doesntExist

Negative existence check — returns true when no row matches the query, false when at least one does. The mirror of exists.

Signature

FedacoBuilder<T>.doesntExist(): Promise<boolean>
FedacoBuilder<T>.exists(): Promise<boolean>

Both compile to SELECT EXISTS(SELECT 1 FROM ... WHERE ...)-style SQL — they short-circuit at the first match, so they're cheaper than count() > 0.

Real-World Use Cases

1. "Is this email available?"

const available = await User.createQuery()
  .where('email', email)
  .doesntExist();

if (!available) {
  throw new Error('email already taken');
}

2. Guarded delete

if (await Post.createQuery().where('user_id', userId).where('pinned', true).doesntExist()) {
  await user.Delete();
}

3. Negation of exists

These two snippets do the same thing:

if (await User.createQuery().where('email', email).exists()) { ... }
if (!(await User.createQuery().where('email', email).doesntExist())) { ... }

exists reads slightly better when the success branch is the "found" case; doesntExist reads better when the success branch is the "missing" case.

doesntExist vs count vs find

Tool	Returns	When to use
doesntExist / exists	boolean	Short-circuit — you only care if any match.
count	number	You need the actual quantity.
find	model or none	You also want the row's data.

For "is there any?" prefer exists/doesntExist — faster and clearer.

See Also

• exists (positive variant)
• count — when you need the number.
• first — when you also want the row.
• where — building the criteria.