Query string variables still empty in Express 4

Question

Write simple server as suggested here on stackoverflow:

rest_api.js:

const express = require('express');
const bodyParser = require('body-parser')

// Initialize RESTful server
const app = express();

app.set('port', (process.env.PORT || 5000));
app.use(bodyParser.json() );                        // to support JSON-encoded bodies
app.use(bodyParser.urlencoded({extended: true}));   // to support URL-encoded bodies

// Spin up the server
app.listen(app.get('port'), function() {
    console.log('running on port', app.get('port'))
});

app.post('/bookinghandler', function (req, res) {
    let senderId = req.query.sender;
    let email = req.query.email;
    let hotelName = req.query.hotelName;
    let confirmNumber = req.query.confirmNumber;
    let start = req.query.startDate;
    let end = req.query.endDate;
}

app.js:

// This loads the environment variables from the .env file
require('dotenv-extended').load();

const builder = require('botbuilder');
const restify = require('restify');

// Setup Restify Server
var server = restify.createServer();
server.listen(process.env.port || process.env.PORT || 3978, function () {
   console.log('%s listening to %s', server.name, server.url); 
});

// Create chat connector for communicating with the Bot Framework Service
var connector = new builder.ChatConnector({
    appId: process.env.MICROSOFT_APP_ID,
    appPassword: process.env.MICROSOFT_APP_PASSWORD
});

// Listen for messages from users 
server.post('/api/messages', connector.listen());

var bot = require("./bot")
bot.InitializeBot(connector);

// Load REST API module
var restApi = require("./rest_api");

And want to get parameters through query string (sample request in URL: bookinghandler?sender=100000250242810&email=some@email.com&hotelName=Grand Hotel&confirmNumber=654321&startDate=2017-10-11&endDate=2017-10-15).

However req.params, req.param(), req.body, req.query are still empty. What I'm doing wrong? Is it the only way to do it through require('url') or require('qs')? If I want to it through express only?

Hum usually if you are looking for query parameters it should be a GET method no? `app.get(...)` — Marco Talento, Aug 28 '17 at 22:49
@MarcoTalento, probably however GET does not work for me as well -- all is empty. — Aleksey Kontsevich, Aug 28 '17 at 22:50
While making changes, did you remember to restart the server? — Boaz, Aug 28 '17 at 22:51
@Boaz sure! :) Otherwise it returns `Cannot GET /bookinghandler` — Aleksey Kontsevich, Aug 28 '17 at 22:57

score 1 · Accepted Answer · answered Aug 29 '17 at 15:15

Problem was in using 2 REST frameworks: express and restify. Need to make entire application as restify or express app. Before I had a restify server and inside that another express server was created (just took different examples). Generally need to use one or the other, not both.

Modified app.js:

// This loads the environment variables from the .env file
require('dotenv-extended').load();

const builder = require('botbuilder');
const restify = require('restify');

// Setup Restify Server
var server = restify.createServer();
server.use(require('restify-plugins').queryParser());
server.listen(process.env.port || process.env.PORT || 3978, function () {
   console.log('%s listening to %s', server.name, server.url); 
});

// Index route
server.get('/', function (req, res) {
    res.send('My chat bot')
});

// Create chat connector for communicating with the Bot Framework Service
var connector = new builder.ChatConnector({
    appId: process.env.MICROSOFT_APP_ID,
    appPassword: process.env.MICROSOFT_APP_PASSWORD
});

// Listen for messages from users 
server.post('/api/messages', connector.listen());

var bot = require("./bot")
bot.InitializeBot(connector);

// Load REST API module
var restApi = require("./rest_api");

// POST request from webview page
server.post('/bookinghandler', restApi.BookingHandler);

Modified rest_api.js:

const service = require("./service");

module.exports.BookingHandler = async function (req, res, next) {
    let senderId = req.query.sender;
    let email = req.query.email;
    let hotelName = req.query.hotelName;
    let confirmNumber = req.query.confirmNumber;
    let start = req.query.startDate;
    let end = req.query.endDate;

    res.send(200);  // Success
    return next(false);
};

score 0 · Answer 2 · edited Aug 29 '17 at 00:11

0

app.post('/bookinghandler', function (req, res) {
       let senderId = req.query.sender;
       let email = req.query.email;
       let hotelName = req.query.hotelName;
       console.log(req.query, senderId, email, hotelName)
})

Prints this output in my terminal

{ sender: '100000250242810', email: 'some@email.com', hotelName: 'Grand' } '100000250242810' 'some@email.com' 'Grand'

edited Aug 29 '17 at 00:11

Joe Mayo

7,501
7
41
60

answered Aug 28 '17 at 22:36

pneedle

9
2

Using Advanced REST client to send the request or even via browser. All variables and query are undefined to me - `console.log(req.query, senderId, email, hotelName)` output: `[Function: getQuery] undefined undefined undefined` – Aleksey Kontsevich Aug 28 '17 at 22:44
Main question why it is working for You, and does not work for me?! Could there be conflict with `resitfy`? Also I call this code from `app.js` like following: `var restApi = require("./rest_api");` – Aleksey Kontsevich Aug 28 '17 at 23:11
Can you please post the code for where you set your cookies for the session? – pneedle Aug 28 '17 at 23:21
It is not a web app - server app, backend, no cookies, no session, etc. – Aleksey Kontsevich Aug 28 '17 at 23:22
What are You talking about? I'm not using or checking `req.session`. – Aleksey Kontsevich Aug 28 '17 at 23:33
my bad, i thought the code in the response below was what you used in your program – pneedle Aug 28 '17 at 23:35
this strange guy @turmuka messed things up. – Aleksey Kontsevich Aug 28 '17 at 23:38
How are you making this post request? I am using Postman and it works in there – pneedle Aug 28 '17 at 23:41
Could you provide the code for the rest of the application? You mentioned you have an app.js file, what file is this route located in? – pneedle Aug 28 '17 at 23:45
app.js provided - no secret here :) See code above. – Aleksey Kontsevich Aug 28 '17 at 23:55
1

You should really just be making this entire application an express app, right now you seem to have a restify server and inside that you are creating another express server. Generally you use one or the other, not both. – pneedle Aug 29 '17 at 00:12
You are right! Simple application on `express` works fine. You may add this as an answer. Will make all in `restify`, need to see how to listen on 2 ports with it or will run on single port. – Aleksey Kontsevich Aug 29 '17 at 00:31

score 0 · Answer 3 · edited Jan 02 '23 at 18:44

0

I was able to overcome res.query undefined issue by using JSON.parse

const queryValues= JSON.parse(req.query.queriesHere);
console.log(queryValues);

edited Jan 02 '23 at 18:44

challet

870
9
21

answered Jan 01 '23 at 06:17

eyitayoit

1

Ahmed Can Unbay · Answer 4 · 2017-08-28T23:27:00.867

Whenever a request is made with queries, the queries must exist in the url for the server to recognize them.

Here is a sample code for you. You need to add the queries to action in your html form. You also separate them by using &.

<!DOCTYPE html>
<html>
  <head>
    <meta charset="utf-8">
    <title></title>
  </head>
  <body>
    <form action="/as/?sender=321&email=myemail@email.com" method="post">
      <input type="text" name="myName" value="">
      <input type="submit" name="" value="ssss">
    </form>
  </body>
</html>

Here is app.js

app.post('/bookinghandler', function (req, res) {

    var senderId = req.query.sender;
    var email = req.query.email;
    console.log('senderId = ' + senderId + ' email = ' + email);
    res.end("got the info");
});

Now, you are going to ask me the purpose of this since we are already defining them in the form. Well, real websites don't do it. If you want to evaluate your queries you need to leave them blank and see if the user has any cookies on the browser.

This is the html form

<!DOCTYPE html>
<html>
  <head>
    <meta charset="utf-8">
    <title></title>
  </head>
  <body>
    <form action="/as/?sender=&email=" method="post">
      <input type="text" name="myName" value="">
      <input type="submit" name="" value="ssss">
    </form>
  </body>
</html>

Here is our app

app.post('/bookinghandler', function (req, res) {
    if(req.session.user.id){  //checking the cookies if the user is logged in/exists
       var senderId = req.query.sender;
       var email = req.query.email;
    }else{
     res.send("you haven't logged in");
     return false;
    }

    console.log('senderId = ' + senderId + ' email = ' + email);
    res.end("got the info");
});

For more info on the node module for cookies please see here

Conclusion

Queries on a form is mostly extra work, the work could be done easily by only using req.body and cookies, req.session objects. People don't usually use it unless they have an extra data to transfer between the client and the server.

UPDATE

Parameters are defined like this /:param in node.js

if you wanna use params

app.get('/bookinghandler/:myParam/?queriesHere='){
   console.log(req.params.myParam + "   and the query: " + req.query.queriesHere);

res.send(req.params.myParam + "   and the query: " + req.query.queriesHere);
}

add this code, and copy and go to this url localhost:5000/bookinghandler/hereisaparam/?queriesHere=123

make sure to add port

if it's a server app, create another node.js file and then run them both

otherfile.js

var request = require('request');
request('http://localhost:5000/bookinghandler/hereisaparam/?queriesHere=123', function (error, response, body) {
  if(error){
console.log(error):
return false;
}
  console.log('body:', body); // Print the data
});

Run this file while the server is running.

I'm not sending query from website or whatever: just URL in browser or Advanced REST client. URL is simple: `localhost:5000/bookinghandler?sender=100000250242810&email=some@email.com&hotelName=Grand%20Hotel&confirmNumber=654321&startDate=2017-10-11&endDate=2017-10-15` — Aleksey Kontsevich, Aug 28 '17 at 23:00
`req.url` is correct: `/bookinghandler?sender=100000250242810&email=some@email.com&hotelName=Grand%20Hotel&confirmNumber=654321&startDate=2017-10-11&endDate=2017-10-15` However parameters still undefined. — Aleksey Kontsevich, Aug 28 '17 at 23:03
that's because you don't have any parameters in that url @AlekseyKontsevich — Ahmed Can Unbay, Aug 28 '17 at 23:05
I do not use any forms or pages, GET does not work as well as I mentioned above. — Aleksey Kontsevich, Aug 28 '17 at 23:05
if this the kind of code you'd want? what do you want exactly? @AlekseyKontsevich — Ahmed Can Unbay, Aug 28 '17 at 23:29
I am sorry @AlekseyKontsevich . I understood wrong, i used without restify — Ahmed Can Unbay, Aug 29 '17 at 01:12

Query string variables still empty in Express 4

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