Create a Folder - Alfresco Content Services - 23.4 - 23.4 - Ready - Alfresco - external

Creating a folder means creating a node with metadata.

API Explorer URL: http://localhost:8080/api-explorer/#!/nodes/createNode

See also:

• Update Metadata for a Folder or File - includes information about multi-value properties
• Add Aspects to a Folder or File
• Working with Relationships Between Folders/Files

When we are familiar with how to list the contents of a folder, and fetch metadata for a folder or file, then it makes sense to start looking at creating nodes. Let’s start by looking at how to create a folder. The following HTTP POST call is used:

http://localhost:8080/alfresco/api/-default-/public/alfresco/versions/1/nodes/{id}/children

So we are basically making a POST call to the children collection for a folder when we are creating a node, such as a folder. The {id} part represents the folder under which we want to create a sub-folder. The id can be either one of the constants -root-, -shared-, -my- or an Alfresco Node Identifier (e.g. 444be4a6-5693-4d10-af4b-b55448fe4f97). The POST data defines the folder metadata and looks like in this example:

{
  "name": "My Folder",
  "nodeType": "cm:folder",
  "properties": {
    "cm:title": "My Folder",
    "cm:description": "My new folder"
  }
}

Here is how to create a folder with the name My Folder directly under the /Company Home (i.e. -root-) folder:

$ curl -H "Content-Type: application/json" -d '{"name":"My Folder","nodeType":"cm:folder", "properties": { "cm:title":"My Folder", "cm:description":"My new folder"}}' -H 'Authorization: Basic VElDS0VUXzA4ZWI3ZTJlMmMxNzk2NGNhNTFmMGYzMzE4NmNjMmZjOWQ1NmQ1OTM=' http://localhost:8080/alfresco/api/-default-/public/alfresco/versions/1/nodes/-root-/children | jq
  % Total    % Received % Xferd  Average Speed   Time    Time     Time  Current
                                 Dload  Upload   Total   Spent    Left  Speed
100   622  100   503  100   119  10702   2531 --:--:-- --:--:-- --:--:-- 13234
{
  "entry": {
    "aspectNames": [
      "cm:titled",
      "cm:auditable"
    ],
    "createdAt": "2019-09-02T12:24:52.887+0000",
    "isFolder": true,
    "isFile": false,
    "createdByUser": {
      "id": "admin",
      "displayName": "Administrator"
    },
    "modifiedAt": "2019-09-02T12:24:52.887+0000",
    "modifiedByUser": {
      "id": "admin",
      "displayName": "Administrator"
    },
    "name": "My Folder",
    "id": "1e8d8df6-7d33-4966-83db-0333a7f6277a",
    "nodeType": "cm:folder",
    "properties": {
      "cm:title": "My Folder",
      "cm:description": "My new folder"
    },
    "parentId": "444be4a6-5693-4d10-af4b-b55448fe4f97"
  }
}

When you create a node a JSON object is returned with the data that was created by the system, such as the properties of the cm:auditable aspect (i.e. cm:created, cm:creator etc). The generated Alfresco Node Identifier (i.e. id) is also returned.

You may have noticed that slightly more information about the node (aspectNames and properties) is returned by default even through we are still using a “performance first” principle. In the same way the include parameter is used when listing nodes, it can also be used when creating nodes to list extra information or limit what is listed.