Setting a file's Author/Editor through a REST API

Question

I'm trying to alter a SharePoint Online file's 'Author' and 'Editor' through the REST API. I have first made sure to set the list fields 'Created By' and 'Modified By' property ReadOnlyField = false. I'm trying any REST API I can get my hands on:

---

Sharepoint 2013 REST API

url: http://site/_api/web/Lists(guid'...')/items(3)
method: POST
headers:
    Authorization: "Bearer " + accessToken
    "IF-MATCH": "*"
    "X-HTTP-Method":"MERGE",
    content-type: "application/json;odata=verbose"
body: {"__metadata": {"type": "SP.Data.DocumentsItem"}, "EditorId": 21}

Error

status code: 409
body:
{
"odata.error" : {
    "code" : "-2130575305, Microsoft.SharePoint.SPException",
    "message" : {
        "lang" : "en-US",
        "value" : "The file <filename> has been modified by <username> on <timestamp>."
    }
}

This error basically says "I can't set the editor to the value you give me because the editor is this user", where this user points to the previous editor

---

Sharepoint 2010 REST API

url: http://site/_vti_bin/listdata.svc/Documents(3)
method: POST
headers:
    Authorization: "Bearer " + accessToken
    "IF-MATCH": "*"
    "X-HTTP-Method":"MERGE",
    content-type: "application/json;odata=verbose"
body: {"ModifiedById": 21}

Error

status code: 500
body:
{
    "error" : {
        "code" : "",
        "message" : {
            "lang" : "en-US",
            "value" : "An error occurred while processing this request." 
        }
    }
}

---

Office 365 Files API

url: http://site/_api/v1.0/me/files/<file-id>
method: PATCH
headers:
    Authorization: "Bearer " + accessToken
    content-type: "application/json;odata=verbose"
body: {'lastModifiedBy': {'user': {'id': '<user uuid>'}}}

Error

status code: 400
body:
{
    "error" : {
        "code" : "-1, Microsoft.OData.Core.ODataException",
        "message" : "Parsing JSON Light feeds or entries in requests without entity set is not supported. Pass in the entity set as a parameter to ODataMessageReader.CreateODataEntryReader or ODataMessageReader.CreateODataFeedReader method."
    }
}

None of the responses make sense to me. Anyone had any luck with this?

If modifying these fields for already existing files is not possible, I would also be interested in being able to set these fields for new files being uploaded.

Answer 1

Yes , This is possible with the help of SharePoint CSOM , that is using Microsoft.SharePoint.Client.dll ,

here i have done this while migrating the SharePoint 2010 list items into the SharePoint 2013 list where i had to maintain the old values in the fields #CreatedBy , #ModifiedBy , #Created and #Modified.

Here while copying the item we can assign our custom values to these fields like below:

item["Author"] = "Custom User Object";
item["Editor"] = "Custom User Object";
item["Created"] = "Custom Date value";
item["Modified"] = "Custom Date value";

This worked for me ,

if needed this can be developed as a console application and can be run to update the custom values to these fields.

Answer 2

I could not change author field but another people field i can change like below. So maybe you can set this field and show this field as Created By column. If you find axact answer of your question please let us know. Also be sure your "X-RequestDigest" value is where your library value.

var item = {
    "type": "SP.Data.TestListItem",
    "UserFieldId": 532
};

var headers = {
    "Accept": "application/json;odata=verbose",
    "X-RequestDigest": $("#__REQUESTDIGEST").val(),
    "X-HTTP-Method": "MERGE",
    "If-Match": "*"
};

$.ajax({
    url: "/_api/web/lists/getbytitle('Test')/items(2)",
    method: "POST",
    data: JSON.stringify(item),
    contentType: "application/json;odata=verbose",
    headers: headers,
    async: false
}).done(function (data) {
    console.log(data);
});

Answer 3

It's not possible or it's not allowed in client side. If it is allowed, then it will be security issue. Let say, I am updating some metadata of a document and finally setting another using in Modified By column. So

How it will be tracked who has updated the file?

I believe Created By and Modified By are automatically being added/updated based Current User/Authorization Token/X-RequestDigest.

If you need to replace some users after migration, then you have to use PowerShell. Did not find any client side solution yet.

Move-SPUser [-Identity] <SPUserPipeBind> -NewAlias <String> [-AssignmentCollection <SPAssignmentCollection>] [-Confirm [<SwitchParameter>]] [-IgnoreSID <SwitchParameter>] [-WhatIf [<SwitchParameter>]]

Above command will update the all references of old user by new user.