How to structure an n8n custom node with multiple actions under one main node?

Other Questions N8n
1

I’m working on a custom n8n node for my company. Right now, I have two action nodes (authenticate and upload file) that show up separately when I search for the company node. But I want them to be part of one main node, like how S3 does it.

Here’s what I’ve tried:

  • In my main.node.ts, I defined a Company class with properties for both actions.
  • In package.json, I listed both action nodes under the main key.
"nodes": {
  "main": [
    "dist/nodes/main/authenticate.node.js",
    "dist/nodes/main/uploadFile.node.js"
  ]
}

But this setup still shows two separate nodes instead of one main node with a dropdown for actions. I also tried creating separate auth.node.ts and upload.node.ts files, but that just made two core nodes.

Any ideas on how to get that S3-style structure with one main node and multiple actions inside it? Thanks!

2

hey there! i’ve struggled with this too. one thing that worked for me was using the description property in ur node definition. try somethin like:

export class Company {
  description = {
    displayName: 'Company',
    name: 'company',
    properties: [
      {
        displayName: 'Operation',
        name: 'operation',
        type: 'options',
        options: [
          {name:'Authenticate',value:'authenticate'},
          {name:'Upload File',value:'uploadFile'}
        ],
        default: 'authenticate'
      }
    ]
  }
}

hope that helps!

3

I’ve been in your shoes before, and I can tell you it’s definitely possible to structure your custom node like S3. The key is using the ‘resourceDescription’ property in your main node file.

Here’s what worked for me:

  1. Create a single main.node.ts file
  2. Define your Company class with a description object
  3. Use the ‘properties’ array to define your operations

Your main.node.ts might look something like this:

export class Company implements INodeType {
  description = {
    displayName: 'Company',
    name: 'company',
    icon: 'file:company.svg',
    group: ['transform'],
    version: 1,
    description: 'Interact with Company API',
    defaults: { name: 'Company' },
    inputs: ['main'],
    outputs: ['main'],
    properties: [
      {
        displayName: 'Operation',
        name: 'operation',
        type: 'options',
        options: [
          { name: 'Authenticate', value: 'authenticate' },
          { name: 'Upload File', value: 'uploadFile' }
        ],
        default: 'authenticate'
      }
    ]
  };

  async execute(this: IExecuteFunctions): Promise<INodeExecutionData[][]> {
    const operation = this.getNodeParameter('operation', 0) as string;
    switch (operation) {
      case 'authenticate':
        // Authentication logic
        break;
      case 'uploadFile':
        // File upload logic
        break;
    }
    // Return result
  }
}

This approach should give you a single node with multiple operations to choose from. Good luck with your project!

4

I’ve encountered a similar challenge while developing custom nodes. One effective approach is to utilize the ‘resourceDescription’ property in your node definition. This allows you to create a single node with multiple operations.

Here’s a basic structure you could try:

export class Company implements INodeType {
  description: INodeTypeDescription = {
    displayName: 'Company',
    name: 'company',
    icon: 'file:company.svg',
    group: ['transform'],
    version: 1,
    description: 'Interact with Company API',
    defaults: {
      name: 'Company',
    },
    inputs: ['main'],
    outputs: ['main'],
    credentials: [
      {
        name: 'companyApi',
        required: true,
      },
    ],
    properties: [
      {
        displayName: 'Operation',
        name: 'operation',
        type: 'options',
        options: [
          {
            name: 'Authenticate',
            value: 'authenticate',
          },
          {
            name: 'Upload File',
            value: 'uploadFile',
          },
        ],
        default: 'authenticate',
        description: 'The operation to perform.',
      },
    ],
  };

  async execute(this: IExecuteFunctions): Promise<INodeExecutionData[][]> {
    // Implementation logic here
  }
}

This structure should create a single node with a dropdown for selecting different operations.