Updating a nested document with a dynamic path using typescript

[PWhiddy]

I have some code which was working great with earlier versions of firestore/typescript, but after updating can't see how firestore expects nested objects to be updated with dynamic paths.

It happily accepts a single string literal like this:

// no type error
const keyPath = "paymentHistory.test";
t.update(userRef, {
  [keyPath]: payment,
});

But strangely this results in a complex type error involving AddPrefixToKeys.

// type error
const keyPath = "paymentHistory." + "test";
t.update(userRef, {
  [keyPath]: payment,
});

The paymentHistory property on the User object is defined like this:

paymentHistory: Record<string, Payment>

I am using package versions:

"firebase-admin": "11.10.1",
"firebase-functions": "4.4.1",
"typescript": "5.2.2"

How can I satisfy the types, when the nested key "test" is a variable and not known at build time?

Thanks!

[milaGGL]

Hi @PWhiddy, thank you for reporting this issue. Could you please provide a full repro of what you are updating, ie, what is the type of t, and userRef? I am suspecting this might be related to this firebase/firebase-js-sdk#5853

[PWhiddy]

Hi!
I'm not sure if it's related to that issue.
I made a minimal example that fully reproduces this:
src/index.ts

import {firestore} from "firebase-admin";
import {CollectionReference} from "firebase-admin/firestore";

interface MyDoc {
  nestedA: Record<string, number>
  // The issue goes away if nestedB is removed
  nestedB: Record<string, string>
}

const fstore = firestore();

// The type error goes away if the collection
// is not asserted as "MyDoc", but then type safety is lost
const docStore = fstore.collection("all_docs") as CollectionReference<MyDoc>;

const docRef = docStore.doc("test_doc");

const goodKey = "nestedA.test";
const badKey  = "nestedA." + "test";

// works fine
fstore.runTransaction(async (t) => {
  t.update(docRef, {
    [goodKey]: 3,
  });
});

// type error
fstore.runTransaction(async (t) => {
  t.update(docRef, {
    [badKey]: 3,
  });
});

package.json

{
  "name": "test",
  "version": "0.0.1",
  "scripts": {
    "build": "tsc"
  },
  "main": "index.ts",
  "dependencies": {
    "firebase-admin": "^11.10.1"
  },
  "devDependencies": {
    "typescript": "^5.2.2"
  }
}

tsconfig.json

{
  "compilerOptions": {
    "module": "commonjs",
    "outDir": "lib",
    "strict": true,
    "target": "ES2022",
  },
  "include": [
    "src/**/*"
  ],
  "rootDirs": ["./src"]
}

Really I need the nested key "test" to be dynamic, as is allowed by the type definition of MyDoc, but this simpler case of concatenated string literals makes the strangeness more obvious. This code built fine using an earlier version of typescript/firestore from late last year.

Here is a running demo of these files:
https://codesandbox.io/p/sandbox/gallant-banzai-ypz333

[milaGGL]

Hi @PWhiddy, we have recently fixed a similar issue in the firebase-js-sdk: firebase/firebase-js-sdk#7318. We are planning to port the changes to nodejs-firestore, but I cannot provide an estimated timeline for it. This is added to our backlog along with other tasks. Rest assured, I'll keep you posted on any updates to this thread.

Google internal users please see b/298394991.

[ehsannas]

Internally tracked by b/311751201.

[VictorLeach96]

Any update on this? it's stopping us upgrading past v4

[Volna13]

Any update on this?

[davidcruzcs]

Hey! Just wanted to know if there's any update on this.

[tim-gaweco-1]

Can we get an update on this? This is urgent.