing object rather than setting it as null. If it's null it'll think there's an object to be cast/validated.

[cyrilchapon]

I believe the preferred approach would be deleting the property from the containing object rather than setting it as null.

Well that works, but an $unset field doesn't mean the same as a null field.
null is for deliberate absence of value, not set rather means not-really-wanted absence of value.

EDIT: plus

If it's null it'll think there's an object to be cast/validated.

Yeah, that's it, I think one would want to cast null as a geojson polygon (json-type null is ok, plus it works with Object)

[joshkopecek]

If you cast null as an empty GeoJSON object then it's going to want coordinate values, and if those are empty any geospatial index you have on Mongo will fail AFAIK. If the property doesn't exist it will simply be absented from the index.

[cyrilchapon]

any geospatial index you have on Mongo will fail AFAIK

Actually they are sparse by default, and null is ok with sparse indexes.

[joshkopecek]

Ok I'll need to check and write a test for this. Thanks for bringing it to my attention. Obviously my knowledge of the Mongo API is a bit rusty!

[joshkopecek]

@cyrilchapon I know this is late, but could you give me an example of the schema and data that you were working with? It would be nice to get this working properly with systems requiring sparse indexes.