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res.send() is running before async function call on express.js

Summary: creating my own API that returns epoch time, and it involves using an express.js server, but it's running res.send() before the function call. I referenced this page, but it didn't help. Here's what I have:
app.get('/timestampAPI', async (req, res,) => {
try {
let finalResult = await getTimeStamp();
res.send({ something: finalResult });
} catch (error) {
console.log(error);
}
});
It'll start to run the function getTimeStamp(), and before that function finishes, it runs the res.send() function which shows up as '{}' because finalResult doesn't have a value. getTimeStamp() is an async function. I'm unsure of what I'm doing wrong.
Edit:
getTimeStamp() function:
async function getTimeStamp() {
await axios.get('https://showcase.api.linx.twenty57.net/UnixTime/tounixtimestamp?datetime=now')
.then(response => {
// also used console.log(response.data.UnixTimeStamp), which returns the timestamp
return response.data;
})
.catch(error => {
var errorMessage = error.response.statusText;
console.log(errorMessage);
});
}
Another edit: yes, the API referenced above does return the current epoch time, but CORS is blocking my other site from accessing it directly, so I can't use it on that site, which is why I'm using node.js for it so that I can allow myself to access it through my node.js program. Couldn't think of another way

returning value of the then method does not return from getTimeStamp function you should write you code in resolve pattern or using await like below
try this, make sure you write correct field name in response object
async function getTimeStamp() {
try{
const res = await axios.get('https://showcase.api.linx.twenty57.net/UnixTime/tounixtimestamp?datetime=now')
return res.data
}catch(error){
throw error
}

As an alternative to Mohammad's answer you can also use returning getTimeStamp function's result as a promise and it can solve your problem.
async function getTimeStamp() {
return new Promise((resolve, reject) => {
axios.get('https://showcase.api.linx.twenty57.net/UnixTime/tounixtimestamp?datetime=now')
.then(response => {
// also used console.log(response.data.UnixTimeStamp), which returns the timestamp
resolve(response.data);
})
.catch(error => {
var errorMessage = error.response.statusText;
console.log(errorMessage);
reject(error);
});
})
}
Or you would also replace await with return in getTimeStamp function in your code if you don't want to return promise.(Which is not I recommend.). You should also throw the error in catch block which is generated in getTimeStamp function for catching the error in try-catch block that you use to call app.get(...).

Mongoose pass data out of withTransaction helper

Introduction
Hey there,
I am trying to pass out data from the mongoose withTransaction callback. Right now, I am using the following code which implements callbacks:
const transactionSession = await mongoose.startSession()
await transactionSession.withTransaction(async (tSession) => {
try {
// MARK Transaction writes & reads removed for brevity
console.log("Successfully performed transaction!")
cb(null, "Any test data")
return Promise.resolve()
} catch (error) {
console.log("Transaction aborted due to error:", error)
cb(error)
return Promise.reject()
}
})
} catch (error) {
console.log(error)
return cb(error)
}
A more detailed snippet of the withTransaction helper in use can be found here.
A link to the official Mongoose documentation regarding the withTransaction helper can be found here.
At the moment, I am using a callback to pass out data from the withTransactioncallback:
cb(null, "Any test data")
However, the problem is that naturally the callback is executed first, before the Promise.resolve() is returned. This means, that (in my case) a success response is sent back to the client before any necessary database writes are committed:
// this is executed first - the callback will send back a response to the client
cb(null, "Any test data")
// only now, after the response already got sent to the client, the transaction is committed.
return Promise.resolve()
Why I think this is a problem:
Honestly, I am not sure. It just doesn't feel right to send back a success-response to the client, if there hasn't been any database write at that time. Does anybody know the appropriate way to deal with this specific use-case?
I thought about passing data out of the withTransaction helper using something like this:
const transactionResult = await transactionSession.withTransaction({...})
I've tried it, and the response is a CommandResult of MongoDB, which does not include any of the data I included in the resolved promise.
Summary
Is it a problem, if a success response is sent back to the client before the transaction is committed? If so, what is the appropriate way to pass out data from the withTransaction helper and thereby committing the transaction before sending back a response?
I would be thankful for any advice I get.

It looks like there is some confusion here as to how to correctly use Promises, on several levels.
Callback and Promise are being used incorrectly
If the function is supposed to accept a callback, don't return a Promise. If the function is supposed to return a Promise, use the callback given by the Promise:
const transactionSession = await mongoose.startSession()
await transactionSession.withTransaction( (tSession) => {
return new Promise( (resolve, reject) => {
//using Node-style callback
doSomethingAsync( (err, testData) => {
if(err) {
reject(err);
} else {
resolve(testData); //this is the equivalent of cb(null, "Any test data")
}
});
})
Let's look at this in more detail:
return new Promise( (resolve, reject) => { This creates a new Promise, and the Promise is giving you two callbacks to use. resolve is a callback to indicate success. You pass it the object you'd like to return. Note that I've removed the async keyword (more on this later).
For example:
const a = new Promise( (resolve, reject) => resolve(5) );
a.then( (result) => result == 5 ); //true
(err, testData) => { This function is used to map the Node-style cb(err, result) to the Promise's callbacks.
Try/catch are being used incorrectly.
Try/catch can only be used for synchronous statements. Let's compare a synchronous call, a Node-style (i.e. cb(err, result)) asynchronous callback, a Promise, and using await:
Synchronous:
try {
let a = doSomethingSync();
} catch(err) {
handle(err);
}
Async:
doSomethingAsync( (err, result) => {
if (err) {
handle(err);
} else {
let a = result;
}
});
Promise:
doSomethingPromisified()
.then( (result) => {
let a = result;
})
.catch( (err) => {
handle(err);
});
Await. Await can be used with any function that returns a Promise, and lets you handle the code as if it were synchronous:
try {
let a = await doSomethingPromisified();
} catch(err) {
handle(err);
}
Additional Info
Promise.resolve()
Promise.resolve() creates a new Promise and resolves that Promise with an undefined value. This is shorthand for:
new Promise( (resolve, reject) => resolve(undefined) );
The callback equivalent of this would be:
cb(err, undefined);
async
async goes with await. If you are using await in a function, that function must be declared to be async.
Just as await unwraps a Promise (resolve into a value, and reject into an exception), async wraps code into a Promise. A return value statement gets translated into Promise.resolve(value), and a thrown exception throw e gets translated into Promise.reject(e).
Consider the following code
async () => {
return doSomethingSync();
}
The code above is equivalent to this:
() => {
const p = new Promise(resolve, reject);
try {
const value = doSomethingSync();
p.resolve(value);
} catch(e) {
p.reject(e);
}
return p;
}
If you call either of the above functions without await, you will get back a Promise. If you await either of them, you will be returned a value, or an exception will be thrown.

NodeJS NPM soap - how do I chain async methods without callbacks (ie use async or Promise)?

I have successfully called a sequence of soap webservice methods using nodejs/javascript, but using callbacks... right now it looks something like this:
soap.createClient(wsdlUrl, function (err, soapClient) {
console.log("soap.createClient();");
if (err) {
console.log("error", err);
}
soapClient.method1(soaprequest1, function (err, result, raw, headers) {
if (err) {
console.log("Security_Authenticate error", err);
}
soapClient.method2(soaprequest2, function (err, result, raw, headers) {
if (err) {
console.log("Air_MultiAvailability error", err);
}
//etc...
});
});
});
I'm trying to get to something cleaner using Promise or async, similar to this (based on the example in the docs here https://www.npmjs.com/package/soap) :
var soap = require('soap');
soap.createClientAsync(wsdlURL)
.then((client) => {
return client.method1(soaprequest1);
})
.then((response) => {
return client.method2(soaprequest2);
});//... etc
My issue is that in the latter example, the soap client is no longer accessible after the first call and it typically returns a 'not defined' error...
is there a 'clean' way of carrying an object through this kind of chaining to be used/accessible in subsequent calls ?

Use async/await syntax.
const soap = require('soap');
(async () => {
const client = await soap.createClientAsync(wsdlURL);
cosnt response = await client.method1Async(soaprequest1);
await method2(soaprequest2);
})();
Pay attention to Async on both createClient and method1

In order to keep the chain of promises flat, you can assign the instance of soap to a variable in the outer scope:
let client = null;
soap.createClientAsync(wsdlURL)
.then((instance) => {
client = instance
})
.then(() => {
return client.method1(soaprequest2);
})
.then((response) => {
return client.method2(soaprequest2);
});
Another option would be nested chain method calls after the client is resolved:
soap.createClientAsync(wsdlURL)
.then((client) => {
Promise.resolve()
.then(() => {
return client.method1(soaprequest2);
})
.then((response) => {
return client.method2(soaprequest2);
});
})

Calling a Promise function inside Google Cloud Function

I am trying to issue an HTTP request to another web service, from a Google Cloud Function (GCF) that I have created. I need the HTTP request to complete and return that result inside of my GCF so that I can do something else with it.
My question is; What is the best way to use Promise inside a Google Cloud Function? Is what I am trying to do possible?
My code currently looks like this:
export const MyGCF = functions.https.onRequest((request, response) => {
let dayOfTheWeek: any;
const request1 = require('request');
const url = 'http://worldclockapi.com/api/json/pst/now';
function getDay() {
return new Promise((resolve, reject) => {
request1(url, { json: true }, (err: any, res: any, body: any) => {
if (err) {
return reject(err);
}
resolve(body.dayOfTheWeek);
});
});
}
getDay().then((data) => {
dayOfTheWeek = data;
console.log(dayOfTheWeek);
});
});

In general your approach will work, and you can define additional functions inside of your MyGCF handler, in the same way that you have defined getDay(). One problem with you current code however is that you're forgetting to "write a response" for the request being processed by MyGCF.
You can write a response for the request by calling send() on the second res argument of your MyGCF request handler. A simple example would be:
/* Sends a response of "hello" for the request */
res.send("hello");
With respect to your code, you can use res.send() in your .then() callback to send a response back to the client after getDay() has completed (see code below). Note also to include a .catch() clause and callback for the error case (with an error status) to ensure the client receives an appropriate error response if the call to getDay() fails:
export const MyGCF = functions.https.onRequest((req, res) => {
const request = require('request');
const url = 'http://worldclockapi.com/api/json/pst/now';
function getDay() {
return new Promise((resolve, reject) => {
request(url, {
json: true
}, (err: any, r: any, body: any) => {
if (err) {
reject(err);
} else {
resolve(body.dayOfTheWeek);
}
});
});
}
getDay().then((dayOfTheWeek) => {
/* Send a response once the getDay() request complete */
res.send(dayOfTheWeek);
})
.catch(err => {
/* Don't forget the error case */
res.status(500).send(err);
});
});

How ensure async request has finished before running a function

I am performing an async request to pull data from a server and then call a function after the request. My question is how do I ensure the request is complete and all data loaded before processRecords() runs?
Thanks in advance.
function getRecords () {
var ids = Server.getIds();
var allTheRecords = [];
ids.forEach(function(recordId) {
Server.getRecord(recordId, function (error, data) {
if(error) {
console.log(error);
} else {
allTheRecords.push(data);
};
});
});
processRecords(allTheRecords);
}

How are you performing the Asynchronous request? If it's an AJAX request, the API provides for callbacks to be supplied based on the result of the call.
https://developer.mozilla.org/en-US/docs/Web/API/XMLHttpRequest

You could use the native Promise api to perform the async actions for you.
Using Promise.all you can give it an array of promises that need to be resolved before calling the processRecords function.
It also now more reusable as you have a getRecord function that you could use elsewhere in your code.
You should probably think of a way to add in the ability to get multiple records from the server if you control it though. You don't really want to fire off a bunch of network requests if you can do it in just one.
// Server mock of the api you have shown
const Server = {
getRecord(id, callback) {
console.log('getRecord', id)
callback(null, {id})
},
getIds() {
return [1, 2, 3]
}
}
function getRecords (ids, processRecords) {
console.log('getRecords', ids.join())
// mapping the array of id's will convert them to an
// array of Promises by calling getRecord with the id
Promise.all(ids.map(getRecord))
// then is called once all the promises are resolved
.then(processRecords)
// this will be called if the reject function of any
// promise is called
.catch(console.error.bind(console))
}
function getRecord(recordId) {
// this function returns a Promise that wraps your
// server call
return new Promise((resolve, reject) => {
Server.getRecord(recordId, function (error, data) {
if(error) {
reject(error)
} else {
resolve(data)
}
})
})
}
getRecords(Server.getIds(), function(records) {
console.log('resolved all promises')
console.log(records)
})