Directus (DrWade)Install

Overview

The Directus (DrWade) node for n8n, when configured with the resource Items and operation Update Multiple, allows you to update multiple items in a specified Directus collection in a single API call. This is particularly useful for batch updates, such as changing the status of several articles at once or applying bulk edits to records.

Common scenarios:

• Publishing or unpublishing multiple content items (e.g., articles, products).
• Bulk updating fields like tags, categories, or statuses across many records.
• Efficiently managing large datasets without making individual update requests for each item.

Practical example:
You have a collection called articles and want to set the status of articles with IDs 1 and 2 to "published". You can use this operation to update both items in one go.

Properties

{
  "keys": [1, 2],
  "data": {
    "status": "published"
  }
}

Output

• The output will be a JSON object representing the result of the batch update operation from Directus.
• The structure typically matches the Directus Items API response, which may include:
  • An array of updated item objects, each reflecting the new state after the update.
  • If the API returns a different structure (such as a summary or count), it will be passed through as-is.

Example output:

{
  "data": [
    {
      "id": 1,
      "status": "published",
      "...": "..."
    },
    {
      "id": 2,
      "status": "published",
      "...": "..."
    }
  ]
}

Note: The actual fields depend on your collection schema.

Dependencies

• Directus API: Requires access to a running Directus instance.
• API Credentials: You must configure the directusApi credentials in n8n with appropriate permissions to update 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 Data (JSON): If the data property is not valid JSON or missing required fields, the node will throw a parsing or validation error.
• Permission Denied: If the API credentials lack permission to update items, the request will fail.
• Item Not Found: If any of the provided keys do not correspond to existing items, those updates may be skipped or cause errors depending on Directus configuration.

Error messages and resolutions:

• "Cannot read property 'keys' of undefined": Ensure your Data (JSON) input includes a keys array and a data object.
• "Collection not found": Double-check the Collection value.
• "Unauthorized" or "Forbidden": Verify your API credentials and their permissions.

Links and References

• Directus Items API – Update Multiple Items
• Directus Item Object Reference
• n8n Documentation: Credentials
• n8n Documentation: Nodes