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List Media

Retrieves all media files from the WordPress media library including images, videos, documents, and other attachments.

Common Properties​

  • Name - The custom name of the node.
  • Color - The custom color of the node.
  • Delay Before (sec) - Waits in seconds before executing the node.
  • Delay After (sec) - Waits in seconds after executing node.
  • Continue On Error - Automation will continue regardless of any error. The default value is false.
info

If the ContinueOnError property is true, no error is caught when the project is executed, even if a Catch node is used.

Inputs​

  • Client Id - The client ID from the Connect node (optional if using direct credentials).

Options​

  • Site URL - (Optional) WordPress site URL. Use this if you want to authenticate directly without a Connect node.
  • Credentials - (Optional) WordPress username and application password. Use this if you want to authenticate directly without a Connect node.

Output​

  • Media List - An array of all media objects from the WordPress media library.

How It Works​

The List Media node retrieves all media items from WordPress using the WordPress REST API.

When executed, the node:

  1. Retrieves the authentication (either from Client Id or direct credentials)
  2. Sends a GET request to /wp-json/wp/v2/media endpoint
  3. Returns an array of all media objects with their complete metadata

Media Object Structure​

Each media item in the returned Media List contains:

  • id - Unique media ID
  • date - Upload date
  • date_gmt - Upload date in GMT
  • modified - Last modified date
  • slug - URL-friendly identifier
  • status - Usually "inherit" for media
  • type - Always "attachment" for media
  • link - Public URL to the attachment page
  • title - Media title object with rendered HTML
  • author - Uploader user ID
  • caption - Caption object
  • alt_text - Alternative text for images
  • mime_type - MIME type (image/jpeg, application/pdf, etc.)
  • media_type - Category: image, video, audio, or file
  • source_url - Direct URL to the media file
  • media_details - Detailed metadata including:
    • width - Image/video width in pixels
    • height - Image/video height in pixels
    • file - Relative file path
    • filesize - File size in bytes
    • sizes - Different image sizes (thumbnail, medium, large, etc.)
    • image_meta - EXIF data for images

Authentication Methods​

Connect → Store Client Id → List Media (use Client Id)

Method 2: Direct Credentials​

Provide both Site URL and Credentials directly in the node options.

Requirements​

  • A WordPress site with REST API enabled (WordPress 4.7+)
  • No special permissions required for public media
  • Authentication may be required for private or draft attachments

Error Handling​

The node will return specific errors in the following cases:

  • Authentication failure (if using credentials)
  • Network connection errors
  • WordPress REST API disabled
  • Invalid response format

Usage Notes​

  • Returns all media items in the media library
  • Includes images, videos, documents, and other file types
  • Returns both used and unused media
  • The source_url provides the direct link to download/view the file
  • For images, multiple sizes are available in media_details.sizes
  • Default WordPress pagination may apply (typically 100 items per page)

Example Output​

Media List:

[
  {
    "id": 456,
    "date": "2024-01-15T10:30:00",
    "slug": "product-image",
    "type": "attachment",
    "link": "https://yoursite.com/product-image/",
    "title": {
      "rendered": "Product Image"
    },
    "author": 1,
    "alt_text": "New product showcase",
    "mime_type": "image/jpeg",
    "media_type": "image",
    "source_url": "https://yoursite.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/01/product.jpg",
    "media_details": {
      "width": 1920,
      "height": 1080,
      "file": "2024/01/product.jpg",
      "filesize": 245678,
      "sizes": {
        "thumbnail": {
          "file": "product-150x150.jpg",
          "width": 150,
          "height": 150,
          "source_url": "https://yoursite.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/01/product-150x150.jpg"
        },
        "medium": {
          "file": "product-300x169.jpg",
          "width": 300,
          "height": 169,
          "source_url": "https://yoursite.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/01/product-300x169.jpg"
        }
      }
    }
  },
  {
    "id": 789,
    "date": "2024-01-16T14:20:00",
    "slug": "user-manual",
    "type": "attachment",
    "mime_type": "application/pdf",
    "media_type": "file",
    "source_url": "https://yoursite.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/01/manual.pdf",
    "media_details": {
      "filesize": 1024000,
      "file": "2024/01/manual.pdf"
    }
  }
]

Common Use Cases​

Media Audit​

  • List all media files in the library
  • Check file types and sizes
  • Identify unused media
  • Analyze media storage usage

Media Management​

  • Export media metadata
  • Backup media information
  • Generate media inventory reports
  • Track media uploads over time

Media Lookup​

  • Find media by filename or slug
  • Get media URLs for embedding
  • Retrieve media IDs for assignment
  • Check if specific media exists

SEO Optimization​

  • Audit alt text for images
  • Check missing metadata
  • Identify images without descriptions
  • Review file naming conventions

Media Migration​

  • Export media list for migration
  • Compare media across environments
  • Prepare media transfer operations
  • Map media IDs between sites

Filtering and Processing Results​

After retrieving the media list, you can process it using JavaScript or Filter nodes:

Filter by Media Type​

const media = msg.media_list;

// Get only images
const images = media.filter(item => item.media_type === "image");

// Get only PDFs
const pdfs = media.filter(item => item.mime_type === "application/pdf");

// Get videos
const videos = media.filter(item => item.media_type === "video");

return { images, pdfs, videos };

Find Media by Filename​

const media = msg.media_list;
const filename = "product-image";
const found = media.find(item => item.slug === filename);
return { media_item: found };

Get Media Uploaded in Date Range​

const media = msg.media_list;
const startDate = new Date("2024-01-01");
const endDate = new Date("2024-01-31");

const filtered = media.filter(item => {
  const uploadDate = new Date(item.date);
  return uploadDate >= startDate && uploadDate <= endDate;
});

return { january_media: filtered };

Calculate Total Storage Used​

const media = msg.media_list;

const totalBytes = media.reduce((sum, item) => {
  const size = item.media_details?.filesize || 0;
  return sum + size;
}, 0);

const totalMB = (totalBytes / (1024 * 1024)).toFixed(2);

return {
  total_files: media.length,
  total_storage_mb: totalMB
};

Find Images Missing Alt Text​

const media = msg.media_list;

const missingAlt = media.filter(item =>
  item.media_type === "image" && !item.alt_text
);

return {
  images_without_alt: missingAlt,
  count: missingAlt.length
};

Get Different Image Sizes​

const media = msg.media_list;
const imageId = 456;

const image = media.find(item => item.id === imageId);
const sizes = image?.media_details?.sizes || {};

const sizeUrls = {
  full: image.source_url,
  thumbnail: sizes.thumbnail?.source_url,
  medium: sizes.medium?.source_url,
  large: sizes.large?.source_url
};

return { image_sizes: sizeUrls };

Example Workflows​

Media Audit Report​

1. List Media
2. Process results:
   - Count by media type
   - Calculate total storage
   - Identify missing metadata
3. Generate CSV report
4. Send email with report

Find and Download Media​

1. List Media
2. Filter by criteria (e.g., uploaded in last month)
3. For each media item:
   - Download using source_url
   - Save to local storage
4. Generate download log

Unused Media Cleanup​

1. List Media
2. List Posts (get all post IDs)
3. For each media item:
   - Check if used in any post
   - If not used: Add to cleanup list
4. Review cleanup list
5. Delete unused media

Media SEO Optimization​

1. List Media (filter images)
2. For each image without alt text:
   - Generate alt text (AI or manual)
   - Update media with alt text
3. Generate optimization report

Best Practices​

  • Cache the media list if using it multiple times
  • Filter results to get only needed media types
  • Handle large media libraries with pagination if needed
  • Use source_url for direct file access
  • Check media_type before processing media items
  • Validate URLs before downloading
  • Handle missing metadata gracefully
  • Consider storage limits when analyzing media

Performance Considerations​

  • Large media libraries may take longer to retrieve
  • Default WordPress pagination limits results (typically 100)
  • Filter results in your flow to reduce processing time
  • Cache results when making multiple queries
  • For very large libraries, consider using pagination parameters

Media Types​

Common media_type values:

  • image - JPG, PNG, GIF, WebP, SVG
  • video - MP4, MOV, AVI, WMV
  • audio - MP3, WAV, OGG
  • file - PDF, DOC, ZIP, and other documents

Common mime_type examples:

  • image/jpeg - JPEG images
  • image/png - PNG images
  • application/pdf - PDF documents
  • video/mp4 - MP4 videos
  • audio/mpeg - MP3 audio

Troubleshooting​

Empty Media List returned:

  • Verify media exists in WordPress media library
  • Check WordPress admin panel Media section
  • Confirm REST API is enabled
  • Check authentication if required

Missing media details:

  • Some fields may be null for certain file types
  • Check media_type to determine available fields
  • Non-image files won't have image-specific metadata

URLs not accessible:

  • Verify WordPress site URL is correct
  • Check file permissions on server
  • Ensure files weren't deleted from server

Image Sizes​

WordPress generates multiple sizes for images:

  • thumbnail - Usually 150x150px
  • medium - Usually 300x300px
  • medium_large - Usually 768px width
  • large - Usually 1024px width
  • full - Original size (use source_url)

Sizes depend on WordPress theme and settings.

Working with Media URLs​

Direct Image URL​

const imageUrl = media_item.source_url;
// Use in img tags, downloads, etc.

Thumbnail URL​

const thumbUrl = media_item.media_details.sizes.thumbnail?.source_url;

Download Media​

1. List Media → Get source_url
2. HTTP Request (GET source_url)
3. Save to file

Integration Examples​

Export Media Inventory to CSV​

1. List Media
2. Transform to CSV format:
   - ID, Filename, Type, Size, Upload Date, URL
3. Write to CSV file
4. Upload to cloud storage or email

Backup Media Metadata​

1. List Media
2. Save to JSON file
3. Include all metadata
4. Store for disaster recovery
1. List Media (filter by type: image)
2. Group by upload month
3. Generate HTML gallery
4. Create post with gallery

Broken Media Detection​

1. List Media
2. For each media:
   - Test source_url accessibility
   - Record if 404 or error
3. Generate broken media report
4. Alert administrator