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Relations between Types

The most important part of GraphQL is a relations between types.

Relation via FieldConfig

Assume you have Author and Post types.

import { TypeComposer } from 'graphql-compose';

const AuthorTC = TypeComposer.create({
  name: 'Author',
  fields: {
    id: 'Int!',
    firstName: 'String',
    lastName: 'String',
  },
});

const PostTC = TypeComposer.create({
  name: 'Post',
  fields: {
    id: 'Int!',
    title: 'String',
    votes: 'Int',
    authorId: 'Int',
  },
});

GraphQL allows to create additional fields in your types which may provide data from other type. For example, you may add field posts to the Author type and write resolve function in such way that this field will return array of posts only for current Author.

It can be done in the following manner:

AuthorTC.addFields({
  posts: {
    type: [PostTC], // array of Posts
    resolve: (author, args, context, info) => {
      return DB.Posts.find({ authorId: author.id });
    },
  },
});

It's quite easy. But now lets improve our relation and add new arguments limit and skip:

AuthorTC.addFields({
  posts: {
    type: [PostTC], // array of Posts
    args: {
      limit: {
        type: 'Int',
        defaultValue: 10,
      },
      skip: 'Int',
    },
    resolve: (author, args, context, info) => {
      return DB.Posts
        .find({ authorId: author.id })
        .limit(args.limit)
        .skip(args.skip || 0);
    },
  },
});

And this is also very easy, but what if we want provide filter argument which adds ability to filter by creation date, and min number of votes:

AuthorTC.addFields({
  posts: {
    type: [PostTC], // array of Posts
    args: {
      limit: {
        type: 'Int',
        defaultValue: 10,
      },
      skip: 'Int',
      filter: `
        input PostsFilterInput {
          createdAtMin: Date
          votesMin: Int
        }
      `,
    },
    resolve: (source, args, context, info) => {
      const criteria = { authorId: source.id };
      if (args.filter) {
        if (args.filter.createdAtMin) criteria.createdAt = { $gt: args.filter.createdAtMin };
        if (args.filter.votesMin) criteria.votes = { $gt: args.filter.votesMin };
      }
      return DB.Posts
        .find(criteria)
        .limit(args.limit)
        .skip(args.skip || 0);
    },
  },
});

Hm, it's became quite long. But what if you have other Types wich have relations with Posts (eg Reviewer, Reader)? I don't think that copy/paste of resolve method will be a good idea. Cause in the future you may want to add a new filter property and should scan all your code and put additional logic in all FieldConfigs. So if you meet with such problem the next section is for you.

Relation via Resolver

If you need to use the same FieldConfigs in different Types for such cases graphql-compose provides Resolver class. You may create a Resolver which will define type, args and resolve and reuse in all places of your Schema where you need it.

Anyway if you put posts resolver in separate file, you will meet with another problems

• in Author type you will use criteria = { authorId: source.id } for resolve method;
• in Reviewer - criteria = { reviewers: { $has: source.id } } and so on.

For such case better to improve args.filter by allowing to set authorId and reviewerId via arguments:

import { Resolver } from 'graphql-compose';

const postsResolver = new Resolver({
  type: [PostTC], // array of Posts
  args: {
    limit: {
      type: 'Int',
      defaultValue: 10,
    },
    skip: 'Int',
    filter: `
      input PostsFilterInput {
        createdAtMin: Date
        votesMin: Int
        authorId: ID
        reviewerId: ID
      }
    `,
  },
  resolve: (source, args, context, info) => {
    const { filter } = args;
    const criteria = {};
    if (filter) {
      if (filter.createdAtMin) criteria.createdAt = { $gt: filter.createdAtMin };
      if (filter.votesMin) criteria.votes = { $gt: filter.votesMin };
      if (filter.authorId) criteria.authorId = filter.authorId;
      if (filter.reviewerId) criteria.reviewerId = { $has: filter.reviewerId };
    }
    return DB.Posts
      .find(criteria)
      .limit(args.limit)
      .skip(args.skip || 0);
  },
});

And now you may create relations via TypeComposer.addRelation method in such way:

AuthorTC.addRelation('posts', {
  resolver: () => postsResolver,
  prepareArgs: {
    filter: source => ({ authorId: source.id }),
  },
  projection: { id: true },
});

ReviewerTC.addRelation('posts', {
  resolver: () => postsResolver,
  prepareArgs: {
    filter: source => ({ reviewerId: source.id }),
  },
  projection: { id: true },
});

TypeComposer.addRelation()

addRelation method has following arguments:

TypeComposer.addRelation(
  fieldName: string,
  opts: {
    resolver: () => Resolver,
    prepareArgs?: RelationArgsMapper,
    projection?: ProjectionType,
    description?: string,
    deprecationReason?: string,
  })
): TypeComposer

resolver

Should be an arrow function which returns Resolver. Wrapping resolver in arrow function helps to solve hoisting problem (when two types imports each other).

prepareArgs

At runtime we should have ability to prepare somehow args which will be passed to Resolver.

For example our Resolver has following arguments filter, limit, skip and sort. prepareArgs provides instruction how to setup them:

• limit: 10 - hide limit arg from schema and set it equal to 10
• filter: (source) => value - hide filter arg form schema and at runtime evaluate its value
• sort: null - disable argument (hide from schema and do not pass it to resolver)
• all undescribed args (like skip) will be avaliable in the schema and will be avaliable in query

projection

Is very useful option for extending requested fields in your query. It very good practice to request from database only that fields which were requested in the query. But sometimes we need to request additional fields for fullfilling findById resolver with authorId value in arguments. For this purpose you need to use projection.

PostTC.addRelation('author', {
  resolver: () => AuthorTC.getResolver('findById'),
  prepareArgs: {
    id: (source) => source.authorId,
  },
  projection: { authorId: true },
});

So when you make such query

{
  post {
    author {
      firstName
    }
  }
}

it will be transformed to

{
  post {
    author {
      firstName
    }
    authorId # <--- added by `projection` option
  }
}

Without projection when we will request author field its resolver may get args.authorId equals to undefined. In this situation will not provide any data for Author. It happens if fetching only that fields which listed in the query from database. So when client requests author field in GraphQL Query he also must request authorId explicitly. But why client should care it? So required additional fields should be requested via projection option.