# IRPCObjectOperations.GetObjectsByExternalIds

Location: [gRPC API](https://developer.m-files.com/APIs/gRPC-API/index.md) > [Vault API](https://developer.m-files.com/APIs/gRPC-API/vault/index.md) > [Objects, versions, properties and files](https://developer.m-files.com/APIs/gRPC-API/Reference/MFiles.IRPCObjectOperations/index.md)

HTML version: https://developer.m-files.com/APIs/gRPC-API/Reference/MFiles.IRPCObjectOperations/GetObjectsByExternalIds/

Badges: `Vault API / core` `read` `session or assertion` `idempotent`

Finds objects of one object type by their external IDs.

- **Service:** [Objects, versions, properties and files](https://developer.m-files.com/APIs/gRPC-API/Reference/MFiles.IRPCObjectOperations/index.md) `MFiles.IRPCObjectOperations`
- **gRPC method:** `/MFiles.IRPCObjectOperations/GetObjectsByExternalIds`
- **HTTP (mf-http-grpc):** `POST /grpc/v1/get-objects-by-external-ids`
- **Request:** [`GetObjectsByExternalIdsRequest`](https://developer.m-files.com/APIs/gRPC-API/Reference/MFiles.IRPCObjectOperations/GetObjectsByExternalIds/index.md#request)
- **Response:** [`GetObjectsByExternalIdsResponse`](https://developer.m-files.com/APIs/gRPC-API/Reference/MFiles.IRPCObjectOperations/GetObjectsByExternalIds/index.md#response)
- **Book and level:** Vault API, core
- **Kind:** read
- **Session:** Required: a session (mfiles-session-id-bin metadata) or a session assertion (x-mf-session-assertion metadata).
- **Idempotent:** yes
- **Returns metadata structure version:** no
- **Streaming:** none (unary)

<a id="remarks"></a>

## Remarks

Matches only objects that have an external ID of their own (for example one set with
`SetExternalObjectID`), not the display IDs that equal the internal ID. IDs that match nothing,
and objects the caller cannot read, are left out without
an error, so the response can be shorter than the request. Each match is returned as the latest
version of the object.

<a id="request"></a>

## Request: GetObjectsByExternalIdsRequest

A request structure for GetObjectsByExternalIds RPC call. It contains all request data.

> Nested message fields are expanded to depth 3; follow a type link for deeper levels and for the type's own page.

| Field | Type | Description |
|---|---|---|
| `external_ids[]` | repeated `string` | The external IDs to look up. Duplicates are ignored. |
| `object_type_id` | `int32` | The object type of the objects. |

<a id="response"></a>

## Response: GetObjectsByExternalIdsResponse

A response structure for GetObjectsByExternalIds RPC call. It contains all response data.

> Nested message fields are expanded to depth 3; follow a type link for deeper levels and for the type's own page.

| Field | Type | Description |
|---|---|---|
| `obj_vers[]` | repeated [`ObjVer`](https://developer.m-files.com/APIs/gRPC-API/Reference/Messages/MFiles.ObjVer/index.md) | The matching objects the caller can read. |
| `obj_vers[].obj_id` | [`ObjID`](https://developer.m-files.com/APIs/gRPC-API/Reference/Messages/MFiles.ObjID/index.md) | The object. |
| `obj_vers[].obj_id.type` | `int32` | The object type ID, for example 0 for documents. In a lookup value, the value list ID (for a lookup to objects, the object type ID). |
| `obj_vers[].obj_id.item_id` | [`ItemID`](https://developer.m-files.com/APIs/gRPC-API/Reference/Messages/MFiles.ItemID/index.md) | The ID of the object within its type, in `item_id.internal_id`. |
| `obj_vers[].version` | [`ObjVerVersion`](https://developer.m-files.com/APIs/gRPC-API/Reference/Messages/MFiles.ObjVerVersion/index.md) | The version. Usually `OBJ_VER_VERSION_TYPE_SPECIFIC` with `internal_version`. |
| `obj_vers[].version.type` | [`ObjVerVersionType`](https://developer.m-files.com/APIs/gRPC-API/Reference/Enums/MFiles.ObjVerVersionType/index.md) | What `internal_version` means. `OBJ_VER_VERSION_TYPE_SPECIFIC` for a version number. Values: `OBJ_VER_VERSION_TYPE_UNINITIALIZED` (0), `OBJ_VER_VERSION_TYPE_LATEST` (1), `OBJ_VER_VERSION_TYPE_ANY` (2), `OBJ_VER_VERSION_TYPE_ALL` (3), `OBJ_VER_VERSION_TYPE_SPECIFIC` (4), `OBJ_VER_VERSION_TYPE_VALUE_LIST_ITEM` (6), `OBJ_VER_VERSION_TYPE_OBJECT_LEVEL_REFERENCE` (7). |
| `obj_vers[].version.internal_version` | `int32` | The version number, starting from 1, when `type` is `OBJ_VER_VERSION_TYPE_SPECIFIC`. The server returns -1 with `OBJ_VER_VERSION_TYPE_LATEST`. |
| `obj_vers[].version.external_repository_version` | `string` | Used only for objects in external repositories. Leave empty. |
| `obj_vers[].version.external_repository_sort_key` | `int64` | Used only for objects in external repositories. Leave 0. |

<a id="related"></a>

## Related methods

- [SetExternalObjectID](https://developer.m-files.com/APIs/gRPC-API/Reference/MFiles.IRPCObjectOperations/SetExternalObjectID/index.md): Sets the external ID of an object.