SharePoint 2013 online can I set other column values when uploading a file using REST?

Question

The below Javascript works perfectly when i'm trying to upload a file to SharePoint 2013 online. However I have been looking unsuccessfully for a way to populate another column in the document library at the same time as my file is uploaded. For example a single line of text column with the name "doctype". Everything that I try just doesn't seem compatiable with my code. Is it possible at all?

Here is my code:

jQuery(document).ready(function () {
$(".uploadFile").click(function () {
fileID = $('#fileInput').attr('id');
var selectedDocCat = $('#ddlCategory').val();
var selectedDocType = $('#ddlType').val();
document.getElementById("displayName").value = mainFolderUrlVal + "-" + 
selectedDocCat + '-' + selectedDocType;
fileName = $('#displayName').val();
var fileUploading = document.getElementById('fileInput');
if (fileUploading.files.length === 0) {
    alert("Select a file and specify a filename!");
    return;
}
var parts = fileUploading.value.split("\\");
var filename = parts[parts.length - 1];
docTitle = parts[parts.length - 1];
var fileExt = filename.split('.').pop();
var file = fileUploading.files[0];
newFileName = fileName + "." + fileExt;
console.log('filename is: ' + filename);
docCat = selectedDocCat;
uploadItems(docCat);
});
});

function uploadItems(docUplCat) {
var getArrayBuffer = getFileBuffer();
getArrayBuffer.done(function (arrayBuffer) {
var serverRelativeUrlToFolder = 'Files/' + mainFolderUrlVal + "/" + 
docUplCat;
var siteUrl = _spPageContextInfo.webAbsoluteUrl;
var docLibraryEndpoint = siteUrl + 
"/_api/web/getfolderbyserverrelativeurl('" + serverRelativeUrlToFolder + 
"')/files/add(overwrite=true,url='" + newFileName + "')";
$.ajax({
    url: docLibraryEndpoint,
    type: "POST",
    binaryStringRequestBody: true,
    data: arrayBuffer,
    timeout: 1000000,
    processData: false,
    state: "Update",
    headers: {
        "Content-Type": "application/octet-stream",
        "accept": "application/json;odata=verbose",
        "X-RequestDigest": jQuery("#__REQUESTDIGEST").val()
    },
    success: function (file) {
        alert("File uploaded succesfully");
        window.frameElement.cancelPopUp(); return false;
    },
    error: function (data) {
        alert('Error: File did not upload Successfully');
    }
});
});
}
function _arrayBufferToBase64(buffer) {
var binary = ''
var bytes = new Uint8Array(buffer)
var len = bytes.byteLength;
for (var i = 0; i < len; i++) {
binary += String.fromCharCode(bytes[i])
}
return binary;
}
function getFileBuffer() {
var deferred = jQuery.Deferred();
var reader = new FileReader();
reader.onloadend = function (e) {
deferred.resolve(e.target.result);
}
reader.onerror = function (e) {
deferred.reject(e.target.error);
}
reader.readAsArrayBuffer($('#fileInput')[0].files[0]);
console.log('done: ' + reader);
return deferred.promise();
} 

Any help would be greatly appreciated, thank you!

Answer 1

Based on recent tests I did, you cannot do it during the upload. You must first upload your file, and then update the fields you want.

To do it:

1. Upload your file using "/_api/web/getfolderbyserverrelativeurl(...)/files/add(overwrite=true,url='...')"
2. Read the response from the server in order to retrieve body.d.ListItemAllFields.__deferred.uri
3. Do a GET request to the URL provided by body.d.ListItemAllFields.__deferred.uri
4. The server will return the ID of the uploaded file
5. And finally you can use this ID to update the columns you want for your file