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• Definition
• Behavior

Definition

db.collection. findOneAndUpdate ( filter, update, options )

New in version 3.2.

Updates a single document based on the filter and sort criteria.

The findOneAndUpdate() method has the following form:

Changed in version 3.6.

copy

db.collection.findOneAndUpdate(
   <filter>,
   <update>,
   {
     projection: <document>,
     sort: <document>,
     maxTimeMS: <number>,
     upsert: <boolean>,
     returnNewDocument: <boolean>,
     collation: <document>,
     arrayFilters: [ <filterdocument1>, ... ]
   }
)

The findOneAndUpdate() method takes the following parameters:

Parameter	Type	Description
filter	document	The selection criteria for the update. The same query selectors as in the find() method are available. Specify an empty document { } to update the first document returned in the collection. If unspecified, defaults to an empty document. Starting in MongoDB 3.6.14+ (and 3.4.23+), the operation errors if the query argument is not a document.
update	document	The update document. Must contain only update operators.
projection	document	Optional. A subset of fields to return. To return all fields in the returned document, omit this parameter. Starting in MongoDB 3.6.14+ (and 3.4.23+), the operation errors if the projection argument is not a document.
sort	document	Optional. Specifies a sorting order for the documents matched by the filter. Starting in MongoDB 3.6.14+ (and 3.4.23+), the operation errors if the sort argument is not a document. See cursor.sort().
maxTimeMS	number	Optional. Specifies a time limit in milliseconds within which the operation must complete within. Throws an error if the limit is exceeded.
upsert	boolean	Optional. When true, findOneAndUpdate() either: Creates a new document if no documents match the filter. For more details see upsert behavior. Returns null after inserting the new document, unless returnNewDocument is true. Updates a single document that matches the filter. To avoid multiple upserts, ensure that the filter fields are uniquely indexed. Defaults to false.
returnNewDocument	boolean	Optional. When true, returns the updated document instead of the original document. Defaults to false.
collation	document	Optional. Specifies the collation to use for the operation. Collation allows users to specify language-specific rules for string comparison, such as rules for lettercase and accent marks. The collation option has the following syntax: copy collation: { locale: <string>, caseLevel: <boolean>, caseFirst: <string>, strength: <int>, numericOrdering: <boolean>, alternate: <string>, maxVariable: <string>, backwards: <boolean> } When specifying collation, the locale field is mandatory; all other collation fields are optional. For descriptions of the fields, see Collation Document. If the collation is unspecified but the collection has a default collation (see db.createCollection()), the operation uses the collation specified for the collection. If no collation is specified for the collection or for the operations, MongoDB uses the simple binary comparison used in prior versions for string comparisons. You cannot specify multiple collations for an operation. For example, you cannot specify different collations per field, or if performing a find with a sort, you cannot use one collation for the find and another for the sort. New in version 3.4.
arrayFilters	array	Optional. An array of filter documents that determines which array elements to modify for an update operation on an array field. In the update document, use the $[<identifier>] filtered positional operator to define an identifier, which you then reference in the array filter documents. You cannot have an array filter document for an identifier if the identifier is not included in the update document. Note The <identifier> must begin with a lowercase letter and contain only alphanumeric characters. You can include the same identifier multiple times in the update document; however, for each distinct identifier ($[identifier]) in the update document, you must specify exactly one corresponding array filter document. That is, you cannot specify multiple array filter documents for the same identifier. For example, if the update statement includes the identifier x (possibly multiple times), you cannot specify the following for arrayFilters that includes 2 separate filter documents for x: copy [ { "x.a": { $gt: 85 } }, { "x.b": { $gt: 80 } } ] However, you can specify compound conditions on the same identifier in a single filter document, such as in the following examples: copy [ { $or: [{"x.a": {$gt: 85}}, {"x.b": {$gt: 80}}] } ] [ { $and: [{"x.a": {$gt: 85}}, {"x.b": {$gt: 80}}] } ] [ { "x.a": { $gt: 85 }, "x.b": { $gt: 80 } } ] For examples, see Specify arrayFilters for an Array Update Operations. New in version 3.6.

Returns:	Returns either the original document or, if returnNewDocument: true, the updated document.

Behavior

findOneAndUpdate() updates the first matching document in the collection that matches the filter. The sort parameter can be used to influence which document is updated.

The projection parameter takes a document in the following form:

{ field1 : < boolean >, field2 : < boolean> ... }

The <boolean> value can be any of the following:

• 1 or true to include the field. The method returns the _id field even if it is not explicitly stated in the projection parameter.
• 0 or false to exclude the field. This can be used on any field, including _id.

{ _id: 6305, name : "A. MacDyver", "assignment" : 5, "points" : 24 },
{ _id: 6308, name : "B. Batlock", "assignment" : 3, "points" : 22 },
{ _id: 6312, name : "M. Tagnum", "assignment" : 5, "points" : 30 },
{ _id: 6319, name : "R. Stiles", "assignment" : 2, "points" : 12 },
{ _id: 6322, name : "A. MacDyver", "assignment" : 2, "points" : 14 },
{ _id: 6234, name : "R. Stiles", "assignment" : 1, "points" : 10 }

db.grades.findOneAndUpdate(
   { "name" : "R. Stiles" },
   { $inc: { "points" : 5 } }
)

{ _id: 6319, name: "R. Stiles", "assignment" : 2, "points" : 12 }

{ _id: 6305, name : "A. MacDyver", "assignment" : 5, "points" : 24 },
{ _id: 6308, name : "B. Batlock", "assignment" : 3, "points" : 22 },
{ _id: 6312, name : "M. Tagnum", "assignment" : 5, "points" : 30 },
{ _id: 6319, name : "R. Stiles", "assignment" : 2, "points" : 12 },
{ _id: 6322, name : "A. MacDyver", "assignment" : 2, "points" : 14 },
{ _id: 6234, name : "R. Stiles", "assignment" : 1, "points" : 10 }

db.grades.findOneAndUpdate(
   { "name" : "A. MacDyver" },
   { $inc : { "points" : 5 } },