MongoDB Aggregation join array of strings to single string

Question

We\'re trying to \'join\' an array of strings to a single string within an aggregation.

Given is the following dataset:

Collection 1:

{
  id: 123         


        

Answer 1

Starting Mongo 4.4, the $group stage has a new aggregation operator $accumulator allowing custom accumulations of documents as they get grouped:

// { "collectionId" : 1234, "name" : "Max"  }
// { "collectionId" : 876,  "name" : "Rob"  }
// { "collectionId" : 1234, "name" : "Andy" }
db.collection.aggregate([
  { $group: {
    _id: "$collectionId",
    names: {
      $accumulator: {
        accumulateArgs: ["$name"],
        init: function() { return [] },
        accumulate: function(names, name) { return names.concat(name) },
        merge: function(names1, names2) { return names1.concat(names2) },
        finalize: function(names) { return names.join(",") },
        lang: "js"
      }
    }
  }}
])
// { "_id" : 876,  "names" : "Rob"      }
// { "_id" : 1234, "names" : "Max,Andy" }

The accumulator:

• accumulates on the field name (accumulateArgs)
• is initialised to an empty array (init)
• accumulates by concatenating new names to already seen names (accumulate and merge)
• and finally joins all names as a string (finalize)

Answer 2

Sometimes it's easiest to use JavaScript:

db.getCollection('Collection1').aggregate([
{
   $lookup:
     {
       from: 'Collection2',
       localField: 'id',
       foreignField: 'collection1_id',
       as: 'col2'
     }
}]).map((e) => ({
  id: e.id,
  field: e.field,
 collection2: Array.isArray(e.col2) &&
   e.col2.reduce((arr, el) => {
     arr.push(el.name);
    return arr;
  }, []).join(', ')
}))

Answer 3

To flatten this array, you need to shift process to client.

mongo will provide some new flattening options in new edition, but afaik it will be arithmetic ones (avg, min, max....).

Answer 4

You were on the right track.

Just add $reduce over $concat in your $project stage.

'collection2': {
    '$reduce': {
        'input': '$collection2',
        'initialValue': '',
        'in': {
            '$concat': [
                '$$value',
                {'$cond': [{'$eq': ['$$value', '']}, '', ', ']}, 
                '$$this']
        }
    }
}

Note: We use $cond to prevent a leading , in the concatenation. You could also use $substrCP before $reduce as an alternative to $cond.