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Overview

The "Get Column" operation in the Nextcloud Tables node retrieves detailed information about a specific column within a table managed by Nextcloud Tables. This operation is useful when you need to fetch metadata or properties of a particular column, such as its name, type, or configuration, for further processing or validation in your workflow.

Common scenarios:

  • Fetching column details before updating or deleting it.
  • Validating column existence and properties before inserting or modifying rows.
  • Dynamically adjusting workflow logic based on column metadata.

Practical example:
You have a table tracking project tasks, and you want to retrieve the details of the "Due Date" column to check its data type or constraints before adding new task entries programmatically.

Properties

Name Meaning
Column Select a column from the list or enter its ID. You can either pick from searchable columns or provide a numeric column ID manually.
  • The "Column" property supports two modes:
    • List: Search and select from existing columns.
    • ID: Enter a numeric column ID directly (validated to be a number).

Output

The output JSON contains the detailed information of the requested column. This typically includes all metadata fields describing the column such as its ID, name, type, and any other relevant attributes defined by Nextcloud Tables API.

If the node supports binary data output (not indicated here), it would represent associated files or attachments related to the column, but this operation primarily returns JSON metadata.

Example output structure (simplified):

{
  "id": 123,
  "name": "Due Date",
  "type": "date",
  "description": "Deadline for the task",
  ...
}

Dependencies

  • Requires an active connection to a Nextcloud instance with the Tables app enabled.
  • Needs an API authentication credential configured in n8n to access Nextcloud Tables endpoints.
  • The node internally uses helper methods and handlers to interact with the Nextcloud Tables API.

Troubleshooting

  • Invalid Column ID error: If you enter a non-numeric value in ID mode, the node will reject it due to regex validation. Ensure the column ID is a valid number.
  • Column not found: Selecting a column that does not exist or has been deleted may cause errors. Use the list mode to avoid invalid IDs.
  • Authentication failures: Make sure the API key or credentials are correctly set up and have sufficient permissions to read column data.
  • Network issues: Connectivity problems with the Nextcloud server will prevent fetching column details.

Links and References

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