Version: 1.0

Using Graphback in custom resolvers

The model CRUD services created by Graphback are exposed to each resolver through the context parameter. Thanks to the flexible CRUD API, you can reuse these services for various use cases in your own resolvers.

In this example, we are going to create a custom query called getDraftNotes.

import { QueryFilter, GraphbackContext, buildGraphbackAPI } from "graphback";
import { GraphQLResolveInfo } from 'graphql';
import { NoteFilter } from '../generated-types'; // https://graphql-code-generator.com

// define your model
const model = `
""" @model """
type Note {
  id: ID!
  title: String!
}

type Query {
  getDraftNotes: [Note]
}
`;

// create your own custom resolvers
const customResolvers = {
  Query: {
    getDraftNotes: async (parent: any, args: any, context: GraphbackContext, info: GraphQLResolveInfo) => {
      const filter: QueryFilter<NoteFilter> = {
        title: {
          startsWith: '[DRAFT]'
        }
      }

      const results = await context.graphback.Note.findBy({ filter }, context, info);

      return results.items;
    }
  }
}

// generate Graphback schema and resolvers
const { resolvers, typeDefs, contextCreator } = buildGraphbackAPI(model, { ... });

const apolloServer = new ApolloServer({
  typeDefs,
  resolvers: [resolvers, noteResolvers], // merge Graphback and custom resolvers
  context: contextCreator
})

See the GraphbackCRUDService API Reference for information on the methods and parameters available in the GraphbackCRUDService interface.

context#

The GraphbackContext interface defines all CRUD services in the graphback property. Each service name matches exactly with the name of the model defined in your GraphQL schema.

Accessing the CRUD service for the Note model:

await context.graphback.Note.findBy(args);

Because the services and context are create at runtime the properties of graphback are dynamically typed. It is recommended that you extend GraphbackContext for your resolvers to provide strongly typed services.

You can optionally pass the Note type generated with GraphQL Code Generator as a generic to GraphbackCRUDService for additional type-safety.

import { GraphbackContext, GraphbackCRUDService } from 'graphback';
import { Note } from './generated-types';

interface MyCustomContext extends GraphbackContext {
  graphback: {
    Note: GraphbackCRUDService<Note>
  }
}

const customResolvers = {
  Query: {
    getDraftNotes: async (parent: any, args: any, context: MyCustomContext, info: GraphQLResolveInfo) => {
      ...
    }
  }
}

Each GraphbackCRUDService method lets you pass the context as a parameter, as some implementations may use the context in its operations.

await context.Note.findBy(args, context);

info#

The optional GraphQLResolveInfo object is available to every resolver and contains information about the GraphQL schema and the current operation. You can optionally pass this to the GraphbackCRUDService method. A common use for this parameter is mapping the selected fields from the GraphQL query to the database query.

await context.Note.findBy(args, context, info);

Usage Of `GraphQLResolveInfo`#

When using the built an implementation of the GraphbackCRUDService interface, such as CRUDService, Graphback will use the info object to map the selected fields from the GraphQL query to the database query. If the requested fields from the GraphQL query are not contained by the model held by the service in question, then an empty selection of fields will be sent to the database. For example, if the GraphQL query contains the Note model informations, passing the info into a

await context.Comment.findBy(args, context, info)

will likely return false results or crash in a relational database.

In order to avoid such cases, we recommend to pass the info object only when the fields requested by the incoming GraphQL query are contained by the model.

Retrieving Nested Fields From `GraphQLResolveInfo`#

If you want to retrieve nested selected fields from the GraphQL query to the database query, you can optionally pass the nested path as an argument to the findBy method.

For example:

If the incoming query is:

query {
  getDraftNotes {
    comments {
      id, 
      description
    }
  }
}

And somewhere in your custom resolvers, you'd like to map the id and description fields for the Comment model to the underlying database query, you achieve that with:

// retrieve all notes using incoming args and info
const { items: allNotes } = await context.Notes.findBy(args, context, info);

const noteIds = allNotes.map(({ id }) => id);

// retrieves comments owned by notes selected above. Specifying the "comments" path so start selection
const { items: comments } = await context.Comment.findBy({ filter: { noteId: { in: noteIds } } }, context, info, 'comments');

// ... do the rest

context#

info#

Usage Of GraphQLResolveInfo#

Retrieving Nested Fields From GraphQLResolveInfo#

Usage Of `GraphQLResolveInfo`#

Retrieving Nested Fields From `GraphQLResolveInfo`#