add: Use Content-ID inside a request payload; fix: type definitions

Author: AleksandrRogov

README.md

@@ -1037,13 +1037,13 @@ var order = {
 };
 
 var contact = {
-    firstname: "test content",
-    lastname: "id"
+    firstname: 'John',
+    lastname: 'Doe'
 };
 
 dynamicsWebApi.startBatch();
 dynamicsWebApi.createRequest({ entity: order, collection: 'salesorders', contentId: '1' });
-dynamicsWebApi.createRequest({ entity: contact, collection: 'customerid_contact', contentId: "$1" });
+dynamicsWebApi.createRequest({ entity: contact, collection: 'customerid_contact', contentId: '$1' });
 
 dynamicsWebApi.executeBatch()
     .then(function (responses) {
@@ -1059,6 +1059,41 @@ Note that the second response does not have a returned value, it is a CRM Web AP
 
 **Important!** DynamicsWebApi automatically assigns value to a `Content-ID` if it is not provided, therefore, please set your `Content-ID` value less than 100000.
 
+### Use Content-ID inside a request payload
+
+`version 1.5.7+`
+
+Another option to make the same request is to use `Content-ID` reference inside a request payload as following:
+
+```js
+
+var contact = {
+    firstname: 'John',
+    lastname: 'Doe''
+};
+
+var order = {
+    name: '1 year membership',
+	//reference a request in a navigation property
+	'customerid_contact@odata.bind': '$1'
+};
+
+dynamicsWebApi.startBatch();
+dynamicsWebApi.createRequest({ entity: contact, collection: 'contacts', contentId: '1' });
+dynamicsWebApi.createRequest({ entity: order, collection: 'salesorders' });
+
+dynamicsWebApi.executeBatch()
+    .then(function (responses) {
+		//in this case both ids exist in a response
+		//which makes it a preferred method
+	    var contactId = responses[0];
+        var salesorderId = responses[1];
+    }).catch(function (error) {
+        //catch error here
+    });
+
+```
+
 #### Limitations
 
 Currently, there are some limitations in DynamicsWebApi Batch Operations:

lib/requests/sendRequest.js

@@ -48,7 +48,7 @@ function stringifyData(data, config) {
         stringifiedData = JSON.stringify(data, function (key, value) {
             /// <param name="key" type="String">Description</param>
             if (key.endsWith('@odata.bind') || key.endsWith('@odata.id')) {
-                if (typeof value === 'string') {
+                if (typeof value === 'string' && !value.startsWith('$')) {
                     //remove brackets in guid
                     if (/\(\{[\w\d-]+\}\)/g.test(value)) {
                         value = value.replace(/(.+)\(\{([\w\d-]+)\}\)/g, '$1($2)');

tests/main-tests.js

@@ -4785,6 +4785,60 @@ describe("promises -", function () {
                 expect(scope.isDone()).to.be.true;
             });
         });
+
+        describe("create / create with Content-ID in a payload", function () {
+            var scope;
+            var rBody = mocks.data.batchCreateContentIDPayload;
+            var rBodys = rBody.split('\n');
+            var checkBody = '';
+            for (var i = 0; i < rBodys.length; i++) {
+                checkBody += rBodys[i];
+            }
+            before(function () {
+                var response = mocks.responses.batchUpdateDelete;
+                scope = nock(mocks.webApiUrl + '$batch')
+                    .filteringRequestBody(function (body) {
+                        body = body.replace(/dwa_batch_[\d\w]{8}-[\d\w]{4}-[\d\w]{4}-[\d\w]{4}-[\d\w]{12}/g, 'dwa_batch_XXX');
+                        body = body.replace(/changeset_[\d\w]{8}-[\d\w]{4}-[\d\w]{4}-[\d\w]{4}-[\d\w]{12}/g, 'changeset_XXX');
+                        var bodys = body.split('\n');
+
+                        var resultBody = '';
+                        for (var i = 0; i < bodys.length; i++) {
+                            resultBody += bodys[i];
+                        }
+                        return resultBody;
+                    })
+                    .post("", checkBody)
+                    .reply(response.status, response.responseText, response.responseHeaders);
+            });
+
+            after(function () {
+                nock.cleanAll();
+            });
+
+            it("returns a correct response", function (done) {
+                dynamicsWebApiTest.startBatch();
+
+                dynamicsWebApiTest.createRequest({ collection: 'records', entity: { firstname: "Test", lastname: "Batch!" }, contentId: '1' });
+                dynamicsWebApiTest.createRequest({ collection: 'tests', entity: { firstname: "Test1", lastname: "Batch!", "[email protected]": "$1" }});
+
+                dynamicsWebApiTest.executeBatch()
+                    .then(function (object) {
+                        expect(object.length).to.be.eq(2);
+
+                        expect(object[0]).to.be.eq(mocks.data.testEntityId);
+                        expect(object[1]).to.be.undefined;
+
+                        done();
+                    }).catch(function (object) {
+                        done(object);
+                    });
+            });
+
+            it("all requests have been made", function () {
+                expect(scope.isDone()).to.be.true;
+            });
+        });
     });
 
     describe("dynamicsWebApi.constructor -", function () {

tests/stubs.js

@@ -258,6 +258,33 @@ var dataStubs = {
         '--changeset_XXX--\n' +
         '\n' +
         '--dwa_batch_XXX--',
+    batchCreateContentIDPayload:
+        '--dwa_batch_XXX\n' +
+        'Content-Type: multipart/mixed;boundary=changeset_XXX\n' +
+        '\n' +
+        '--changeset_XXX\n' +
+        'Content-Type: application/http\n' +
+        'Content-Transfer-Encoding: binary\n' +
+        'Content-ID: 1\n' +
+        '\n' +
+        'POST ' + webApiUrl + 'records HTTP/1.1\n' +
+        'Content-Type: application/json\n' +
+        '\n' +
+        '{"firstname":"Test","lastname":"Batch!"}\n' +
+        '\n' +
+        '--changeset_XXX\n' +
+        'Content-Type: application/http\n' +
+        'Content-Transfer-Encoding: binary\n' +
+        'Content-ID: 100001\n' +
+        '\n' +
+        'POST ' + webApiUrl + 'tests HTTP/1.1\n' +
+        'Content-Type: application/json\n' +
+        '\n' +
+        '{"firstname":"Test1","lastname":"Batch!","[email protected]":"$1"}\n' +
+        '\n' +
+        '--changeset_XXX--\n' +
+        '\n' +
+        '--dwa_batch_XXX--',
     batchRetrieveMultipleDeleteRetrieveMultiple:
         '--dwa_batch_XXX\n' +
         'Content-Type: application/http\n' +

types/dynamics-web-api-callbacks.d.ts

@@ -1,4 +1,4 @@
-// Type definitions for dynamics-web-api-callbacks v1.5.6
+// Type definitions for dynamics-web-api-callbacks v1.5.7
 // Project: https://github.com/AleksandrRogov/DynamicsWebApi
 // Definitions by: Aleksandr Rogov https://github.com/AleksandrRogov/
 
@@ -590,7 +590,7 @@ declare namespace DynamicsWebApi {
         /**Sets Prefer header request with value "return=representation".Use this property to return just created or updated entity in a single request. */
         returnRepresentation?: boolean;
         /**BATCH REQUESTS ONLY! Sets Content-ID header or references request in a Change Set. */
-        contentId: string;
+        contentId?: string;
     }
 
     interface UpdateRequestBase extends CRUDRequest {
@@ -609,7 +609,7 @@ declare namespace DynamicsWebApi {
         /**An Array(of Strings) representing the $select OData System Query Option to control which attributes will be returned. */
         select?: string[];
         /**BATCH REQUESTS ONLY! Sets Content-ID header or references request in a Change Set. */
-        contentId: string;
+        contentId?: string;
     }
 
     interface UpdateRequest extends UpdateRequestBase {
@@ -632,7 +632,7 @@ declare namespace DynamicsWebApi {
         /**Sets If-Match header value that enables to use conditional retrieval or optimistic concurrency in applicable requests.*/
         ifmatch?: string;
         /**BATCH REQUESTS ONLY! Sets Content-ID header or references request in a Change Set. */
-        contentId: string;
+        contentId?: string;
     }
 
     interface RetrieveRequest extends CRUDRequest {

types/dynamics-web-api.d.ts

@@ -1,4 +1,4 @@
-// Type definitions for dynamics-web-api v1.5.6
+// Type definitions for dynamics-web-api v1.5.7
 // Project: https://github.com/AleksandrRogov/DynamicsWebApi/
 // Definitions by: Aleksandr Rogov https://github.com/AleksandrRogov/
 
@@ -494,7 +494,7 @@ declare namespace DynamicsWebApi {
         /**Sets Prefer header request with value "return=representation".Use this property to return just created or updated entity in a single request. */
         returnRepresentation?: boolean;
         /**BATCH REQUESTS ONLY! Sets Content-ID header or references request in a Change Set. */
-        contentId: string;
+        contentId?: string;
     }
 
     interface UpdateRequestBase extends CRUDRequest {
@@ -513,7 +513,7 @@ declare namespace DynamicsWebApi {
         /**An Array(of Strings) representing the $select OData System Query Option to control which attributes will be returned. */
         select?: string[];
         /**BATCH REQUESTS ONLY! Sets Content-ID header or references request in a Change Set. */
-        contentId: string;
+        contentId?: string;
     }
 
     interface UpdateRequest extends UpdateRequestBase {
@@ -536,7 +536,7 @@ declare namespace DynamicsWebApi {
         /**Sets If-Match header value that enables to use conditional retrieval or optimistic concurrency in applicable requests.*/
         ifmatch?: string;
         /**BATCH REQUESTS ONLY! Sets Content-ID header or references request in a Change Set. */
-        contentId: string;
+        contentId?: string;
     }
 
     interface RetrieveRequest extends CRUDRequest {