You cannot take an asynchronously retrieved value, stuff it in a higher scoped variable and then try to use it synchronously. The value will not be present yet because the asynchronous result has not been retrieved yet. You're attempting to use the value in the variable before it has been set.
Please remember that await only suspends execution of a local function, it does not stop the caller from running. At the point you do an await, that function is suspended and the async function immediately returns a promise. So, NO amount of await or return gets you anything by a promise out of an async function. The actual value is NEVER returned directly. All async functions return a promise. The caller of that function then must use await or .then() on that promise to get the value.
Try running this code and pay detailed attention to the order of the log statements.
console.log("1");
const helloWorld = () => [{ name: 'hi' }];
async function getFirstHelloWorld() {
const helloWorldList = await helloWorld();
return helloWorldList[0].name;
}
let aList;
const a = async() => {
console.log("beginning of a()");
aList = await getFirstHelloWorld()
console.log("end of a()");
}
console.log("2");
a().then(() => {
console.log('got result:', aList)
console.log('aList is promise:', aList instanceof Promise)
});
console.log("3");
console.log('attempting to use aList value');
console.log(aList)
console.log("4");
That will give you this output:
1
2
beginning of a()
3
attempting to use aList value
undefined
4
end of a()
got result: hi
aList is promise: false
Here you will notice that you are attempting to use the value of aList BEFORE a() has finished running and set the value. You simply can't do that in Javascript asynchronous code, whether you use await or .then().
And, remember that the return value from an async function becomes the resolved value of the promise that all async functions return. The value is not returned directly - even though the code syntax looks that way - that's a unique property of the way async functions work.
Instead, you MUST use the asynchronous value inside the .then() where you know the value is available or immediately after the await where you know the value is available. If you want to return it back to a caller, then you can return it from an async function, but the caller will have to use .then() or await to get the value out of the promise returned from the async function.
Assigning an asynchronously retrieved value to a higher scoped variable is nearly always a programming error in Javascript because nobody wanting to use that higher scoped variable will have any idea when the value is actually valid. Only code within the promise chain knows when the value is actually there.
Here are some other references on the topic:
Why do I need to await an async function when it is not supposedly returning a Promise?
Will async/await block a thread node.js
How to wait for a JavaScript Promise to resolve before resuming function?
Using resolved promise data synchronously
How to Write Your Code
So, hopefully it is clear that you cannot escape an asynchronous result. It can only be used in asynchronous-aware code. You cannot turn an asynchronously retrieved result into something you can use synchronously and you usually should NOT be stuffing an asynchronous result into a higher scoped variable because that will tempt people writing code in this module to attempt to use the variable BEFORE is is available. So, as such, you have to use the value inside a .then() handler who's resolved value has the value you want or after an await in the same function where the await is. No amount of nesting in more async functions let you escape this!
I've heard some people refer to this as asynchronous poison. Any asynchronous operation/value anywhere in a flow of code makes the entire thing asynchronous.
Here's a simplified version of your code that shows returning the value from an async function which will make it the resolved value of the promise the async function returns and then shows using .then() on that promise to get access to the actual value. It also shows using .catch() to catch any errors (which you shouldn't forget).
FYI, since this is not real asynchronous code (it's just synchronous stuff you've wrapped in some promises), it's hard to tell what the real end code should be. We would need to see where the actual asynchronous operation is rather than just this test code.
const helloWorld = () => [{ name: 'hi' }];
async function getFirstHelloWorld() {
const helloWorldList = await helloWorld();
return helloWorldList[0].name;
}
getFirstHelloWorld().then(name => {
// use the name value here
console.log(name);
}).catch(err => {
console.log(err);
});
