Set a field value in Meteor Mongo

Question

 Accounting = new Mongo.Collection('accounting');
 var AccountingSchema = new SimpleSchema({

        "caseID":{
          label:"Case",
          type: String,
          autoform: {
            type: "universe-select",
            afFieldInput: {uniPlaceholder:"Select..."},
            options: function(){
              return Cases.find().map(function (c) {
                  return {label: c.caseName, value: c._id};
              });
            }
          }
        },
        caseName:{
          type: String,
          optional: true
        },
        "category":{ 
        type: String,
        autoform: {
            afFieldInput: {
              type: "universe-select",
              uniPlaceholder:"Select..."
            },
            options: 
            [
               {label: "Personal", value: "Personal"},
               {label: "Therapy", value: "Therapy"},
               {label: "Other", value: "Other"}  
            ]
          }
        },
       "cost":{ 
        type: Number
        },
       "description":{
        type: String,
        max: 100,
        optional: true,
        autoform: {
        afFieldInput: {
         type: "textarea",
         rows: 5
         }
        }
       },
       "accountingFiles": {
             type: [String],
             optional: true,
             autoform: {
              type: 'hidden'
             },
             autoValue: function(){       
              if (this.isInsert) {
                return this.value;
              } else if (this.isUpsert) {
                return {$setOnInsert: this.value};
              }
             }
       },
       "expenses":{
            type: [Object],
            optional: true,
            autoValue: function() {            
              var caseID      = this.field('caseID');
              var category    = this.field('category');
              var cost        = this.field('cost');
              var description = this.field('description');
              var accountingFiles = this.field('accountingFiles');
              var seq = 1; 
              accountingFiles.value = (!!accountingFiles.value ? accountingFiles.value:[]);


                if(this.isInsert){

                   return [{
                      "_id":Random.id(),
                      date: new Date(),
                      category: category.value,
                      cost: cost.value,
                      seq:seq,
                      description : description.value,
                      accountingFiles: accountingFiles.value,
                      createdBy: this.userId
                    }];

                } else {

                    return {
                     $push: {

                        "_id":Random.id(),
                        date: new Date(),
                        category: category.value,
                        cost: cost.value,
                        seq:seq,
                        description : description.value,
                        accountingFiles: accountingFiles.value,
                        createdBy: this.userId

                     }
                   };
                }
           }
         },
        "expenses.$._id":{ 
          type: String
        },
        "expenses.$.seq":{
            type: Number,
            optional: true
        },
        'expenses.$.date': {
          type: Date,
          optional: true
        },
        "expenses.$.category":{ 
          type: String
        },
        "expenses.$.cost":{ 
          type: Number,
          optional: true,
        },
        'expenses.$.description': {
          type: String,
          optional: true
        },
        "expenses.$.accountingFiles":{
           type: [String],
           optional: true
        },
        'expenses.$.createdBy':{
            type: String,
            optional: true
        },
        "grandTotal":{
           type: Number,
           optional: true
        },
        "createdBy":{
          type: String,
          label: "Created By",
          optional: true,
          autoValue: function() {
            if (this.isInsert) {
              return this.userId;
            } else if (this.isUpsert) {
              return {$setOnInsert:this.userId};
            } else {
              this.unset();  // Prevent user from supplying their own value
            }
          }
        },
        "updatedBy":{
          type: String,
          optional: true,
          label: "Updted By",
          autoValue: function() {
            if (this.isUpdate) {
              return this.userId;
            }
          },
          denyInsert: true,
        },
         "createdAt": {
          optional: true,
          type: Date,
          autoValue: function() {
            if (this.isInsert) {
              return new Date; 
            } else if (this.isUpsert) {
              return {$setOnInsert: new Date};
            } else {
              this.unset();  // Prevent user from supplying their own value
            }
          }
        },
        "updatedAt": {
          type: Date,
          optional: true,
          autoValue: function() {
            if (this.isUpdate) {
             return new Date();

            }
          },
          denyInsert: true,
          optional: true
        }

      });


      Accounting.attachSchema( AccountingSchema );

        //server method
        addAccounting: function(doc){
        check(doc, Accounting.simpleSchema());

        //add auto incrmenting counters for each expense
        Meteor.call('checkFirstIndex','expenses');
        doc.expenses[0].seq = Meteor.call('getNextSequence','expenses');


        return Accounting.insert(doc);        


      }

I am using a method to insert a document :

methodName: function(doc){
 doc.someObject.$.element = someValue; //this gives an error
 table.insert(doc);
}

I am trying to set the "element" of the "someObject" object before the file is inserted but getting an error. How can this be done?

NOTE: I made an error in original question. type for someObject should be an array of objects. I have corrected it.

NOTE: I have uploaded the full code set. The idea is that I keep all the entries for a caseID instead of having two tables. When ever a document is uploaded is added under the expenses object. However I want to set the expenses.$.seq on the server. This is mongodb equivalent of a auto increment field. I am using autoForm.

Answer 1

I think you want to change your schema to this.

someObject:{
    type: Object 
}, 
"someObject.element":{ 
    type: String
 }

Using $ is a placeholder, only used for arrays ( I believe )

https://github.com/aldeed/meteor-simple-schema/blob/master/README.md#schema-keys

EDIT: Updated answer after question was updated

Ok, based on your change, I think the issue you are having is that you are trying to get to the array value by using "$". The "$" is used as a placeholder in the schema, but it isn't valid javascript outside of the schema.

Try this instead.

methodName: function(doc){
 doc.someObject[0]element = someValue;
 table.insert(doc);
}

If the "someValue" variable is suppose to be an array then do this instead.

methodName: function(doc){
 doc.someObject = someValue;
 table.insert(doc);
}