How to execute complicated Parse or Express promise pattern - node.js

Question

I have code of the following pattern in express using Parse Queries:
var function1 = function(a){
if(a){
var setSomething = new Parse.Object
setSomething.set("thing", "stuff");
setSomething.save();
}else{
var query = new Parse.Query(Shortcut);
query.first({
success: function(getThing){
getThing.set("thing", "otherStuff");
getThing.save();
}
})
}
}
var function2 = function(){
var a = true;
function1(a)
}()
var function3 = function(){
var a = false;
function1(a)
}()
I'd like to use promises to do all of the saves at once and then res.send back to my front end but I can't figure out the pattern and whether I should be using Parse promises or some other promise library and if I am using Parse promises if it is Parse.Promise() or Parse.Promise.as() and either way if I'm pushing to arrays or calling the 'when' method and then where I should be calling the when method.

Answer 1

I can't believe this works but it look like it does!
I based my answer off this post:
Parse Cloud Code: How to Invoke Promises for Async Saving
var function1 = function(a){
if(a){
var setSomething = new Parse.Object
setSomething.set("thing", "stuff");
return setSomething.save();
}else{
var query = new Parse.Query(Shortcut);
query.first({
success: function(getThing){
getThing.set("thing", "otherStuff");
return getThing.save();
}
})
}
}
var function2 = function(){
var a = true;
return function1(a)
}()
var function3 = function(){
var a = false;
return function1(a)
}()
Parse.Promise.when(function2(), function3())
.then(function(){
res.send("Success")})
Key point to notice for the newbie: I return all of the inner functions and the save functions in function1 also.