Cannot update records from a PostgreSQL database.

[Shaphil]

I have written the following code to update a User instance. The code runs without any error. However, when I send a patch request, it does not update the User, instead, it returns the User un-altered.

This is the code I have so far,

use actix_web::web::Json;
use actix_web::{patch, web, Error, HttpResponse, Responder};
use chrono::{NaiveDate, NaiveDateTime, NaiveTime, Utc};
use entity::user::Entity as User;
use sea_orm::{ActiveModelTrait, EntityTrait, IntoActiveModel};
use sea_orm::DatabaseConnection;

pub struct AppState {
    pub db: DatabaseConnection,
}


#[derive(Serialize)]
pub struct ApiResponse {
    pub message: String,
}

// this is the Entity
#[derive(Clone, Debug, PartialEq, DeriveEntityModel, Eq, Serialize)]
#[sea_orm(table_name = "user")]
pub struct Model {
    #[sea_orm(primary_key)]
    pub id: i32,
    #[sea_orm(unique)]
    pub username: Option<String>,
    pub firstname: Option<String>,
    pub lastname: Option<String>,
    #[sea_orm(unique)]
    pub email: Option<String>,
    pub password: Option<String>,
    pub is_active: Option<bool>,
    pub last_login: Option<DateTime>,
    pub date_joined: Option<DateTime>,
    pub created_at: Option<DateTime>,
    pub updated_at: Option<DateTime>,
    pub is_admin: Option<bool>,
    pub is_superadmin: Option<bool>,
}


#[derive(Serialize, Deserialize, Debug)]
pub struct UserRequest {
    pub username: Option<String>,
    pub firstname: Option<String>,
    pub lastname: Option<String>,
    pub email: Option<String>,
    pub password: Option<String>,
    pub is_active: Option<bool>,
    pub last_login: Option<NaiveDateTime>,
    pub date_joined: Option<NaiveDateTime>,
    pub created_at: Option<NaiveDateTime>,
    pub updated_at: Option<NaiveDateTime>,
    pub is_admin: Option<bool>,
    pub is_superadmin: Option<bool>,
}


#[patch("/{id}")]
pub async fn update_user(id: web::Path<i32>, payload: Json<UserRequest>, app_state: web::Data<AppState>) -> Result<impl Responder, Error> {
    let user_id = id.into_inner();
    let result = User::find_by_id(user_id.clone()).one(&app_state.db).await;

    match result {
        Ok(model) => {
            match model {
                None => {
                    let message = format!("User with ID `{}`, does not exist", user_id.clone());
                    let response = ApiResponse { message };
                    Ok(HttpResponse::NotFound().json(response))
                }
                Some(mut user) => {
                    user.username = payload.username.clone().or(user.username);
                    user.firstname = payload.firstname.clone().or(user.firstname);
                    user.lastname = payload.lastname.clone().or(user.lastname);
                    user.email = payload.email.clone().or(user.email);
                    user.password = payload.password.clone().or(user.password);
                    user.is_active = Option::from(payload.is_active).or(user.is_active);
                    user.is_admin = Option::from(payload.is_admin).or(user.is_admin);
                    user.is_superadmin = Option::from(payload.is_superadmin).or(user.is_superadmin);
                    user.updated_at = Option::from(
                        NaiveDateTime::new(
                            NaiveDate::from(Utc::now().naive_utc()),
                            NaiveTime::from(Utc::now().time()),
                        )
                    );

                    println!("LOG: Update User: {:?}", user.clone());
                    let user_model = user.into_active_model();
                    println!("LOG: Update User: {:?}", user_model.clone());
                    // let result = User::update(user_model).exec(&app_state.db).await;

                    // this line has no effect on the database
                    let result = user_model.update(&app_state.db).await;

                    match result {
                        // json(response) returns existing un-modified row from database
                        Ok(response) => Ok(HttpResponse::Ok().json(response)),
                        Err(err) => {
                            let response = ApiResponse { message: err.to_string() };
                            Ok(HttpResponse::BadRequest().json(response))
                        }
                    }
                }
            }
        }
        Err(err) => {
            let response = ApiResponse { message: err.to_string() };
            Ok(HttpResponse::BadRequest().json(response))
        }
    }
}

Example

PATCH request sent to, http://localhost:8080/users/14 with the following request body,

{
    "username": "koko",
    "is_active": true
}

But the response indicates no change has been applied to username or is_active fields. Here's the response,

{
    "id": 14,
    "username": "cod",
    "firstname": null,
    "lastname": null,
    "email": "[email protected]",
    "password": "123456",
    "is_active": null,
    "last_login": "1970-01-01T00:00:00",
    "date_joined": null,
    "created_at": null,
    "updated_at": null,
    "is_admin": false,
    "is_superadmin": false
}

Link to handler in my repo, https://github.com/Shaphil/actix-fullstack/blob/feature/users/src/users/handlers.rs#L63

What am I doing wrong and how do I fix it?

[GoldenChrysus]

This really isn't the appropriate way to update a record. You are directly updating the model then entering an active model. You should be first entering an active model then performing your updates, like the docs illustrate. You must use Set, NotSet, etc. to tell SeaORM which fields have changed. It doesn't know this if you update the model outside of the appropriate workflow.

The docs even emphasize this. Emphasis theirs:

If you want to save the model back into the database, you need to convert it into an ActiveModel first.

[Shaphil]

If you want to save the model back into the database, you need to convert it into an ActiveModel first.

I am doing that, let user_model = user.into_active_model();

When I use Set() like this,

user.username = Set(payload.username.clone());

I get this following error,

Type mismatch [E0308]expected `String`, but found `ActiveValue<String>`

[GoldenChrysus]

Reread the statement.

If you want to save the model back into the database, you need to convert it into an ActiveModel FIRST.

You are setting values on a Model not an ActiveModel as you are not first creating an ActiveModel. This is incorrect. You generally should not be modifying the Model at all.

Read the docs linked. They give a clear, proper example of exactly what you are trying to do.

[Shaphil]

@GoldenChrysus Thanks a lot, this really helped.

Here is a portion of the updated code,

let mut user = user_model.into_active_model();
user.username = Set(payload.username.clone().or(user.username.unwrap()));
user.firstname = Set(payload.firstname.clone().or(user.firstname.unwrap()));
user.lastname = Set(payload.lastname.clone().or(user.lastname.unwrap()));
user.email = Set(payload.email.clone().or(user.email.unwrap()));
user.password = Set(payload.password.clone().or(user.password.unwrap()));
user.is_active = Set(Option::from(payload.is_active).or(user.is_active.unwrap()));
user.is_admin = Set(Option::from(payload.is_admin).or(user.is_admin.unwrap()));
user.is_superadmin = Set(Option::from(payload.is_superadmin).or(user.is_superadmin.unwrap()));
user.updated_at = Set(Option::from(
    NaiveDateTime::new(
        NaiveDate::from(Utc::now().naive_utc()),
        NaiveTime::from(Utc::now().time()),
    )
));