n8n-nodes-rows

An n8n community node for integrating with the Rows API.

Development Setup

Prerequisites

• Node.js 20+ and npm
• n8n installed globally: npm install n8n -g
• Git

Installation

1. Clone the repository:

   git clone <your-repo-url>
   cd n8n-nodes-rows

2. Install dependencies:

   npm install

3. Build the node:

   npm run build

4. Link for local development:

   npm link

5. Link in your n8n installation:

   cd ~/.n8n/custom
   npm link n8n-nodes-rows

In case you don't have the folder custom locally, you can create it with mkdir custom

6. Restart n8n to load the node

Project Structure

n8n-nodes-rows/
├── credentials/
│   └── RowsApi.credentials.ts    # API credential configuration
├── nodes/
│   └── Rows/
│       ├── Rows.node.ts           # Main node implementation
│       ├── Rows.node.json         # Node codex metadata
│       └── rows.svg               # Node icon
├── package.json
└── tsconfig.json

Implementation Details

Node Architecture

The node implements two operations:

• Append Data: Uses the /values/{range}:append endpoint
• Overwrite Data: Uses the /cells/{range} endpoint

Both operations are extracted into standalone async functions (appendDataToTable, overwriteDataInTable) that receive the execution context and item index as parameters.

API Integration

The node uses:

• httpRequestWithAuthentication for authenticated API calls
• Dynamic option loading for spreadsheets and tables
• Bearer token authentication via credentials

Key Files

Rows.node.ts

Main node implementation with:

• Node description and properties
• loadOptions methods for dynamic dropdowns
• execute method for processing workflow items
• Helper functions for API operations

RowsApi.credentials.ts

Defines the credential schema for Rows API key authentication.

Development Workflow

Making Changes

1. Edit the TypeScript files in nodes/ or credentials/
2. Run linter:

   npm run lint
   # or auto-fix issues:
   npm run lintfix

3. Rebuild:

   npm run build

Testing Locally

1. Start n8n in development mode:

   n8n start

2. Access n8n at http://localhost:5678

3. Create a workflow with the Rows node

Debugging

Enable n8n debug logging:

export N8N_LOG_LEVEL=debug
n8n start

Check logs for API request/response details.

Publishing

1. Update version in package.json
2. Build: npm run build
3. Publish to npm: npm publish
4. (Optional) Submit for n8n cloud verification: docs

Resources

• n8n node development docs
• Rows API documentation
• n8n community nodes