you know, for kids - Orville Barnes

output.txt

$: ./taco.js
a_other0
b_other0
c_other0
d_other0
e_other0
f_other0
g_other0
h_other0
i_other0
j_other0
k_other0
l_other0
m_other0
n_other0
o_other0
p_other0
q_other0
r_other0
s_other0
t_other0
u_other0
v_other0
w_other0
x_other0
y_other0
z_other0

$: 

taco.js

#!/usr/bin/env node
'use strict';

const _ = require('lodash');
const mongoose = require('mongoose');
mongoose.connect('mongodb://localhost/test');
const conn = mongoose.connection;
const Schema = mongoose.Schema;

const otherSchema = new Schema({
  val: String,
  r: [{
    type: Schema.Types.ObjectId,
    ref: 'other'
  }]
});

const schema = new Schema({
  content: String,
  other: {
    type: Schema.Types.ObjectId,
    ref: 'other'
  }
});

const Other = mongoose.model('other', otherSchema);
const Test = mongoose.model('test', schema);

const others = [];

function createOthers(prefix, n) {
  let pre = prefix || '';
  let ret = [];
  for (let i = 0; i < n; i++) {
    let other = new Other({ val: `${pre}other${i}` });
    ret.push(other.id);
    others.push(other);
  }
  return ret;
}

createOthers(null, 1);

const alphabet = [
  'a','b','c','d','e','f','g','h',
  'i','j','k','l','m','n','o','p',
  'q','r','s','t','u','v','w','x',
  'y','z'
];

function add26Layers() {
  let last;
  alphabet.forEach((letter, index) => {
    last = others[index];
    let id = createOthers(letter + '_', 1)[0];
    last.r.push(id);
  });
}

add26Layers();

const test = new Test({
  content: 'This is my content!',
  other: others[0]._id
});

function makeRecursivePopObj(field, n) {
  let ret = { path: field };
  for (let i = 0; i < n; i++) {
    let target = ret;
    let bottom = false;
    while(!bottom) {
      if (!target.populate) {
        bottom = true;
        target.populate = {
          path: field
        };
      } else {
        target = target.populate;
      }
    }
  }
  return ret;
}

async function run() {
  await conn.dropDatabase();
  await Other.create(others);
  await test.save();
  const pop = makeRecursivePopObj('r', 26);
  let found = await Test.findOne().populate({ path: 'other', populate: pop });
  print(found);
  return conn.close();
}

run();

function print(val) {
  let path = val.other.r[0];
  while(path) {
    if (path.val) {
      console.log(path.val);
      path = path.r[0];
    }
  }
}