How to filter for files using rest api ( sharepoint online )?

Question

Why doesn't the following string returns data from within a folder in the same asset library:

Asset Library Name is Production_Library

Folder Name is at the top level of the asset library and is named Communication Management

The filter works nicely here at the /items level filtering against the Business Process field.

https://gumdrops.sharepoint.com/sites/Training/_api/web/lists/getbytitle('production_library')/items?$filter=Business_x0020_Process eq 'Communication Management'

However, the filter doesn't work at all here within the folders against the Name Field.

https://gumdrops.sharepoint.com/sites/Training/_api/web/lists/getbytitle('production_library')/files?$filter=Name eq 'Communication Management'

Answer 1

Selecting items in folders with the REST API is a bit different than selecting items in the library itself... (like in your first example)

The way that I get the items in a specific folder is with the /_api/web/GetFolderByServerRelativeUrl("<serverRelativeFolderUrl>")/files endpoint...

So in your example, you want everything in Production_Library/Communication Management (notice that you don't have to url encode the space)

I'm assuming that Production_Library sits at the root of your site, so your path may be slightly different, but to get all of the items in the Communication Management folder you would use a request to:

/_api/web/GetFolderByServerRelativeUrl('/Production_Library/Communication Management')/files

Your second request in the question would actually go to the /files endpoint against the Production_Library document library and look for a file that has a Name of Communication Management -- which you've noticed doesn't work... A request like that returns a 400 error for me in SharePoint online when I try to filter the /files endpoint by Name -- but even if it did work you wouldn't be getting the items inside of the folder like you're looking for.

Answer 2

Your second query just returns files filtered by File.Name and nothing more.

The following examples demonstrates how to retrieve files from a specific folder.

How to retrieve Files from a specific Folder using SharePoint REST

Assume a Documents library contains Guides folder.

Option 1

Using SP.Web.getFolderByServerRelativeUrl Method

Endpoint Uri: GET /_api/web/GetFolderByServerRelativeUrl('documents/guides')/files

Option 2

Using CAML query

Endpoint Uri: POST /_api/web/lists/getbytitle('Documents')/getitems

Body:

{  
      'query' : {
                 '__metadata': { 'type': 'SP.CamlQuery' }, 
                 'ViewXml' : '<View><Query/></View>',
                 'FolderServerRelativeUrl': '/Documents/Guides'  
       }
}

Headers:

• X-RequestDigest: value
• Accept: application/json; odata=verbose
• Content-Type: application/json; odata=verbose