Ng-model does not update controller value

Probably silly question, but I have my html form with simple input and button:

<input type="text" ng-model="searchText" />
<button ng-click="check()">Check!</button>
{{ searchText }}

Then in the controller (template and controller are called from routeProvider):

$scope.check = function () {
    console.log($scope.searchText);
}

Why do I see the view updated correctly but undefined in the console when clicking the button?

Thanks!

Update: Seems like I have actually solved that issue (before had to come up with some workarounds) with: Only had to change my property name from searchText to search.text, then define empty $scope.search = {}; object in the controller and voila... Have no idea why it's working though ;]

"If you use ng-model, you have to have a dot in there."
Make your model point to an object.property and you'll be good to go.

Controller

$scope.formData = {};
$scope.check = function () {
  console.log($scope.formData.searchText.$modelValue); //works
}

Template

<input ng-model="formData.searchText"/>
<button ng-click="check()">Check!</button>

This happens when child scopes are in play - like child routes or ng-repeats. The child-scope creates it's own value and a name conflict is born as illustrated here:

See this video clip for more: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SBwoFkRjZvE&t=3m15s

Controller as version (recommended)

Here the template

<div ng-app="example" ng-controller="myController as $ctrl">
    <input type="text" ng-model="$ctrl.searchText" />
    <button ng-click="$ctrl.check()">Check!</button>
    {{ $ctrl.searchText }}
</div>

The JS

angular.module('example', [])
  .controller('myController', function() {
    var vm = this;
    vm.check = function () {
      console.log(vm.searchText);
    };
  });

An example: http://codepen.io/Damax/pen/rjawoO

The best will be to use component with Angular 2.x or Angular 1.5 or upper

########

Old way (NOT recommended)

This is NOT recommended because a string is a primitive, highly recommended to use an object instead

Try this in your markup

<input type="text" ng-model="searchText" />
<button ng-click="check(searchText)">Check!</button>
{{ searchText }}

and this in your controller

$scope.check = function (searchText) {
    console.log(searchText);
}

In Mastering Web Application Development with AngularJS book p.19, it is written that

Avoid direct bindings to scope's properties. Two-way data binding to object's properties (exposed on a scope) is a preferred approach. As a rule of thumb, you should have a dot in an expression provided to the ng-model directive (for example, ng-model="thing.name").

Scopes are just JavaScript objects, and they mimic dom hierarchy. According to JavaScript Prototype Inheritance, scopes properties are separated through scopes. To avoid this, dot notation should use to bind ng-models.

Using this instead of $scope works.

function AppCtrl($scope){
  $scope.searchText = "";
  $scope.check = function () {
    console.log("You typed '" + this.searchText + "'"); // used 'this' instead of $scope
  }
}

<script src="https://ajax.googleapis.com/ajax/libs/angularjs/1.2.23/angular.min.js"></script>

<div ng-app>
  <div ng-controller="AppCtrl">
    <input ng-model="searchText"/>
    <button ng-click="check()">Write console log</button>
  </div>
</div>

Edit: At the time writing this answer, I had much more complicated situation than this. After the comments, I tried to reproduce it to understand why it works, but no luck. I think somehow (don't really know why) a new child scope is generated and this refers to that scope. But if $scope is used, it actually refers to the parent $scope because of javascript's lexical scope feature.

Would be great if someone having this problem tests this way and inform us.

I had the same problem and it was due to me not declaring the blank object first at the top of my controller:

$scope.model = {}

<input ng-model="model.firstProperty">

Hope this will works for you!

Ng-model does not update controller value

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