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questions.update()

Updates an existing question’s title, body content, and tags. Requires ownership of the question or appropriate permissions.

Syntax

Section titled “Syntax”
async update(questionId: number, options: UpdateQuestionOptions): Promise<QuestionResponseModel>

Parameters

Section titled “Parameters”
ParameterTypeRequiredDescription
questionIdnumberYesThe unique identifier of the question to update
optionsUpdateQuestionOptionsYesUpdated question content and metadata

UpdateQuestionOptions

Section titled “UpdateQuestionOptions”
PropertyTypeRequiredDescription
titlestringYesUpdated question title - the actual question stated briefly in one sentence
bodystringYesUpdated question body - main content in Markdown format
tagsstring[]YesUpdated array of tag names associated with the question

Return Value

Section titled “Return Value”

Returns a Promise<QuestionResponseModel> containing the updated question information with new content and updated metadata (including lastEditor and lastActivityDate).

Examples

Section titled “Examples”

Basic Question Update

Section titled “Basic Question Update”
import { StackOverflowSDK } from 'so-teams-sdk';


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


// Update a question with improved content
const updatedQuestion = await sdk.questions.update(12345, {
  title: "How to properly implement async/await error handling in TypeScript?",
  body: `I'm working with async/await in TypeScript and need guidance on proper error handling patterns.


## Current Implementation


\`\`\`typescript
async function fetchUserData(userId: string): Promise<User | null> {
  try {
    const response = await fetch(\`/api/users/\${userId}\`);
    const userData = await response.json();
    return userData;
  } catch (error) {
    console.error('Error fetching user:', error);
    return null;
  }
}
\`\`\`


## Questions


1. Is this error handling approach sufficient?
2. Should I be catching specific error types?
3. How do I handle network timeouts vs API errors differently?
4. What's the best way to propagate errors to the UI layer?


## Additional Context


- Using React 18 with TypeScript 4.9
- RESTful API with standard HTTP status codes
- Need to handle both network failures and API validation errors


**UPDATE**: Added more specific examples and clarified the error scenarios I'm dealing with.`,
  tags: ["typescript", "async-await", "error-handling", "react", "api"]
});


console.log('Question updated successfully');
console.log(`Title: ${updatedQuestion.title}`);
console.log(`Last edited by: ${updatedQuestion.lastEditor?.displayName}`);
console.log(`Last activity: ${updatedQuestion.lastActivityDate}`);

Incremental Content Improvement

Section titled “Incremental Content Improvement”
async function improveQuestionContent(questionId: number) {
  try {
    // First, get the current question
    const currentQuestion = await sdk.questions.get(questionId);


    console.log('Original question:');
    console.log(`Title: ${currentQuestion.title}`);
    console.log(`Body length: ${currentQuestion.bodyMarkdown?.length} characters`);
    console.log(`Tags: ${currentQuestion.tags?.map(t => t.name).join(', ')}`);


    // Improve the content
    const improvedContent = {
      title: enhanceTitle(currentQuestion.title),
      body: enhanceBody(currentQuestion.bodyMarkdown || ''),
      tags: enhanceTags(currentQuestion.tags?.map(t => t.name) || [])
    };


    // Apply the update
    const updatedQuestion = await sdk.questions.update(questionId, improvedContent);


    console.log('\nUpdated question:');
    console.log(`Title: ${updatedQuestion.title}`);
    console.log(`Body length: ${updatedQuestion.bodyMarkdown?.length} characters`);
    console.log(`Tags: ${updatedQuestion.tags?.map(t => t.name).join(', ')}`);
    console.log(`Updated by: ${updatedQuestion.lastEditor?.displayName}`);


    return {
      success: true,
      before: currentQuestion,
      after: updatedQuestion,
      improvements: {
        titleChanged: currentQuestion.title !== updatedQuestion.title,
        bodyChanged: currentQuestion.bodyMarkdown !== updatedQuestion.bodyMarkdown,
        tagsChanged: !arraysEqual(
          currentQuestion.tags?.map(t => t.name) || [],
          updatedQuestion.tags?.map(t => t.name) || []
        )
      }
    };
  } catch (error) {
    console.error('Failed to improve question content:', error.message);
    throw error;
  }
}


function enhanceTitle(originalTitle: string): string {
  // Add question mark if missing
  if (!originalTitle.endsWith('?')) {
    return originalTitle + '?';
  }
  return originalTitle;
}


function enhanceBody(originalBody: string): string {
  // Add structure if missing
  if (!originalBody.includes('##') && originalBody.length > 200) {
    const sections = originalBody.split('\n\n');
    if (sections.length >= 2) {
      return `## Problem\n\n${sections[0]}\n\n## Additional Details\n\n${sections.slice(1).join('\n\n')}`;
    }
  }
  return originalBody;
}


function enhanceTags(originalTags: string[]): string[] {
  // Ensure we have at least one tag and no more than 5
  const uniqueTags = [...new Set(originalTags.map(tag => tag.toLowerCase()))];
  return uniqueTags.slice(0, 5);
}


function arraysEqual(a: string[], b: string[]): boolean {
  return a.length === b.length && a.every((val, index) => val === b[index]);
}


const improvement = await improveQuestionContent(12345);

Update with Version Tracking

Section titled “Update with Version Tracking”
async function updateQuestionWithHistory(questionId: number, updates: UpdateQuestionOptions, reason?: string) {
  try {
    // Get current version for history
    const beforeUpdate = await sdk.questions.get(questionId);


    // Create update history record
    const updateHistory = {
      timestamp: new Date().toISOString(),
      reason: reason || 'Content improvement',
      before: {
        title: beforeUpdate.title,
        bodyLength: beforeUpdate.bodyMarkdown?.length || 0,
        tags: beforeUpdate.tags?.map(t => t.name) || [],
        lastEditor: beforeUpdate.lastEditor?.displayName
      }
    };


    console.log(`Updating question ${questionId}: ${reason}`);
    console.log(`Current version by: ${beforeUpdate.lastEditor?.displayName || beforeUpdate.owner?.displayName}`);


    // Apply the update
    const afterUpdate = await sdk.questions.update(questionId, updates);


    // Complete history record
    updateHistory['after'] = {
      title: afterUpdate.title,
      bodyLength: afterUpdate.bodyMarkdown?.length || 0,
      tags: afterUpdate.tags?.map(t => t.name) || [],
      lastEditor: afterUpdate.lastEditor?.displayName
    };


    // Calculate changes
    const changes = {
      titleChanged: beforeUpdate.title !== afterUpdate.title,
      bodyLengthDelta: (afterUpdate.bodyMarkdown?.length || 0) - (beforeUpdate.bodyMarkdown?.length || 0),
      tagsAdded: (afterUpdate.tags?.map(t => t.name) || []).filter(
        tag => !(beforeUpdate.tags?.map(t => t.name) || []).includes(tag)
      ),
      tagsRemoved: (beforeUpdate.tags?.map(t => t.name) || []).filter(
        tag => !(afterUpdate.tags?.map(t => t.name) || []).includes(tag)
      )
    };


    console.log('Update completed:');
    if (changes.titleChanged) {
      console.log('- Title updated');
    }
    if (changes.bodyLengthDelta !== 0) {
      console.log(`- Body length changed by ${changes.bodyLengthDelta} characters`);
    }
    if (changes.tagsAdded.length > 0) {
      console.log(`- Added tags: ${changes.tagsAdded.join(', ')}`);
    }
    if (changes.tagsRemoved.length > 0) {
      console.log(`- Removed tags: ${changes.tagsRemoved.join(', ')}`);
    }


    return {
      question: afterUpdate,
      updateHistory,
      changes
    };
  } catch (error) {
    console.error('Update with history failed:', error.message);
    throw error;
  }
}


const updateResult = await updateQuestionWithHistory(12345, {
  title: "TypeScript async/await best practices and error handling patterns",
  body: "Enhanced content with better examples and structure...",
  tags: ["typescript", "async-await", "error-handling", "best-practices"]
}, "Added more specific examples and improved formatting");

Bulk Question Updates

Section titled “Bulk Question Updates”
async function updateMultipleQuestions(updates: Array<{
  questionId: number,
  changes: UpdateQuestionOptions,
  reason?: string
}>) {
  console.log(`Updating ${updates.length} questions...`);


  const results = [];


  for (let i = 0; i < updates.length; i++) {
    const { questionId, changes, reason } = updates[i];


    try {
      console.log(`\nUpdating question ${i + 1}/${updates.length}: ${questionId}`);


      const updatedQuestion = await sdk.questions.update(questionId, changes);


      results.push({
        questionId,
        success: true,
        question: updatedQuestion,
        reason: reason || 'Bulk update',
        updatedAt: new Date().toISOString()
      });


      console.log(`✓ Updated: ${updatedQuestion.title}`);


      // Add delay to avoid rate limiting
      if (i < updates.length - 1) {
        await new Promise(resolve => setTimeout(resolve, 1000));
      }


    } catch (error) {
      console.error(`✗ Failed to update question ${questionId}:`, error.message);


      results.push({
        questionId,
        success: false,
        error: error.message,
        reason: reason || 'Bulk update',
        attemptedAt: new Date().toISOString()
      });
    }
  }


  const successful = results.filter(r => r.success);
  const failed = results.filter(r => !r.success);


  console.log(`\nBulk update summary:`);
  console.log(`- Total questions: ${updates.length}`);
  console.log(`- Successfully updated: ${successful.length}`);
  console.log(`- Failed: ${failed.length}`);


  if (failed.length > 0) {
    console.log(`Failed updates:`);
    failed.forEach(f => {
      console.log(`  - Question ${f.questionId}: ${f.error}`);
    });
  }


  return { successful, failed, summary: { total: updates.length, updated: successful.length, failed: failed.length } };
}


const bulkUpdates = [
  {
    questionId: 12345,
    changes: {
      title: "Updated title 1",
      body: "Updated content 1",
      tags: ["tag1", "tag2"]
    },
    reason: "Improved clarity"
  },
  {
    questionId: 12346,
    changes: {
      title: "Updated title 2",
      body: "Updated content 2",
      tags: ["tag2", "tag3"]
    },
    reason: "Fixed formatting"
  }
];


const bulkResults = await updateMultipleQuestions(bulkUpdates);

Template-Based Updates

Section titled “Template-Based Updates”
interface UpdateTemplate {
  name: string;
  titleTransform?: (original: string) => string;
  bodyTransform?: (original: string) => string;
  tagTransform?: (original: string[]) => string[];
}


const updateTemplates: UpdateTemplate[] = [
  {
    name: 'add-structure',
    bodyTransform: (original) => {
      if (original.includes('##')) return original;


      const sections = original.split('\n\n');
      if (sections.length < 2) return original;


      return `## Problem Description\n\n${sections[0]}\n\n## Additional Details\n\n${sections.slice(1).join('\n\n')}`;
    }
  },
  {
    name: 'improve-title',
    titleTransform: (original) => {
      // Make title more specific and add question mark if missing
      let improved = original.trim();
      if (!improved.endsWith('?')) {
        improved += '?';
      }
      if (!improved.toLowerCase().includes('how') && !improved.toLowerCase().includes('what') && !improved.toLowerCase().includes('why')) {
        improved = `How to ${improved.toLowerCase()}`;
      }
      return improved;
    }
  },
  {
    name: 'normalize-tags',
    tagTransform: (original) => {
      // Remove duplicates, normalize case, limit to 5 tags
      const normalized = original
        .map(tag => tag.toLowerCase().trim())
        .filter((tag, index, arr) => arr.indexOf(tag) === index)
        .slice(0, 5);
      return normalized;
    }
  }
];


async function applyTemplate(questionId: number, templateName: string) {
  try {
    const template = updateTemplates.find(t => t.name === templateName);
    if (!template) {
      throw new Error(`Template "${templateName}" not found`);
    }


    // Get current question
    const currentQuestion = await sdk.questions.get(questionId);


    // Apply transformations
    const updates: UpdateQuestionOptions = {
      title: template.titleTransform ?
        template.titleTransform(currentQuestion.title || '') :
        currentQuestion.title || '',
      body: template.bodyTransform ?
        template.bodyTransform(currentQuestion.bodyMarkdown || '') :
        currentQuestion.bodyMarkdown || '',
      tags: template.tagTransform ?
        template.tagTransform(currentQuestion.tags?.map(t => t.name) || []) :
        currentQuestion.tags?.map(t => t.name) || []
    };


    console.log(`Applying template "${templateName}" to question ${questionId}`);
    console.log(`Original title: ${currentQuestion.title}`);
    console.log(`Updated title: ${updates.title}`);


    const updatedQuestion = await sdk.questions.update(questionId, updates);


    console.log('Template applied successfully');
    return {
      success: true,
      templateName,
      question: updatedQuestion,
      changes: {
        title: currentQuestion.title !== updates.title,
        body: currentQuestion.bodyMarkdown !== updates.body,
        tags: JSON.stringify(currentQuestion.tags?.map(t => t.name).sort()) !== JSON.stringify(updates.tags.sort())
      }
    };
  } catch (error) {
    console.error(`Template application failed:`, error.message);
    return {
      success: false,
      templateName,
      error: error.message
    };
  }
}


// Apply different templates
const structureResult = await applyTemplate(12345, 'add-structure');
const titleResult = await applyTemplate(12346, 'improve-title');
const tagResult = await applyTemplate(12347, 'normalize-tags');

Content Validation and Update

Section titled “Content Validation and Update”
async function updateWithValidation(questionId: number, updates: UpdateQuestionOptions) {
  try {
    // Validate content before updating
    const validation = validateQuestionContent(updates);


    if (!validation.isValid) {
      console.error('Validation failed:');
      validation.errors.forEach(error => console.error(`- ${error}`));
      throw new Error(`Validation failed: ${validation.errors.join(', ')}`);
    }


    if (validation.warnings.length > 0) {
      console.warn('Content warnings:');
      validation.warnings.forEach(warning => console.warn(`- ${warning}`));
    }


    console.log('Content validation passed');
    console.log(`Quality score: ${validation.qualityScore}/100`);


    // Apply the update
    const updatedQuestion = await sdk.questions.update(questionId, updates);


    return {
      success: true,
      question: updatedQuestion,
      validation: validation,
      message: 'Question updated successfully with validation'
    };
  } catch (error) {
    console.error('Validated update failed:', error.message);
    return {
      success: false,
      error: error.message,
      validation: validateQuestionContent(updates)
    };
  }
}


function validateQuestionContent(content: UpdateQuestionOptions): {
  isValid: boolean,
  qualityScore: number,
  errors: string[],
  warnings: string[]
} {
  const errors = [];
  const warnings = [];
  let qualityScore = 0;


  // Title validation
  if (!content.title || content.title.trim().length === 0) {
    errors.push('Title cannot be empty');
  } else {
    qualityScore += 20;


    if (content.title.length < 15) {
      warnings.push('Title is quite short - consider being more descriptive');
    } else if (content.title.length > 150) {
      warnings.push('Title is very long - consider shortening');
    } else {
      qualityScore += 10;
    }


    if (!content.title.includes('?') && !content.title.toLowerCase().includes('how') && !content.title.toLowerCase().includes('what')) {
      warnings.push('Title might benefit from being phrased as a question');
    } else {
      qualityScore += 10;
    }
  }


  // Body validation
  if (!content.body || content.body.trim().length === 0) {
    errors.push('Body cannot be empty');
  } else {
    qualityScore += 30;


    if (content.body.length < 50) {
      warnings.push('Body is quite short - consider adding more details');
    } else {
      qualityScore += 10;
    }


    if (content.body.includes('```')) {
      qualityScore += 10; // Bonus for code examples
    }


    if (content.body.includes('##') || content.body.includes('**')) {
      qualityScore += 5; // Bonus for formatting
    }
  }


  // Tags validation
  if (!content.tags || content.tags.length === 0) {
    errors.push('At least one tag is required');
  } else {
    qualityScore += 20;


    if (content.tags.length > 5) {
      warnings.push('Too many tags - consider limiting to 5 most relevant tags');
    }


    if (content.tags.length >= 3) {
      qualityScore += 10; // Bonus for good tag count
    }
  }


  return {
    isValid: errors.length === 0,
    qualityScore: Math.min(qualityScore, 100),
    errors,
    warnings
  };
}


const validatedUpdate = await updateWithValidation(12345, {
  title: "How to implement proper error handling in async TypeScript functions?",
  body: `## Problem Description


I'm working with async functions in TypeScript and struggling with proper error handling patterns.


## Current Code


\`\`\`typescript
async function fetchData() {
  try {
    const response = await fetch('/api/data');
    return response.json();
  } catch (error) {
    console.log(error);
    return null;
  }
}
\`\`\`


## Questions


1. Is returning null the best approach for errors?
2. How should I handle different error types?
3. What's the best way to propagate errors to the caller?`,
  tags: ["typescript", "async-await", "error-handling"]
});

Team Context Updates

Section titled “Team Context Updates”
// Update question in team context
const teamSDK = sdk.forTeam('team-123');


async function updateTeamQuestion(questionId: number, updates: UpdateQuestionOptions) {
  try {
    console.log(`Updating team question ${questionId}...`);


    const updatedQuestion = await teamSDK.questions.update(questionId, updates);


    console.log('Team question updated:');
    console.log(`- Title: ${updatedQuestion.title}`);
    console.log(`- Last edited by: ${updatedQuestion.lastEditor?.displayName}`);
    console.log(`- Tags: ${updatedQuestion.tags?.map(t => t.name).join(', ')}`);


    return updatedQuestion;
  } catch (error) {
    console.error('Team question update failed:', error.message);
    throw error;
  }
}


const teamUpdate = await updateTeamQuestion(12345, {
  title: "Internal API usage patterns - updated guidelines",
  body: `## Updated Internal API Guidelines


Based on recent team feedback and new requirements, here are the updated patterns for using our internal APIs.


### Authentication
- Use team service tokens for server-to-server calls
- Use user tokens for UI-initiated requests


### Error Handling
- Standard HTTP status codes
- Consistent error response format
- Proper logging and monitoring


### Rate Limiting
- 1000 requests per minute per service
- Burst allowance of 100 requests per second


**Last Updated:** ${new Date().toISOString().split('T')[0]} by Platform Team`,
  tags: ["internal-api", "team-guidelines", "authentication", "best-practices"]
});

Error Handling

Section titled “Error Handling”

This method can throw the following errors:

Error TypeStatus CodeDescription
AuthenticationError401Invalid or missing authentication token
TokenExpiredError401Authentication token has expired
ValidationError400Invalid question data (empty title, body, or tags)
ForbiddenError403Insufficient permissions (not question owner or moderator)
NotFoundError404Question with the specified ID does not exist
SDKErrorVariousOther API or network errors

Example Error Handling

Section titled “Example Error Handling”
import StackOverflowSDK, { ValidationError, ForbiddenError, NotFoundError, AuthenticationError } from 'so-teams-sdk';


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


try {
  const updatedQuestion = await sdk.questions.update(12345, {
    title: "How to handle TypeScript async errors properly?",
    body: "Updated content with better examples and explanations...",
    tags: ["typescript", "async-await", "error-handling"]
  });


  console.log('Question updated successfully:', updatedQuestion.title);
} catch (error) {
  if (error instanceof ValidationError) {
    console.error('Invalid question data:', error.message);
    console.error('Please check that title, body, and tags are properly filled');
  } else if (error instanceof ForbiddenError) {
    console.error('Cannot update question - you must be the owner or have moderator permissions');
  } else if (error instanceof NotFoundError) {
    console.error('Question not found - it may have been deleted');
  } else if (error instanceof AuthenticationError) {
    console.error('Authentication required to update questions');
  } else {
    console.error('Failed to update question:', error.message);
  }
}

Safe Update with Permission Check

Section titled “Safe Update with Permission Check”
async function safeUpdateQuestion(questionId: number, updates: UpdateQuestionOptions) {
  try {
    // First check if we can access the question
    const currentQuestion = await sdk.questions.get(questionId);


    // Perform the update
    const updatedQuestion = await sdk.questions.update(questionId, updates);


    return {
      success: true,
      question: updatedQuestion,
      message: 'Question updated successfully'
    };
  } catch (error) {
    if (error instanceof ForbiddenError) {
      return {
        success: false,
        reason: 'insufficient_permissions',
        message: 'You can only update questions you own or have moderator permissions for'
      };
    } else if (error instanceof NotFoundError) {
      return {
        success: false,
        reason: 'not_found',
        message: 'Question does not exist or has been deleted'
      };
    } else if (error instanceof ValidationError) {
      return {
        success: false,
        reason: 'validation_error',
        message: 'Question content is invalid - check title, body, and tags'
      };
    }


    return {
      success: false,
      reason: 'error',
      message: error.message
    };
  }
}


const updateResult = await safeUpdateQuestion(12345, {
  title: "Updated question title",
  body: "Updated question content...",
  tags: ["tag1", "tag2"]
});


if (updateResult.success) {
  console.log(`Question updated: ${updateResult.question.title}`);
} else {
  console.log(`Update failed: ${updateResult.message}`);
}

Notes

Section titled “Notes”
  • Permission Requirements: Only question owners or users with moderator permissions can update questions
  • Content Validation: All fields (title, body, tags) are required and must be non-empty
  • Markdown Support: The body field accepts Markdown content which gets converted to HTML
  • Edit Tracking: Updates automatically set lastEditor to the current user and update lastActivityDate
  • Tag Management: Tags are provided as string array and must reference valid tag names
  • Version History: The API may maintain edit history (implementation dependent)
  • Rate Limiting: Consider delays between multiple updates to avoid rate limiting
  • Content Length: Be mindful of maximum content lengths for titles and body text
  • Atomic Updates: All fields are updated together - partial updates require providing all current values
  • Activity Impact: Updates count as question activity and may affect question visibility/ranking