$set

Definition

$set

The $set operator replaces the value of a field with the specified value.

Compatibility

You can use $set for deployments hosted in the following environments:

• MongoDB Atlas: The fully managed service for MongoDB deployments in the cloud

• MongoDB Enterprise: The subscription-based, self-managed version of MongoDB

• MongoDB Community: The source-available, free-to-use, and self-managed version of MongoDB

Syntax

The $set operator expression has the following form:

{ $set: { <field1>: <value1>, ... } }

To specify a <field> in an embedded document or in an array, use dot notation.

Behavior

In MongoDB 4.4 and earlier, update operators process document fields in lexicographic order. See Update Operators Behavior for details.

If the field does not exist, $set will add a new field with the specified value, provided that the new field does not violate a type constraint. If you specify a dotted path for a non-existent field, $set will create the embedded documents as needed to fulfill the dotted path to the field.

If you specify multiple field-value pairs, $set will update or create each field.

Examples

Consider a collection products with the following document:

{
  _id: 100,
  sku: "abc123",
  quantity: 250,
  instock: true,
  reorder: false,
  details: { model: "14Q2", make: "xyz" },
  tags: [ "apparel", "clothing" ],
  ratings: [ { by: "ijk", rating: 4 } ]
}

db.products.update(
   { _id: 100 },
   { $set:
      {
        quantity: 500,
        details: { model: "14Q3", make: "xyz" },
        tags: [ "coats", "outerwear", "clothing" ]
      }
   }
)

db.products.update(
   { _id: 100 },
   { $set: { "details.make": "zzz" } }
)

db.products.update(
   { _id: 100 },
   { $set:
      {
        "tags.1": "rain gear",
        "ratings.0.rating": 2
      }
   }
)