Gatsby: context.nodeModel.runQuery should return [] instead of null

[aaronadamsCA]

Description

With a query that returns no results, context.nodeModel.runQuery returns Promise<null>, but the documentation specifies non-null type Promise<Node[]>.

I'd prefer to get back [] instead of null, because dealing with one type is easier than dealing with two, and because it's consistent with how the rest of Gatsby GraphQL works. If I pass the same filter to a static query and runQuery, I think both should return the same result, [].

Environment

  System:
    OS: Linux 4.19 Debian GNU/Linux 10 (buster) 10 (buster)
    CPU: (12) x64 Intel(R) Core(TM) i7-8850H CPU @ 2.60GHz
    Shell: 5.0.3 - /bin/bash
  Binaries:
    Node: 12.16.3 - /usr/local/bin/node
    Yarn: 1.22.4 - /usr/bin/yarn
    npm: 6.14.4 - /usr/local/bin/npm
  Languages:
    Python: 2.7.16 - /usr/bin/python
  npmPackages:
    gatsby: ^2.24.4 => 2.24.4
    gatsby-image: ^2.4.13 => 2.4.13
    gatsby-plugin-google-gtag: ^2.1.10 => 2.1.10
    gatsby-plugin-manifest: ^2.4.18 => 2.4.18
    gatsby-plugin-netlify: ^2.3.11 => 2.3.11
    gatsby-plugin-react-helmet: ^3.3.10 => 3.3.10
    gatsby-plugin-sharp: ^2.6.19 => 2.6.19
    gatsby-plugin-theme-ui: ^0.3.0 => 0.3.0
    gatsby-source-sanity: ^6.0.3 => 6.0.3
    gatsby-theme-style-guide: ^0.3.1 => 0.3.1
    gatsby-transformer-sharp: ^2.5.11 => 2.5.11
  npmGlobalPackages:
    gatsby-cli: 2.12.45

[vladar]

Hi @aaronadamsCA !

Returning an empty array sounds correct to me too. But we explicitly test for null for some reason:

https://github.com/gatsbyjs/gatsby/blob/cab7155ec2bece51348932a08bf4dfc7addc1a57/packages/gatsby/src/redux/__tests__/run-fast-filters.js#L189-L190

The test was added long ago in #11448 and the implementation was there even longer.

So, my main concern is that it is a breaking change. I think we should still change this behavior, but the question is if we should wait for the next major or can include it as a patch/minor. @pieh @pvdz any thoughts on this or maybe more context?

Anyways, the PR is welcome if you're up to it!

I think the change should be trivial somewhere here (just always return an empty array):

https://github.com/gatsbyjs/gatsby/blob/cab7155ec2bece51348932a08bf4dfc7addc1a57/packages/gatsby/src/redux/run-fast-filters.ts#L419-L424

[kartikcho]

Can I provide a patch with these changes above @vladar, after it's confirmed and if it's alright with @aaronadamsCA?

[aaronadamsCA]

@kartikcho Absolutely, I just didn't know where to start - though it looks like @vladar already found the spot. 👍

@vladar My guess is somebody just got the tests backwards? Because I'd probably expect null if I'd asked for an object vs. [] if I'd asked for an array. I'm guessing not toooo many people get this deep into the APIs.

[pvdz]

(As mentioned in the PR, this is a subtle breaking change that I'd love to apply but will have to be done in a major bump because it's bound to break _somebody_'s setup)

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