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Overview

The Directus - Item: Create Multiple operation allows you to create multiple items (records) in a specified collection within your Directus instance in a single API call. This is particularly useful for batch importing data, migrating content, or automating the creation of several records at once.

Common scenarios:

  • Bulk import of articles, products, users, or any custom data type managed by Directus.
  • Migrating data from another system into Directus.
  • Automating workflows where multiple related records need to be created together.

Example use case:
You have a list of new blog posts to add to your "articles" collection. Instead of creating each post individually, you can send them all at once using this node.

Properties

Name Type Meaning
Collection options Unique name of the parent collection where the items will be created.
Data (JSON) json An array of partial item objects to create. Each object represents a record to insert.

Output

  • The output is an object with a json field containing the response from the Directus API.
  • On success, the json field contains the created item(s) as returned by Directus. The structure matches the fields of the collection and may include system fields like id, created_at, etc.
  • Example output:
    {
  "json": [
    {
      "id": 1,
      "title": "Hello world!",
      "body": "This is our first article"
    },
    {
      "id": 2,
      "title": "Hello again, world!",
      "body": "This is our second article"
    }
  ]
}
  • If an error occurs and "Continue On Fail" is enabled, the output will contain an error property with the error message.

Dependencies

  • Directus API: Requires access to a running Directus instance.
  • API Credentials: You must configure the directusApi credentials in n8n with appropriate permissions to create items in the target collection.

Troubleshooting

Common issues:

  • Invalid Collection Name: If the collection does not exist, you'll receive an error from Directus.
  • Malformed JSON: If the "Data (JSON)" input is not valid JSON or not an array of objects, the node will throw a parsing error.
  • Missing Required Fields: If required fields for the collection are missing in one or more item objects, Directus will reject those items.
  • Permission Denied: If the API credentials lack permission to create items in the specified collection, the request will fail.

Error messages and resolutions:

  • "Cannot read property 'data' of undefined": Check that your Directus instance is reachable and the API credentials are correct.
  • "Request failed with status code 400": Usually indicates invalid input data; check your JSON structure and required fields.
  • "Collection not found": Verify the collection name is correct and exists in Directus.

Links and References

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