Duplicating multiple blog posts at once

We can extend the previous recipe, to duplicate multiple posts with a single GraphQL request.

GraphQL query to duplicate multiple posts at once permalink

⚙️ Configuration alert:

For this GraphQL query to work, the Schema Configuration applied to the endpoint needs to have the following configuration:

  • In block Payload Types for Mutations, select "Do not use Payload Types for Mutations (i.e. return the mutated entity)" (so that dynamic variable $createdPostIDs will contain the IDs of the created posts)
  • In block Mutation Scheme, select any of the two "Enable Nested Mutations" options (as to use field _echo inside a mutation)

This GraphQL query duplicates the posts retrieved via the provided $limit and $offset variables:

query InitializeDynamicVariables
@configureWarningsOnExportingDuplicateVariable(enabled: false)
{
postInput: _echo(value: [])
@export(as: "postInput")
@remove
}

query GetPostsAndExportData($limit: Int! = 5, $offset: Int! = 0)
@depends(on: "InitializeDynamicVariables")
{
postsToDuplicate: posts(
pagination: {
limit : $limit
offset: $offset
}
sort: {
by: ID,
order: ASC
}
) {
# Fields not to be duplicated
id
slug
date
status

# Fields to be duplicated
author {
id
}
categories {
id
}
rawContent
excerpt
featuredImage {
id
}
tags {
id
}
title

# Already create (and export) the inputs for the mutation
postInput: _echo(value: {
status: draft,
authorBy: {
id: $__author
},
categoriesBy: {
ids: $__categories
},
contentAs: {
html: $__rawContent
},
excerpt: $__excerpt
featuredImageBy: {
id: $__featuredImage
},
tagsBy: {
ids: $__tags
},
title: $__title
})
@export(as: "postInput", type: LIST)
@remove
}
}

mutation DuplicatePosts
@depends(on: "GetPostsAndExportData")
{
createdPostIDs: _echo(value: $postInput)
@underEachArrayItem(
passValueOnwardsAs: "input"
)
@applyField(
name: "createPost"
arguments: {
input: $input
},
setResultInResponse: true
)
@export(as: "createdPostIDs")
}

query RetrieveCreatedPosts
@depends(on: "DuplicatePosts")
{
createdPosts: posts(
filter: {
ids: $createdPostIDs,
status: [draft]
}
) {
# Fields not to be duplicated
id
slug
date
status

# Fields to be duplicated
author {
id
}
categories {
id
}
rawContent
excerpt
featuredImage {
id
}
tags {
id
}
title
}
}

Step by step: creating the GraphQL query permalink

Below is the detailed analysis of how the query works.

Extending the "Duplicating a blog post" recipe permalink

The previous recipe employs the following strategy (on the GraphQL query of the second approach):

  1. Export the resource IDs from the fields (including connection fields):
query GetPostAndExportData {
post {
author @export(as: "authorID") {
id
}
categories @export(as: "categoryIDs") {
id
}
rawContent @export(as: "rawContent")
rawExcerpt @export(as: "excerpt")
featuredImage @export(as: "featuredImageID") {
id
}
tags @export(as: "tagIDs") {
id
}
rawTitle @export(as: "title")
}
}
  1. Create the input object for createPost(input:) from those dynamic variables:
mutation DuplicatePost
@depends(on: "GetPostAndExportData")
{
createPost(input: {
status: draft,
authorBy: {
id: $authorID
},
categoriesBy: {
ids: $categoryIDs
},
contentAs: {
html: $rawContent
},
excerpt: $excerpt
featuredImageBy: {
id: $featuredImageID
},
tagsBy: {
ids: $tagIDs
},
title: $title
}) {
# ...
}
}

Thanks to the Field to Input extension, we can create the input object already on the first operation, and export all the required post data under a single dynamic variable:

query GetPostAndExportData {
post {
author {
id
}
categories {
id
}
rawContent
excerpt
featuredImage {
id
}
tags {
id
}
title

postInput: _echo(value: {
status: draft,
authorBy: {
id: $__author
},
categoriesBy: {
ids: $__categories
},
contentAs: {
html: $__rawContent
},
excerpt: $__excerpt
featuredImageBy: {
id: $__featuredImage
},
tagsBy: {
ids: $__tags
},
title: $__title
})
@export(as: "postInput")
}
}

Then, in the following mutation, createPost(input:) directly receives dynamic variable $postInput:

mutation DuplicatePost
@depends(on: "GetPostAndExportData")
{
createPost(input: $postInput) {
# ...
}
}

Retrieving multiple posts permalink

We must convert the query to retrieve the multiple posts to be duplicated:

  • Query the posts via posts(pagination: { limit : $limit, offset: $offset}) { ... }
  • Export postInput as a list (i.e. an array containing all the inputs for the queried posts)
query GetPostsAndExportData($limit: Int! = 5, $offset: Int! = 0)
@depends(on: "InitializeDynamicVariables")
{
postsToDuplicate: posts(
pagination: {
limit : $limit
offset: $offset
}
sort: {
by: ID,
order: ASC
}
) {
# ...

postInput: _echo(value: {
# ...
})
@export(
as: "postInput",
type: LIST
)
}
}

Creating multiple posts in a single GraphQL query permalink

Dynamic variable $postInput by now contains an array with all the input data for each of the posts to duplicate:

[
{
"status": "draft",
"authorBy": {
"id": "2"
},
"categoryIDs": [
1
],
"contentAs": {
"html": "<!-- wp:paragraph -->\n<p>Welcome to WordPress. This is your first post. Edit or delete it, then start writing!</p>\n<!-- /wp:paragraph -->"
},
"excerpt": "Welcome to WordPress. This is your first post. Edit or delete it, then start writing!",
"featuredImageBy": {
"id": null
},
"tagsBy": {
"ids": []
},
"title": "Hello world!"
},
{
"status": "draft",
"authorBy": {
"id": "3"
},
"categoryIDs": [
3
],
"contentAs": {
"html": "<!-- wp:paragraph -->\n<p>This is a paragraph block. Professionally productize highly efficient results with world-class core competencies. Objectively matrix leveraged architectures vis-a-vis error-free applications. Completely maximize customized portals via fully researched metrics. Enthusiastically generate premier action items through web-enabled e-markets. Efficiently parallel task holistic intellectual capital and client-centric markets.<br><br></p>\n<!-- /wp:paragraph -->\n\n<!-- wp:heading -->\n<h2>Image Block (Standard)</h2>\n<!-- /wp:heading -->\n\n<!-- wp:image {\"id\":1755} -->\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image\"><img src=\"https://d.pr/i/8pTmgY+\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-1755\"/></figure>\n<!-- /wp:image -->"
},
"excerpt": "This is a paragraph block. Professionally productize highly efficient results with world-class core competencies. Objectively matrix leveraged architectures vis-a-vis error-free applications. Completely maximize customized portals via fully researched metrics. Enthusiastically generate premier action items through web-enabled e-markets. Efficiently parallel task holistic intellectual capital and client-centric markets. Image Block (Standard)",
"featuredImageBy": {
"id": 361
},
"tagsBy": {
"ids": [
11,
10
]
},
"title": "Released v0.6, check it out"
}
]

In the Gato GraphQL schema, there is no mutation to create multiple posts:

  • Mutation createPost receives a single input object, not an array of them
  • There is no mutation createPosts

The solution is to use extensions:

🔥 Tips:

@underEachArrayItem is a composable directive (or "meta directive", it is a directive which can contain nested directives) that iterates over an array of elements, and applies its nested directive on each of them.

@underEachArrayItem helps bridge GraphQL types, as it can make a field that returns a [String] value, be applied a directive that receives a String value as input (or other combinations).

For instance, in the query below:

  • Field User.capabilities returns [String]
  • Directive @strUpperCase receives String

Thanks to @underEachArrayItem, we can convert all capability items to upper case:

{
user(by: { id: 3 }) {
capabilities
@underEachArrayItem
@strUpperCase
}
}

...producing:

{
"data": {
"user": {
"capabilities": [
"LEVEL_0",
"READ",
"READ_PRIVATE_EVENTS",
"READ_PRIVATE_LOCATIONS"
]
}
}
}

This GraphQL query passes iterates all items in $postInput, assigns each of them to dynamic variable $input, injects into the createPost mutation, and finally exports the IDs of the created posts under dynamic variable $createdPostIDs:

mutation DuplicatePosts
@depends(on: "GetPostsAndExportData")
{
createdPostIDs: _echo(value: $postInput)
@underEachArrayItem(
passValueOnwardsAs: "input"
)
@applyField(
name: "createPost"
arguments: {
input: $input
},
setResultInResponse: true
)
@export(as: "createdPostIDs")
}

Finally, we can use dynamic variable $createdPostIDs to retrieve the data for the newly-created posts:

query RetrieveCreatedPosts
@depends(on: "DuplicatePosts")
{
createdPosts: posts(
filter: {
ids: $createdPostIDs,
status: [draft]
}
) {
# Fields not to be duplicated
id
slug
date
status

# Fields to be duplicated
author {
id
}
categories {
id
}
rawContent
excerpt
featuredImage {
id
}
tags {
id
}
title
}
}

Removing unneeded data permalink

The final step is to remove all fields that are auxiliary (and as such we don't need to print their output in the response) via @remove.

The consolidated GraphQL query is:

query InitializeDynamicVariables
@configureWarningsOnExportingDuplicateVariable(enabled: false)
{
postInput: _echo(value: [])
@export(as: "postInput")
@remove
}

query GetPostsAndExportData($limit: Int! = 5, $offset: Int! = 0)
@depends(on: "InitializeDynamicVariables")
{
postsToDuplicate: posts(
pagination: {
limit : $limit
offset: $offset
}
sort: {
by: ID,
order: ASC
}
) {
# Fields not to be duplicated
id
slug
date
status

# Fields to be duplicated
author {
id
}
categories {
id
}
rawContent
excerpt
featuredImage {
id
}
tags {
id
}
title

# Already create (and export) the inputs for the mutation
postInput: _echo(value: {
status: draft,
authorBy: {
id: $__author
},
categoriesBy: {
ids: $__categories
},
contentAs: {
html: $__rawContent
},
excerpt: $__excerpt
featuredImageBy: {
id: $__featuredImage
},
tagsBy: {
ids: $__tags
},
title: $__title
})
@export(as: "postInput", type: LIST)
@remove
}
}

mutation DuplicatePosts
@depends(on: "GetPostsAndExportData")
{
createdPostIDs: _echo(value: $postInput)
@underEachArrayItem(
passValueOnwardsAs: "input"
)
@applyField(
name: "createPost"
arguments: {
input: $input
},
setResultInResponse: true
)
@export(as: "createdPostIDs")
}

query RetrieveCreatedPosts
@depends(on: "DuplicatePosts")
{
createdPosts: posts(
filter: {
ids: $createdPostIDs,
status: [draft]
}
) {
# Fields not to be duplicated
id
slug
date
status

# Fields to be duplicated
author {
id
}
categories {
id
}
rawContent
excerpt
featuredImage {
id
}
tags {
id
}
title
}
}

Extensions referenced in this recipe permalink

(They are all included in “Application Glue & Automator” Bundle, “Content Translation” Bundle, “All Extensions” Bundle)