answers.update()

Updates an existing answer with new content, preserving the answer’s history and metadata.

Syntax

async update(questionId: number, answerId: number, options: CreateAnswerOptions): Promise<AnswerResponseModel>

Parameters

Parameter	Type	Required	Description
questionId	number	Yes	The unique identifier of the question that contains the answer
answerId	number	Yes	The unique identifier of the answer to update
options	CreateAnswerOptions	Yes	The answer update options

CreateAnswerOptions

Property	Type	Required	Description
body	string	Yes	The updated content of the answer in Markdown format

Return Value

Returns a Promise<AnswerResponseModel> containing the updated answer with all its properties. The lastEditDate and lastEditor fields will be updated to reflect the edit. See the get() method documentation for details on the AnswerResponseModel structure.

Examples

Basic Answer Update

import { StackOverflowSDK } from 'so-teams-sdk';

const sdk = new StackOverflowSDK({
  accessToken: 'your-access-token',
  baseUrl: 'https://[your-site].stackenterprise.co/api/v3'
});

// Update an existing answer
const updatedAnswer = await sdk.answers.update(123, 456, {
  body: 'This is my **updated** answer with improved content.'
});

console.log(`Updated answer ${updatedAnswer.id}`);
console.log(`Last edited: ${updatedAnswer.lastEditDate}`);

Adding More Content

// Get the current answer first
const currentAnswer = await sdk.answers.get(123, 456);

// Add additional content
const enhancedContent = currentAnswer.bodyMarkdown + `

## Update

I've added this additional information based on the comments:

\`\`\`javascript
// Enhanced solution
function betterSolution(input) {
  return input.filter(x => x > 0).map(x => x * 2);
}
\`\`\`

This handles edge cases better.
`;

const updatedAnswer = await sdk.answers.update(123, 456, {
  body: enhancedContent
});

console.log('Answer enhanced successfully');

Fixing Content

const correctedContent = `
# Corrected Solution

I made an error in my previous answer. Here's the correct approach:

\`\`\`python
def correct_solution(data):
    # Fixed the logic error
    return [x for x in data if x % 2 == 0]
\`\`\`

**Edit**: Fixed the modulo operation - was using \`x % 2 == 1\` incorrectly.
`;

const correctedAnswer = await sdk.answers.update(123, 456, {
  body: correctedContent
});

console.log(`Answer corrected at: ${correctedAnswer.lastEditDate}`);

Team Context

// Using team context
const teamSDK = sdk.forTeam('team-123');
const teamAnswer = await teamSDK.answers.update(123, 456, {
  body: 'Updated answer for team with internal links and references.'
});

// Or with direct client initialization
import { AnswerClient } from 'so-teams-sdk';
const teamAnswerClient = new AnswerClient(config, 'team-123');
const answer = await teamAnswerClient.update(123, 456, {
  body: 'Team-specific updated content.'
});

Error Handling

This method can throw the following errors:

Error Type	Status Code	Description
AuthenticationError	401	Invalid or missing authentication token
TokenExpiredError	401	Authentication token has expired
ForbiddenError	403	Insufficient permissions to edit this answer
NotFoundError	404	Question or answer with the specified ID does not exist
SDKError	Various	Other API or network errors (e.g., validation errors)

Example Error Handling

import StackOverflowSDK, { NotFoundError, ForbiddenError } from 'so-teams-sdk';

const sdk = new StackOverflowSDK({
  accessToken: 'your-access-token',
  baseUrl: 'https://[your-site].stackenterprise.co/api/v3'
});

try {
  const updatedAnswer = await sdk.answers.update(123, 456, {
    body: 'My updated answer content'
  });

  console.log('Answer updated successfully');
  console.log(`Edit made at: ${updatedAnswer.lastEditDate}`);
} catch (error) {
  if (error instanceof NotFoundError) {
    console.error('Answer or question not found');
  } else if (error instanceof ForbiddenError) {
    console.error('Cannot edit this answer - insufficient permissions');
  } else if (error.message.includes('body')) {
    console.error('Invalid answer content');
  } else {
    console.error('Failed to update answer:', error.message);
  }
}

Permission Scenarios

try {
  await sdk.answers.update(123, 456, { body: 'Updated content' });
} catch (error) {
  if (error instanceof ForbiddenError) {
    // Common reasons for edit restrictions:
    // - Not the answer owner
    // - Answer is locked by moderator
    // - Community Wiki restrictions
    // - Insufficient reputation for editing others' posts
    console.error('Edit not allowed:', error.message);
  }
}

Notes

• Only the answer owner or users with sufficient editing privileges can update an answer
• The lastEditDate field is automatically updated when an answer is modified
• The lastEditor field tracks who made the most recent edit
• Edit history is preserved in the system (though not exposed through this API)
• The updated content replaces the entire answer body - partial updates are not supported
• Answers may be locked by moderators, preventing further edits
• Community Wiki answers may have different editing rules
• Frequent edits within a short time period may be subject to rate limiting