Updating user fails with error 400 "Email is already taken"

[pwkrz]

Informations

• Node.js version: 10.12.0
• NPM version: 6.4.1
• Strapi version: 3.0.0-alpha.16
• Database: MongoDB (4.0.4)
• Operating system: Windows 10

What is the current behavior?

Updating a user model fails with error 400 "Email is already taken".

Steps to reproduce the problem

Send PUT request to /users/:_id when logged in as global Strapi admin.

What is the expected behavior?

The user object with the matching ID should be correctly updated and the server should return a 200 response.

Suggested solutions

It looks like the in the route configuration for User.update the _id param is used (line 250 of <project>\plugins\users-permissions\config\routes.json):

{
      "method": "PUT",
      "path": "/users/:_id",
      "handler": "User.update",
      "config": {
        "policies": [],
        "prefix": ""
      }
    }

but the handler checks for id (without underscore) in ctx.params, eg. over here (line 123 of <project>\plugins\users-permissions\controllers\User.js):

if (users && _.find(users, user => (user.id || user._id).toString() !== ctx.params.id)) {
          return ctx.badRequest(null, ctx.request.admin ? [{ messages: [{ id: 'Auth.form.error.email.taken', field: ['email'] }] }] : 'Email is already taken.');
        }

Possible solution - either change path configuration to '/users/:id' or check for '_id' in ctx.params

[lauriejim]

Hello @pwkrz can you precise your steps (body of your request)
And configuration of your app please

I'm able to update the email of one of my user.

[pwkrz]

Hi @lauriejim ,

I have Strapi 3.0.0-alpha.16 installed globally and I created a project using strapi new ....

Using the global admin account I send a PUT request to http://localhost:1337/users/5c07db0fbf19483b18f1c412 with the body:

{"_id":"5c07db0fbf19483b18f1c412","wid":"5c07db0fbf19483b18f1c412","userRole":"EDITOR","firstName":"Ivan","lastName":"Johnson","description":"// test","email":"asdladj@o2.pl","telephone":"234234234243","password":null,"someNewProp":null,"dateOfBirth":1228953600000,"registeredAt":1544018702907,"profileImg":null,"fullName":null,"isMale":true,"media":null}

And I get the response {"statusCode":400,"error":"Bad Request","message":"Email is already taken."}.

If I change the route configuration in <myproject>\plugins\users-permissions\config\routes.json to /users/:id, the problem goes away.

If you need more info, please let me know!

[Blacknosaur]

I have stumbled into this problem too. If you try to update an user but you are not going to change the email of this user, if the email is in the body of the PUT request.

Obviously it should not fail but as a temporary fix try not including the email in the body of the request if you aren't changing it.

[toksdotdev]

As regards this issue, I discovered that the error was as a result of a mandatory firstname field being required during signup. I don't know why.

As a quick fix, I performed a manual POST request (curl/fetch/etc), while including the firstname field required.

TO REPRODUCE THIS ERROR:

• Create a strapi project, connect to the db, signup as admin
• Stop the project (Ctrl + C)
• Delete the current project's database (in my case, I was using mongodb)
• Start the project again (strapi start): It should now take you to the admin registration page
• Try signing up, with or without the email previously used, and the above error would occur.

[merijnponzo]

I'm experiencing this problem as well with the graphql plugin
"strapi": "3.0.0-alpha.16"
nodejs v10.6.0

I can only update a user, when I change the emailaddress, but I think it should be possible to only change the username, for example