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Migrating the web-api package to v7.x

This migration guide helps you transition an application written using the v6.x series of the @slack/web-api package to the v7.x series. This guide focuses specifically on the breaking changes to help get your existing app up and running as quickly as possible.

Installation​

npm i @slack/web-api

@slack/web-api v7 Changes​

TL;DR: this package now supports only node v18 and newer, and HTTP API arguments passed to methods in this project in the context of a TypeScript project are stricter.

This release focuses on the type safety of Slack HTTP API method arguments provided by @slack/web-api. If you use this package in a TypeScript project, many of the HTTP API methods now have stricter argument typing, which hopefully helps guide developers towards proper argument usage for Slack's HTTP API methods.

If you use this package in a JavaScript project, no such guidance is provided and the breaking changes listed below do not apply to you.

This release broadly is composed of five significant changes to the web-api codebase:

  1. ⬆️ The minimum supported (and thus tested) version of node.js is now v18,
  2. 🚨 Breaking changes to API method arguments for TypeScript users (not for JavaScript users),
  3. 🧹 We deprecated a few sets of methods that are on their way out,
  4. 📝 Added a ton of new hand-written JSDocs to provide useful method-specific context and descriptions directly in your IDE, and
  5. 🧑‍🔬 Type tests for method arguments, formalizing some of the co-dependencies and constraints unique to specific API methods

Let's dive into these three sets of changes and begin with the 🚨 Breaking Changes 🚨 to make sure we set you all up for success and an easy migration to v7.

Breaking Changes (TypeScript users only)​

All Web API methods no longer allow arbitrary arguments​

Previously, the arguments provided to specific methods extended from a WebAPICallOptions TypeScript interface. This interface made all API arguments effectively type un-safe: you could place whatever properties you wanted on arguments, and the TypeScript compiler would be fine with it.

In v7, in an attempt to improve type safety, we have removed this argument. As a result, if you were using unknown or publicly undocumented API arguments, you will now see a TypeScript compiler error. If you really want to send unsupported arguments to our APIs, you will have to tell TypeScript "no, trust me, I really want to do this" using the // @ts-expect-error directive.

If you find an issue with any of our method arguments, please let us know by filing an issue in this project!

Many Web API methods have new, sometimes quite-specific, type constraints​

Another change that only affects TypeScript projects. A full and detailed list of changes is at the end of this document, with migration steps where applicable.

Deprecating some methods​

The following sets of methods have been deprecated and will be removed in a future major version of @slack/web-api:

  • channels.*
  • groups.*
  • im.*
  • mpim.*

Generally, all of the above methods have equivalents available under the conversations.* APIs.

Adding JSDoc to methods and method arguments​

This one benefits both TypeScript and JavaScript users! Both API methods and API arguments are exhaustively documented with JSDoc. It includes the API method descriptions, mimicking the hand-written docs we have on /reference/methods, as well as documenting each API argument and linking to relevant contextual documentation where applicable.

Type tests for method arguments​

All of the above-mentioned new TypeScript API argument constraints are exhaustively tested under test/types/methods. When in doubt, read these tests to understand exactly what combination of arguments are expected to raise a TypeScript error, and which ones are not.

TypeScript API argument changes​

Many of the API argument changes follow a similar pattern. Previously, API arguments would be modeled as a 'bag of optional arguments.' While this was a decent approach to at least surface what arguments were available, they did not model certain arguments well. In particular, API arguments that had either/or-style constraints (e.g. chat.postMessage accepts either channel and blocks or channel and attachments - but never all three) could not be modeled with this approach. This could lead developers to a situation where, at runtime, they would get error responses from Slack APIs when using a combination of arguments that were unsupported.

Moving forward, all of our APIs were exhaustively tested and the arguments to them modeled in such a way that would prevent TypeScript developers from using the APIs with an unsupported combination of arguments - ideally preventing ever encountering these avoidable runtime errors.

Without further ado, let's dive in the changes for each API:

admin.analytics.getFile​

Previously, most arguments to this API were optional. Now, the specific combinations of type, date and metadata_only are more strictly typed to ensure only valid combinations are possible.

admin.apps.*​

You can no longer provide both request_id and app_id - these APIs will only accept one of these arguments. Similarly for enterprise_id and team_id - only one can be provided, and one of them is required as well.

admin.apps.activities.list​

  • component_type is no longer any string, but rather it must be one of: events_api, workflows, functions, tables
  • min_log_level is no longer any string, but rather it must be one of: trace, debug, info, warn, error, fatal
  • sort_direction is no longer any string, but rather it must be one of: asc, desc
  • source is no longer any string, but rather it must be one of: slack, developer

admin.auth.*​

  • entity_type is no longer any string and is now an enum that only accepts the only valid value: USER
  • policy_name is no longer any string and is now an enum that only accepts the only valid value: email_password

admin.barriers.*​

The restricted_subjects array is no longer a string[] but enforces an array with the exact values ['im', 'mpim', 'call'] - which these APIs demand (see e.g. admin.barriers.create usage info).

admin.conversations.*​

  • The channel_ids parameter now must be passed at least one channel ID - no more empty arrays allowed!
  • Similarly, team_ids must be passed at least one team ID. Empty arrays: no good.
  • This might sound familiar, but user_ids must be passed at least one user ID. Keeping it consistent around here, folks.
  • The org_wide and team_id parameters influence one another: if org_wide is true, team_id must not be provided. Conversely, if team_id is provided, org_wide should be omitted, or, if you really want to include it, it must be false. Previously, both properties were simply optional.

admin.conversations.search​

The search_channel_types argument is now an enumeration of specific values, rather than just any old string you want.

admin.functions.*​

  • function_ids now requires at least one array element.
  • visibility is no longer any string and instead an enumeration: everyone, app_collaborators, named_entities, no_one.

admin.roles.*​

  • entity_ids now requires at least one array element.
  • user_ids must be passed at least one user ID.
  • sort_dir will accept either asc or desc. Previously any string was, unfortunately, A-OK.

admin.teams.*​

  • team_discoverability and discoverability are now enumerations consisting of: open, closed, invite_only, unlisted, rather than any string.
  • channel_ids must be passed at least one channel ID.

admin.users.*​

  • channel_ids must be passed at least one channel ID. Previously this parameter was a string, so you had to comma-separate your channel IDs manually, as if this was the 1800s.
  • user_ids must be passed at least one user ID. Otherwise, what, you're going to invite 0 users? Who do you think you're kidding?

admin.users.list​

The team_id and include_deactivated_user_workspaces parameters were previously both optional. However, they kind of depend on each other. You can either provide a team_id and no include_deactivated_user_workspaces (or set it to false), or set include_deactivated_user_workspaces to true and omit team_id. Otherwise providing both doesn't make any sense at all? We need to be logically consistent, people!

admin.users.session.list​

This API will now accept either both team_id and user_id, or neither. Previously both properties were optional, which was not ideal.

admin.workflows.*​

  • collaborator_ids must be passed at least one collaborator ID. Collaborating with 0 other humans is not really collaborating, now is it?
  • Similarly, workflow_ids must be passed at least one workflow ID.

admin.workflows.search​

  • sort_dir will accept either asc or desc. Previously any string was, unfortunately, A-OK.
  • sort now only accepts premium_runs, whereas previously you could pass it any string.
  • source now only accepts either code or workflow_builder, whereas before you could feed it any string.

apps.connections.open​

Previously this method could be called without any arguments. Now, arguments are required. The migration path is to pass an empty object ({}) to apps.connections.open.

apps.manifest.*​

Previously the manifest parameter was a string. In reality this is a very complex object, which we've done our best to model in excruciating detail.

auth.test​

Previously this method could be called without any arguments. Now, arguments are required. The migration path is to pass an empty object ({}) to auth.test.

bookmarks.*​

  • type now accepts only one value: link.
  • The link parameter (not to be confused with the type: 'link' value in the previous point!) was previously optional for the bookmarks.add API. That's just silly as a bookmark necessarily requires a link, so it is now a required property. It is, however, optional for the bookmarks.edit API.

chat.*​

  • Previously, we didn't model message contents very well. All of the various message-posting APIs (postEphemeral, postMessage, scheduleMessage) would accept text, attachments, and blocks, but all were optional arguments. That's not exactly correct, however. Now, you must provide one of these three. Previously, you could avoid all three if you wished! Additionally, if you use attachments or blocks, text becomes an optional addition for you to specify and will be used as fallback text for notifications.
  • The properties as_user, username, icon_emoji and icon_url interact with one another:
    • If you set as_user to true, you cannot set icon_emoji, icon_url or username.
    • You can provide either icon_emoji or icon_url, but never both.
  • If you set reply_broadcast to true, then you must also provide a thread_ts. Previously, both were optional.

conversations.*​

  • For APIs that accept either channel_id or invite_id (conversations.acceptSharedInvite), we now enforce specifying one or the other (but not both).
  • For APIs that accept either emails or user_ids (conversations.inviteShared), we now enforce specifying one or the other (but not both).
  • For APIs that accept either channel or users (conversations.open), we now enforce specifying one or the other (but not both).

files.*​

  • You must provide either content or file. Previously these were both optional.
  • If you provide the thread_ts argument, you now must also provide the channels, or channel_id argument (depending on the method).
  • The files array parameter must now be provided at least one element.
  • The files.remote.* APIs require one of file or external_id, but not both. Previously both were optional.

reactions.*​

  • channel and timestamp are now required properties for reactions.add.
  • reactions.add no longer supports the file and file_comment parameters, as per our API docs for this method.
  • reactions.get and reactions.remove now require to supply one and only one of:
    • both channel and timestamp, or
    • a file encoded file ID, or
    • a file_comment ID

stars.*​

The add and remove APIs require one of:

  • both channel and timestamp, or
  • a file encoded file ID, or
  • a file_comment ID

team.*​

  • change_type is no longer any string but an enumeration of: added, removed, enabled, disabled, updated

users.*​

  • The deprecated presence parameter for users.list has been removed.
  • The profile parameter for users.profile.set has been changed from a string to, basically, any object you wish.

views.*​

All views.* APIs now accept either a trigger_id or an interactivity_pointer, as they both effectively serve the same purpose.

In addition, views.update now accepts either a external_id or a view_id parameter - but not both.