# IRPCViews.GetViews

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) > [Views](https://developer.m-files.com/APIs/gRPC-API/Reference/MFiles.IRPCViews/index.md)

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

Badges: `Vault API / standard` `write` `session or assertion` `returns metadata structure version`

Gets the calling user's view collection: all views, or the direct child views of one view.

- **Service:** [Views](https://developer.m-files.com/APIs/gRPC-API/Reference/MFiles.IRPCViews/index.md) `MFiles.IRPCViews`
- **gRPC method:** `/MFiles.IRPCViews/GetViews`
- **HTTP (mf-http-grpc):** `POST /grpc/v1/get-views`
- **Request:** [`GetViewsRequest`](https://developer.m-files.com/APIs/gRPC-API/Reference/MFiles.IRPCViews/GetViews/index.md#request)
- **Response:** [`GetViewsResponse`](https://developer.m-files.com/APIs/gRPC-API/Reference/MFiles.IRPCViews/GetViews/index.md#response)
- **Book and level:** Vault API, standard
- **Kind:** write
- **Session:** Required: a session (mfiles-session-id-bin metadata) or a session assertion (x-mf-session-assertion metadata).
- **Idempotent:** no
- **Returns metadata structure version:** yes (in the mfiles-metadata-version-bin trailer)
- **Streaming:** none (unary)

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

## Remarks

- Requires a vault session. No special vault rights are needed. Common views that the user may
  not see and other users' private views are left out.
- Hidden views are included; check `View.is_visible`.
- With `get_all_views` false, set `parent_view`: -1 returns the top-level views. The default 0
  is not the top level and returns nothing.
- The order of the views is not specified. Lookup values in search conditions are returned in
  the session's vault language.
- To keep a local copy in sync, use [GetViewsOrDelta](https://developer.m-files.com/APIs/gRPC-API/Reference/MFiles.IRPCViews/GetViewsOrDelta/index.md)
  instead.

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

## Request: GetViewsRequest

> 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 |
|---|---|---|
| `get_all_views` | `bool` | True to get every view in the user's collection. Then `parent_view` is ignored. |
| `parent_view` | `int32` | With `get_all_views` false, the ID of the view whose direct child views to get, or -1 for the top-level views. |

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

## Response: GetViewsResponse

> Nested message fields are expanded to depth 3; follow a type link for deeper levels and for the type's own page. Fields marked (recursive) refer to a type already on their path.

| Field | Type | Description |
|---|---|---|
| `views[]` | repeated [`View`](https://developer.m-files.com/APIs/gRPC-API/Reference/Messages/MFiles.View/index.md) | The views. See [View](https://developer.m-files.com/APIs/gRPC-API/Reference/Messages/MFiles.View/index.md). |
| `views[].id` | `int32` | The ID of the view. |
| `views[].type` | [`ViewType`](https://developer.m-files.com/APIs/gRPC-API/Reference/Enums/MFiles.ViewType/index.md) | The type of the view. Values: `VIEW_TYPE_SHOW_OBJECTS` (0), `VIEW_TYPE_FILTER_ONLY` (1). |
| `views[].name` | `string` | The name of the view. |
| `views[].is_common` | `bool` | Tells if the view is admin-defined (common) or user-defined. |
| `views[].is_visible` | `bool` | Tells if the view is visible. |
| `views[].location` | [`ViewLocation`](https://developer.m-files.com/APIs/gRPC-API/Reference/Messages/MFiles.ViewLocation/index.md) | The location of the view. Valid only if bHasParent is true. |
| `views[].location.parent_folder[]` | repeated [`Folder`](https://developer.m-files.com/APIs/gRPC-API/Reference/Messages/MFiles.Folder/index.md) | Array of folders describing the parent folder of the view. The first element of the array must be a view folder. Other elements, if any, are property folders. |
| `views[].location.customizes_property_folder` | `bool` | True if the view is overlapping with a property folder. |
| `views[].location.customized_property_folder` | [`TypedValue`](https://developer.m-files.com/APIs/gRPC-API/Reference/Messages/MFiles.TypedValue/index.md) | The overlapped property folder. Ignored if bOverlapping is false. |
| `views[].content_definition` | [`SearchDef`](https://developer.m-files.com/APIs/gRPC-API/Reference/Messages/MFiles.SearchDef/index.md) | The search definition that contains the view levels and search conditions of the view. |
| `views[].content_definition.filter_conditions[]` | repeated [`SearchCondition`](https://developer.m-files.com/APIs/gRPC-API/Reference/Messages/MFiles.SearchCondition/index.md) | The conditions that limit the object set of this search. |
| `views[].content_definition.grouping_levels[]` | repeated [`GroupingLevel`](https://developer.m-files.com/APIs/gRPC-API/Reference/Messages/MFiles.GroupingLevel/index.md) | View levels (the display hierarchy of this search). |
| `views[].content_definition.options` | [`SearchFlags`](https://developer.m-files.com/APIs/gRPC-API/Reference/Messages/MFiles.SearchFlags/index.md) | Search flags. This affects the resulting object version set and also distinct view level values displayed inside this search. |
| `views[].acl` | [`AccessControlList`](https://developer.m-files.com/APIs/gRPC-API/Reference/Messages/MFiles.AccessControlList/index.md) | Permissions. |
| `views[].acl.checked_out_to_user` | `int32` | Specifies the ID of the user who has extended rights because of the checkout operation performed by her. 0 if such user does not exist. |
| `views[].acl.is_fully_authoritative` | `bool` | Specifies whether this access control list is set to ignore the secondary permissions that come from the latest checked in version. |
| `views[].acl.custom_component` | [`AccessControlListComponent`](https://developer.m-files.com/APIs/gRPC-API/Reference/Messages/MFiles.AccessControlListComponent/index.md) | Accesses the custom component of this ACL. |
| `views[].acl.restrictive_components[]` | repeated [`AccessControlListComponentMapEntry`](https://developer.m-files.com/APIs/gRPC-API/Reference/Messages/MFiles.AccessControlListComponentMapEntry/index.md) | Accesses the restrictive automatic components of this ACL. |
| `views[].acl.secondary_access_control_list` | [`AccessControlList`](https://developer.m-files.com/APIs/gRPC-API/Reference/Messages/MFiles.AccessControlList/index.md) (recursive) | Secondary ACL used for latest version ACL. Not used for access check if null. |
| `views[].acl.additive_components[]` | repeated [`AccessControlListComponentMapEntry`](https://developer.m-files.com/APIs/gRPC-API/Reference/Messages/MFiles.AccessControlListComponentMapEntry/index.md) | Accesses the additive automatic components of this ACL. |
| `views[].flags_obsolete` | `uint32` | Bit flags that provide additional information on the view. |
| `views[].options` | [`VIEWFLAGS`](https://developer.m-files.com/APIs/gRPC-API/Reference/Messages/MFiles.VIEWFLAGS/index.md) | Bit flags that provide additional information on the view. |
| `views[].options.all` | `bool` | Specifies all flags set; Including any future flags. |
| `views[].options.indexed` | `bool` | Materialized/indexed view. |
| `views[].options.incompatible_with_full_text_search` | `bool` | The search conditions of the view definition (excluding the grouping levels) are not compatible with full-text search. |
| `views[].options.sort_across_all_pages_disabled` | `bool` | Sorting search results is disabled. |
| `views[].guid` | `string` | GUID for the view. |
| `views[].view_visualization` | [`ViewVisualization`](https://developer.m-files.com/APIs/gRPC-API/Reference/Messages/MFiles.ViewVisualization/index.md) | View visualization information. |
| `views[].view_visualization.subview_groups[]` | repeated [`SubviewGroup`](https://developer.m-files.com/APIs/gRPC-API/Reference/Messages/MFiles.SubviewGroup/index.md) | The subviews of the view as groups. |

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

## Related methods

- [GetViewsOrDelta](https://developer.m-files.com/APIs/gRPC-API/Reference/MFiles.IRPCViews/GetViewsOrDelta/index.md): Gets the calling user's whole view collection, or only the changes since a version the caller already has.