beforeUpdate()

Signature

beforeUpdate() — returns void

Available in: model Category: Callback Functions

Description

Registers method(s) that should be called before an existing object is updated. This is useful for enforcing rules, transforming values, or checking conditions specifically for update operations (unlike beforeSave(), which applies to both create and update).

Parameters

Name	Type	Required	Default	Description
methods	string	no	—	Method name or list of method names that should be called when this callback event occurs in an object’s life cycle (can also be called with the method argument).

Examples

1. Basic usage: register a method before update
function config() {
    beforeUpdate("fixObj");
}

function fixObj() {
    // Example: trim whitespace before updating
    this.lastName = trim(this.lastName);
}

2. Update an \"last modified\" timestamp
function config() {
    beforeUpdate("updateTimestamp");
}

function updateTimestamp() {
    this.updatedAt = now();
}

3. Prevent updating sensitive fields
function config() {
    beforeUpdate("restrictEmailChange");
}

function restrictEmailChange() {
    if (this.hasChanged("email")) {
        throw(type="ValidationException", message="Email address cannot be changed.");
    }
}

4. Audit updates with logging
function config() {
    beforeUpdate("logChanges");
}

function logChanges() {
    var changes = this.allChanges();
    writeLog(text="User ##this.id## updated with changes: #serializeJSON(changes)#", file="audit");
}