# Updating field value issue
**URL:** https://discuss.elastic.co/t/updating-field-value-issue/219896
**Category:** Elasticsearch
**Created:** [February 19, 2020, 4:57am UTC](https://discuss.elastic.co/t/updating-field-value-issue/219896 "2020-02-19T04:57:24Z")
**Posts on this page:** 3
**Page:** 1
### Author:  [@Muhammad\_Ariful\_Isla](https://discuss.elastic.co/u/Muhammad_Ariful_Isla)
#### Post date: [February 19, 2020, 4:57am UTC](https://discuss.elastic.co/t/updating-field-value-issue/219896/1 "2020-02-19T04:57:24Z")
I am trying to work with `update_by_query` but cannot make it work.
Following is a simple query,
```auto
curl -X GET "172.17.0.3:9200/useripvsuserid/_search?pretty" -H 'Content-Type: application/json' -d'
{
"_source":"userid","query": {
"term": {
"userip": "10.0.30.181"
}
}
}
'
{
"took" : 3,
"timed_out" : false,
"_shards" : {
"total" : 1,
"successful" : 1,
"skipped" : 0,
"failed" : 0
},
"hits" : {
"total" : {
"value" : 1,
"relation" : "eq"
},
"max_score" : 10.803431,
"hits" : [
{
"_index" : "useripvsuserid",
"_type" : "_doc",
"_id" : "PhfBW3AB8mhGfmGvIs-j",
"_score" : 10.803431,
"_source" : {
"userid" : "hasan1855"
}
}
]
}
}
```
Following is the `update_by_query` that is not working. I am trying to replace `userid` value `hasan1855` to `arif`. Where is the problem?
```auto
curl -X POST "172.17.0.3:9200/useripvsuserid/_update_by_query?pretty" -H 'Content-Type: application/json' -d'
{
"script": {
"source": "ctx._source.userid='arif';",
"lang": "painless"
},
"query": {
"term": {
"userip": "10.0.30.181"
}
}
}
'
{
"error" : {
"root_cause" : [
{
"type" : "script_exception",
"reason" : "compile error",
"script_stack" : [
"ctx._source.userid=arif;",
" ^---- HERE"
],
"script" : "ctx._source.userid=arif;",
"lang" : "painless"
}
],
"type" : "script_exception",
"reason" : "compile error",
"script_stack" : [
"ctx._source.userid=arif;",
" ^---- HERE"
],
"script" : "ctx._source.userid=arif;",
"lang" : "painless",
"caused_by" : {
"type" : "illegal_argument_exception",
"reason" : "Variable [arif] is not defined."
}
},
"status" : 400
}
```
---
### Author:  [@Muhammad\_Ariful\_Isla](https://discuss.elastic.co/u/Muhammad_Ariful_Isla)
#### Post date: [February 19, 2020, 7:17am UTC](https://discuss.elastic.co/t/updating-field-value-issue/219896/2 "2020-02-19T07:17:46Z")
Solved it by escaping quotes in `script` section like the following,
```auto
"ctx._source.userid=\"arif\";",
```
---
### Author:  [@system](https://discuss.elastic.co/u/system)
#### Post date: [March 18, 2020, 7:17am UTC](https://discuss.elastic.co/t/updating-field-value-issue/219896/3 "2020-03-18T07:17:49Z")
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