Struggling to update checkbox property in Notion database using API

Other Questions Notion
1

I’m having trouble with the Notion API and Node.js. I’m trying to update a checkbox property in my database for a routine task tracker. But I can’t figure out the right way to do it.

Here’s what I’ve tried:

const notionClient = new NotionClient(apiKey);
const dbId = process.env.DB_ID;

async function resetTasks() {
  try {
    const result = await notionClient.databases.update({
      database_id: dbId,
      properties: {
        TaskComplete: {
          checkbox: false,
        },
      },
    });
    console.log(result);
  } catch (error) {
    console.error(error);
  }
}

resetTasks();

But I keep getting errors saying the checkbox property isn’t set up right. I’ve looked at the API docs but can’t find a clear example for checkboxes.

I also tried making the checkbox an object like this:

TaskComplete: {
  checkbox: {
    checkbox: false
  }
}

But that didn’t work either. The error says it should be an object, not false. I’m really stuck here. Does anyone know the correct way to update a checkbox property in a Notion database using the API? Any help would be great!

2

hey, i’ve been there! notion api can be tricky. try updating individual pages instead of the whole database. use the pages.update endpoint and loop through each page to update the checkbox. smth like:

notionClient.pages.update({
  page_id: pageId,
  properties: {
    TaskComplete: { checkbox: false }
  }
});

hope that helps!

3

I encountered a similar issue when working with the Notion API. The problem lies in your approach - you’re attempting to update the database schema rather than individual page properties. Here’s a more effective method:

  1. Query your database to retrieve all pages.
  2. Iterate through each page and update its checkbox property.

Here’s a code snippet that should work:

async function resetTasks() {
  const response = await notionClient.databases.query({
    database_id: dbId
  });
  
  for (const page of response.results) {
    await notionClient.pages.update({
      page_id: page.id,
      properties: {
        TaskComplete: { checkbox: false }
      }
    });
  }
}

This approach ensures each task in your database gets its checkbox reset. Remember to handle pagination if you have a large number of tasks.

4

As someone who’s been working with the Notion API for a while now, I can tell you that updating checkboxes can be a bit finicky. The issue you’re facing is actually pretty common.

The trick is to update each page individually, not the entire database at once. Here’s what’s worked for me:

  1. Query your database to get all the pages
  2. Loop through each page and update its checkbox property

Here’s a quick code snippet that should do the trick:

async function resetTasks() {
  const pages = await notionClient.databases.query({ database_id: dbId });
  
  for (const page of pages.results) {
    await notionClient.pages.update({
      page_id: page.id,
      properties: {
        TaskComplete: { checkbox: false }
      }
    });
  }
}

This approach has been reliable for me. Just remember to handle rate limits if you’re dealing with a large number of pages. Good luck with your project!