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Overview

The delete() method removes a model instance from the database. It’s an instance method that must be called on an existing model object.

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Method Signature

packages/esix/src/base-model.ts
async delete(): Promise<number>
The delete() method returns the number of documents deleted (typically 1 if successful, 0 if not found).

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Basic Usage

To delete a model, first retrieve it from the database, then call the delete() method: 
const post = await BlogPost.find('5f3568f2a0cdd1c9ba411c43');

if (post) {
  await post.delete();
  console.log('Post deleted successfully');
}

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How It Works

The delete() method:
  1. Uses the model’s id to locate the document in MongoDB
  2. Performs a deleteOne operation with a limit of 1
  3. Returns the count of deleted documents
Internal Implementation
// Simplified version of what happens internally
await Book.where({ _id: book.id }).limit(1).delete();

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Checking Deletion Success

The method returns the number of documents deleted, which you can use to verify success: 
const post = await BlogPost.find('post-123');

if (post) {
  const deletedCount = await post.delete();
  
  if (deletedCount === 1) {
    console.log('Successfully deleted');
  } else {
    console.log('No documents were deleted');
  }
}

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Common Patterns

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Delete After Validation

const book = await Book.findBy('isbn', '9780486284736');

if (book && book.isAvailable === false) {
  await book.delete();
  console.log('Removed unavailable book');
}

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Delete Multiple Models

To delete multiple models, you need to iterate through them: 
const oldPosts = await BlogPost
  .where('createdAt', '<', Date.now() - 365 * 24 * 60 * 60 * 1000)
  .get();

for (const post of oldPosts) {
  await post.delete();
}

console.log(`Deleted ${oldPosts.length} old posts`);

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Conditional Deletion

const user = await User.findBy('email', 'user@example.com');

if (user) {
  if (user.lastLoginAt < Date.now() - 730 * 24 * 60 * 60 * 1000) {
    await user.delete();
    console.log('Deleted inactive user');
  } else {
    console.log('User is still active');
  }
}

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Error Handling

Always handle potential errors when deleting models: 
try {
  const book = await Book.find('book-123');
  
  if (book) {
    await book.delete();
    console.log('Book deleted');
  } else {
    console.log('Book not found');
  }
} catch (error) {
  console.error('Failed to delete book:', error);
}

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Important Notes

The delete() method permanently removes the document from the database. This operation cannot be undone. Consider implementing soft deletes (e.g., a deletedAt field) if you need to recover deleted records.
If you need to delete models based on a query without retrieving them first, use the QueryBuilder’s delete functionality instead.

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Soft Delete Pattern

For applications that need to recover deleted records, consider implementing a soft delete pattern: 
class User extends BaseModel {
  public email = '';
  public deletedAt: number | null = null;
  
  async softDelete() {
    this.deletedAt = Date.now();
    await this.save();
  }
  
  static getActive() {
    return User.where('deletedAt', null);
  }
}

// Usage
const user = await User.find('user-123');
if (user) {
  await user.softDelete();
}

// Query only active users
const activeUsers = await User.getActive().get();

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