Node-slack-sdk: Groups & Channel create method - no optional params

[matanlb]

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Description

The WebClient methods for creating a channel or a group does not expect an optional parameter in contradiction to the API documentation

• channels.create docs
• groups.create docs
• Web API usage patterns docs

Viewing the implementation is clear that the inner call to makeAPICall does not include optional parameters.

• groups.create SDK implementation
• channels.create SDK implementation

Reproducible in:

node-slack-sdk: 3.9.0
Device: Mac Book Pro E2015 (but probably any)
OS version: macOS 10.12.2 (but probably any)
Node version: 6.9.0

Steps to reproduce:

in a simple node app:

1. Create a webClient using the node-slack-sdk
2. Call the webClient.channels.create or webClient.groups.create method with a channel name as a first parameter AND { validate: true } as the second parameter.

Expected result:

Method should return a promise (or use a third parameter as cb), and in case validate is set to true, throw an error in case the channel/group does not meet Slack's naming convention (instead of modifying the given name)

Actual result:

1. The method returns undefined (instead of a promise, since the opt params is treated a cb)
2. An internal error is thrown: error: TypeError: apiCb is not a function

Notes:

In case this is the planned behavior, it might be a good idea to update the API docs.

[Finkes]

I can confirm this issue.

see @slack/client/lib/clients/web/channels.js 45-58:

/**
 * Creates a channel.
 * @see {@link https://api.slack.com/methods/channels.create|channels.create}
 *
 * @param {?} name - Name of channel to create
 * @param {function=} optCb Optional callback, if not using promises.
 */
ChannelsFacet.prototype.create = function create(name, optCb) {
  var requiredArgs = {
    name: name
  };

  return this.makeAPICall('channels.create', requiredArgs, null, optCb);
};

[aoberoi]

hey @matanlb thanks for the bug report. you're totally right. i believe what happened here is that those optional parameters were added later and the SDK wasn't updated. and actually i can see at least one reason why: this would have to be released as a breaking change (semver:major). previous code that uses the callback parameter would stop working if i merge a fix.

the good news is that we've been working on a roadmap that will give us some timelines. but we're looking at a couple months for a new semver:major version.

in the meantime, fortunately the SDK has affordance for a workaround:

// `slack` is an instance of `WebClient`
slack._makeAPICall('channels.create', { name: 'channel_name' }, { validate: true }, callback);
slack._makeAPICall('groups.create', { name: 'group_name' }, { validate: true }, callback);

this does use "private" API, so its not ideal, but i don't imagine the _makeAPICall() method changing before any semver:major updates.