Actions100
- Activity Actions
- Asset Actions
- Authentication Actions
- Collection Actions
- Extension Actions
- Field Actions
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- Item Actions
- Permission Actions
- Preset Actions
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Overview
The Directus - Item: Update operation allows you to update an existing item (record) in a specified collection within your Directus instance. This is useful for modifying content, metadata, or any field of a record in your database via n8n workflows.
Common scenarios:
- Updating article content in a CMS.
- Modifying user profile data stored in a custom collection.
- Changing the status or properties of an inventory item.
Practical example:
Suppose you have a collection called articles and want to update the title and body of an article with ID 15. You can use this node to specify the collection as articles, the ID as 15, and provide the new data in JSON format.
Properties
| Name | Type | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| ID | String | Unique ID of the item (record) to update. |
| Collection | Options | The unique name of the parent collection where the item resides. |
| Data (JSON) | JSON | Partial item object containing the fields and values to update. |
Output
- The output will be a single object in the
jsonfield representing the updated item as returned by the Directus API. - The structure of the output matches the schema of the collection being updated, including all fields that were modified and possibly other fields depending on the API response.
Example output:
{
"id": 15,
"title": "Hello world!",
"body": "This is our first article",
"...otherFields": "..."
}
Dependencies
- Directus API: Requires access to a running Directus instance.
- API Credentials: You must configure the
directusApicredentials in n8n for authentication.
Troubleshooting
Common issues:
- Invalid ID: If the provided ID does not exist in the specified collection, the node will throw an error.
- Malformed Data (JSON): If the
Data (JSON)property is not valid JSON or does not match the collection's schema, the update will fail. - Insufficient Permissions: The API credentials used must have permission to update items in the target collection.
Error messages and resolutions:
"Cannot find item": Check that the ID and collection are correct."Invalid JSON": Ensure theData (JSON)input is properly formatted."Permission denied": Verify your Directus API credentials and permissions.