findOrNew

Find a row by primary key. If no row matches, return a new, unsaved instance.

Signature

FedacoBuilder<T>.findOrNew(id: any, columns?: string[]): Promise<T>

Parameters

Name	Required	Description
id	✓	Primary-key value.
columns	optional	Columns to select. Defaults to ['*'].

Returns

• An existing model — _exists === true.
• A new instance — _exists === false. Not persisted.

Real-World Use Cases

1. Lookup-or-build

const user = await User.createQuery().findOrNew(req.params.id);
if (!user._exists) {
  user.id = req.params.id;
  user.email = derivedEmail;
  await user.save();
}

2. Build form data without inserting

const user = await User.createQuery().findOrNew(req.params.id);
return render('user-form', { user });
// `user` carries DB values when the row exists, or empty fields otherwise.

3. Combined with useConnection

const user = await User.useConnection('second_connection').findOrNew(1);
console.log(user._exists, user.GetConnectionName());

The new instance retains the named connection — calling save() later persists to that connection.

findOrNew vs findOrFail vs firstOrNew

Method	Lookup	Lookup miss →	Persists on miss?
findOrNew	primary key	new instance	✗
findOrFail	primary key	throws	n/a
firstOrNew	attribute set	new instance	✗
firstOrCreate	attribute set	INSERT	✓

Common Pitfalls

• _exists, not null. The result is always a model instance — branch on _exists, not if (!user).
• Doesn't auto-fill the primary key. When _exists === false, the instance has no attributes. Set them yourself before saving.

See Also

• find — returns undefined instead.
• findOrFail — throws on miss.
• firstOrNew — same idea, attribute-based lookup.