Exists API

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The exists API returns true if a document exists, and false otherwise.

Exists Request

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It uses GetRequest just like the Get API. All of its optional arguments are supported. Since exists() only returns true or false, we recommend turning off fetching _source and any stored fields so the request is slightly lighter:

GetRequest getRequest = new GetRequest(
    "posts", 
    "doc",   
    "1");    
getRequest.fetchSourceContext(new FetchSourceContext(false)); 
getRequest.storedFields("_none_");                            

Index

Type

Document id

Disable fetching _source.

Disable fetching stored fields.

Synchronous Execution

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When executing a GetRequest in the following manner, the client waits for the boolean to be returned before continuing with code execution:

boolean exists = client.exists(getRequest, RequestOptions.DEFAULT);

Asynchronous Execution

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Executing a GetRequest can also be done in an asynchronous fashion so that the client can return directly. Users need to specify how the response or potential failures will be handled by passing the request and a listener to the asynchronous exists method:

client.existsAsync(getRequest, RequestOptions.DEFAULT, listener); 

The GetRequest to execute and the ActionListener to use when the execution completes

The asynchronous method does not block and returns immediately. Once it is completed the ActionListener is called back using the onResponse method if the execution successfully completed or using the onFailure method if it failed.

A typical listener for exists looks like:

ActionListener<Boolean> listener = new ActionListener<Boolean>() {
    @Override
    public void onResponse(Boolean exists) {
        
    }

    @Override
    public void onFailure(Exception e) {
        
    }
};

Called when the execution is successfully completed.

Called when the whole GetRequest fails.