How to resolve references in PortableText array using GROQ?

Yes! You can resolve references within PortableText arrays using the @ operator combined with conditionals. The @ operator refers to the root value of the current scope, which is perfect for handling mixed content where some items are references and others aren't.

Here's the pattern you'll want to use:

*[_type == "yourDocType"] {
  content[]{
    ...,
    _type == 'yourReferenceType' => {
      'resolved': @->
    }
  }
}

For example, if you have a PortableText array with custom reference blocks mixed with regular text spans, you can do:

{
  "content": content[]{
    ...,
    _type == 'orderReceiptPlaceholderRef' => {
      'referenceData': @->
    }
  }
}

The key points:

1. Use @-> instead of just -> - The @ operator targets the current item in the array iteration, then -> dereferences it
2. Conditionals preserve non-reference items - Items that don't match your reference type condition will pass through with the ... (spread operator)
3. Project the resolved reference - You typically want to give the resolved data a field name like 'referenceData': @->

This approach works because:

• children[]-> would try to dereference everything, leaving non-references as null
• children[] alone includes everything but doesn't resolve references
• The conditional with @-> selectively resolves only the reference types while preserving everything else

You can find more details about GROQ conditionals in the query cheat sheet and learn about the reference access operator (->) in the GROQ joins specification.