API request is undefined from Nodejs

Question

I'm working on my first CLI project and I'm having trouble getting it to execute API requests. I have tried fetch, axios, express, and a couple of npm packages, but I just can't figure out what's wrong. The project will console.log and gather user data from the command line, but will not retrieve API data. I'm using a fake API data url at this point just to be sure it works. Here is the code:

const axios = require('axios');

let apiResponse;

axios.get('https://jsonplaceholder.typicode.com/posts')
  .then(function(response) {
    apiResponse = response;
    console.log('Does this work?')
  })
  .catch(function (error) {
    console.log(error, 'Error');
  });

console.log('apiResponse: ', apiResponse);

In the command line I get 'apiResponse: undefined' when I run the file. Again, I've tried using several different libraries so I must be doing something fundamentally wrong. The console.log OUTSIDE of the function prints, but neither console.logs INSIDE are printing. Any help would be greatly appreciated!

Phix · Accepted Answer · 2017-12-14 03:25:10Z

1

I'm guessing in your console you see

undefined
Does this work?

The .get method is asynchronous, which means any assignment outside of then will most likely always be what you initialize it as, in this case nothing, or undefined.

Here's a high level of how things are actually happening:

1) Create undefined var apiResponse
2) axios.get(...)
3) console.log(apiResponse)
4) #2 completes, assigns to `apiResponse`
5) End execution

Here's one of many resources about Promises.

Move the log statement inside the .then() block.

const axios = require('axios');

let apiResponse;

axios.get('https://jsonplaceholder.typicode.com/posts')
  .then(function(response) {
    apiResponse = response;
    console.log('Does this work?')
    console.log('apiResponse: ', apiResponse);
  })
  .catch(function (error) {
    console.log(error, 'Error');
  });

edited Dec 14, 2017 at 3:25

answered Dec 14, 2017 at 3:10

Phix

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8 Comments

Spencer Attick Over a year ago

I thought about that, but the log statement that's already inside the .get doesn't print. I don't think it's getting inside of that function for some reason.

Phix Over a year ago

I've never used axios, but I just ran your code and it works. requirebin.com/?gist=e00bc8e08eae1dbc8671ea86c4315c5d

Spencer Attick Over a year ago

That doesn't work for me either. Is it something with my dev environment?

Phix Over a year ago

Maybe. Can you put your project on github?

Phix Over a year ago

Forked and moved some stuff around: github.com/GeerSwitch/lob-coding-challenge

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