Updating modular blocks via api

🆘 Support
1

Hi guys, some help needed with the DatoCMS contentmanagemet API.
I’m using the official javascript client and I’m trying to update some records. These records are generated from the admin and are part of another record, they are blocks of a modular content field. If I query my items I see these block ID-s, then i can retrieve them using these IDs.
But when I try to update them, I get ActiveRecord::RecordNotFound 404 errors.
It seems to me they are not of the type ‘item’, but in the javascript client method client.items.update() I cannot find an item type or type id or model id parameter anywhere.
Is there a way to circumvent this? Or do i have to delete the original IDs from the item and add new ones?

2

hi @sharedcodingsans , welcome :slight_smile:

Few months ago we deprecated the ability to update block records directly via API ( https://www.datocms.com/product-updates/deprecation-notice-on-our-content-management-api ). That was required to ensure atomic, reliable operations on content.

So if you want to update a field in a modular block, you should update the whole item in a process like this:

  • fetch the item
  • fetch the block records defined in the modular content field
  • update the item, using the helper buildModularBlock and passing in the new attributes values
3

Ah, ok I get it. And the update will automatically disconnect (delete) the previous block records? So they will not clutter the database?
Also, I think it would be pretty useful to mention this in the docs, here:
https://www.datocms.com/docs/content-management-api/resources/item/update

Would have spared me a few hours today :wink:

Thanks for the info though, main thing is it’s doable.

Cheers

4

True @sharedcodingsans, you are right.

We are going to add something in that page as soon as possible, I’ve added that to our backlog. Thank you very much for the feedback and sorry for the time waster!