# Null\_pointer\_exception when trying to access any object type of field using ctx.\_source

**URL:** <https://discuss.elastic.co/t/null-pointer-exception-when-trying-to-access-any-object-type-of-field-using-ctx-source/342166>\
**Category:** Elasticsearch\
**Tags:** painless, runtime-fields\
**Created:** [September 2, 2023, 11:48am UTC](https://discuss.elastic.co/t/null-pointer-exception-when-trying-to-access-any-object-type-of-field-using-ctx-source/342166 "2023-09-02T11:48:31Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 5\
**Page:** 1

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![ankitpandoh](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/elastic/user_avatar/discuss.elastic.co/ankitpandoh/32/125219_2.png) [@ankitpandoh](https://discuss.elastic.co/u/ankitpandoh)\
**Post date:** [September 2, 2023, 11:48am UTC](https://discuss.elastic.co/t/null-pointer-exception-when-trying-to-access-any-object-type-of-field-using-ctx-source/342166/1 "2023-09-02T11:48:31Z")

</div>

I have a index mapping like below

```auto
PUT /customer-index
{
  "mappings":{
    "properties":{
        "customers.id": {
        "type": "long"
      },
      "customers.name": {
        "type": "text",
        "norms": false
      },
      "customers.company": {
        "type": "text",
        "norms": false
      }
    }
  }
}

```

To this index, I have added two documents

```auto
PUT /customer-index/_doc/1
{
  "customers.company" : "google",
  "customers.id" : 1,
  "customers.name" : "adams"
}

PUT /customer-index/_doc/2
{
  "customers.company" : "apple",
  "customers.id" : 2,
  "customers.name" : "james"
}

```

Now I am trying to use `update by query` to update company to samsung where id is 2 . In real scenario, I have to update multiple docs in multiple indexes where id matches, that is why I am using `update by query`. But for simplicity, I have posted like this

```auto
POST /customer-index/_update_by_query
{
  "script": {
    "source": "ctx._source.customers.company = params.company",
    "lang": "painless",
    "params": {
      "company": "samsung"
    }
  },
  "query": {
    "term": {
      "customers.id": 2
    }
  }
}

```

But it is always throwing null\_pointer\_exception

```auto
{
  "error": {
    "root_cause": [
      {
        "type": "script_exception",
        "reason": "runtime error",
        "script_stack": [
          "ctx._source.customers.company = params.company",
          " ^---- HERE"
        ],
        "script": "ctx._source.customers.company = params.company",
        "lang": "painless",
        "position": {
          "offset": 21,
          "start": 0,
          "end": 46
        }
      }
    ],
    "type": "script_exception",
    "reason": "runtime error",
    "script_stack": [
      "ctx._source.customers.company = params.company",
      " ^---- HERE"
    ],
    "script": "ctx._source.customers.company = params.company",
    "lang": "painless",
    "position": {
      "offset": 21,
      "start": 0,
      "end": 46
    },
    "caused_by": {
      "type": "null_pointer_exception",
      "reason": "Cannot invoke \"Object.getClass()\" because \"callArgs[0]\" is null"
    }
  },
  "status": 400
}

```

Adding a null check can avoid this error but my question is why I am getting null\_pointer\_exception when I have the document present in the index. I have checked at lot of places but still no luck. Please help.

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![RabBit\_BR](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/elastic/user_avatar/discuss.elastic.co/rabbit_br/32/82261_2.png) [@RabBit\_BR](https://discuss.elastic.co/u/RabBit_BR)\
**Post date:** [September 3, 2023, 12:00am UTC](https://discuss.elastic.co/t/null-pointer-exception-when-trying-to-access-any-object-type-of-field-using-ctx-source/342166/2 "2023-09-03T00:00:30Z")

</div>

Hi @ankitpandoh

I think maybe there is a problem in modeling the index. If it is a customer index, you could simplify it like this:

```auto
PUT /customer-index
{
  "mappings":{
    "properties":{
        "id": {
        "type": "long"
      },
      "name": {
        "type": "text",
        "norms": false
      },
      "company": {
        "type": "text",
        "norms": false
      }
    }
  }
}

PUT /customer-index/_doc/1
{
  "company" : "google",
  "id" : 1,
  "name" : "adams"
}

PUT /customer-index/_doc/2
{
  "company" : "apple",
  "id" : 2,
  "name" : "james"
}

POST /customer-index/_update_by_query
{
  "script": {
    "source": "ctx._source.company = params.company",
    "lang": "painless",
    "params": {
      "company": "samsung"
    }
  },
  "query": {
    "term": {
      "id": 2
    }
  }
}

```

That way the update-by-query will work.

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![ankitpandoh](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/elastic/user_avatar/discuss.elastic.co/ankitpandoh/32/125219_2.png) [@ankitpandoh](https://discuss.elastic.co/u/ankitpandoh)\
**Post date:** [September 3, 2023, 2:51am UTC](https://discuss.elastic.co/t/null-pointer-exception-when-trying-to-access-any-object-type-of-field-using-ctx-source/342166/3 "2023-09-03T02:51:26Z")

</div>

Yes, that would work. Also, There was a mistake that in mappings, I didn't define customer's type. I should have defined it as type Object. I thought, when using the dot notation, it is implicit that customers is of type object. But that is not the case it seems.  
@val suggested correct way of using such fields on my post on stackoverflow and that also worked for me.

```auto
ctx._source['customers.company']

```

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![ankitpandoh](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/elastic/user_avatar/discuss.elastic.co/ankitpandoh/32/125219_2.png) [@ankitpandoh](https://discuss.elastic.co/u/ankitpandoh)\
**Post date:** [September 3, 2023, 3:59am UTC](https://discuss.elastic.co/t/null-pointer-exception-when-trying-to-access-any-object-type-of-field-using-ctx-source/342166/4 "2023-09-03T03:59:34Z")

</div>

Hi @RabBit_BR

I dig a little deeper and found out below things. I will try to explain it with an example.  
Let's create 2 indexes, `customer-index-10` and `customer-index-20`.

```auto
PUT /customer-index-10
{
  "mappings": {
    "properties": {
      "customers": {
        "type": "object",
        "properties": {
          "id": {
            "type": "long"
          },
          "name": {
            "type": "text",
            "norms": false
          },
          "company": {
            "type": "text",
            "norms": false
          }
        }
      }
    }
  }
}

```

```auto
PUT /customer-index-20
{
  "mappings": {
    "properties": {
      "customers.id": {
        "type": "long"
      },
      "customers.name": {
        "type": "text",
        "norms": false
      },
      "customers.company": {
        "type": "text",
        "norms": false
      }
    }
  }
}

```

If you invoke the `_mapping` API on both the indexes, it will return the same result which means in both the cases customer will be treated as type object. But the way update by query works in both the indexes that is different.

for index` /customer-index-10`, a script like below will work

`"source" : "ctx._source.customers.name = 'updated name'"`

But for index `/customer-index-20`, the above script will throw Null Pointer Exception and below script will work

"`source" : "ctx._source['customers.name'] = 'updated name'"`

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![system](https://us1.discourse-cdn.com/elastic/original/3X/1/a/1ac57faf039f6b580b3f104ef42a2a89e41014de.png) [@system](https://discuss.elastic.co/u/system)\
**Post date:** [October 1, 2023, 3:59am UTC](https://discuss.elastic.co/t/null-pointer-exception-when-trying-to-access-any-object-type-of-field-using-ctx-source/342166/5 "2023-10-01T03:59:37Z")

</div>

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