Update a field without changing the node

Question

I need to change a field in a node without altering the 'changed' timestamp. I know this was possible in Drupal 7 using field_attach_update(), but that has been removed since then.

I could use an update query and change the field directly in the database, but I was wondering if there is a better way (or a replacement for field_attach_update()).

Answer 1

The functionality is available on SqlContentEntityStorage but it's protected. Bother! said Pooh and reflected on his poor Drupal coding practices:

    $storage = $this->entityTypeManager->getStorage($entity->getEntityType());
    if ($storage instanceof SqlContentEntityStorage) {
      // assemble the list of fields you want to save in $names.
      (new \ReflectionObject($storage))
        ->getMethod('doSaveFieldItems')
        ->invoke($storage, $entity, $names);
      $storage->resetCache([$entity->id()]);
    }

Answer 2

Let's try this code:

function MODULE_NAME_node_presave(Drupal\node\NodeInterface $node) {
  $node->set('FIELE_NAME', 'FIELD_VALUE');
}

OR

use Drupal\node\NodeInterface;

function hook_entity_presave(Drupal\Core\Entity\EntityInterface $entity)   {
  if ($entity instanceof NodeInterface) {
    $entity->title->value = 'testing';
  }
}