Node.js: Setting video title and description using YouTube Data API

Question

I'll like to programatically (with Node.js) set the title and description for my videos on YouTube. I cannot find the correct API function. The connection to Google API works fine.

It's a Command line app .....

oauth2keys.json:

{
    "installed":
        {
        "client_id":"b.apps.googleusercontent.com",
        "project_id":"name-app",
        "auth_uri":"https://accounts.google.com/o/oauth2/auth",
        "token_uri":"https://oauth2.googleapis.com/token",
    "auth_provider_x509_cert_url":"https://www.googleapis.com/oauth2/v1/certs",
        "client_secret":"McfS",
        "redirect_uris": [   "http://localhost:3000/oauth2callback" ]
        }
}

Here is my code:

'use strict';

const {google} = require('googleapis');
const path = require('path');
const {authenticate} = require('@google-cloud/local-auth');

// initialize the Youtube API library
const youtube = google.youtube('v3');

// a very simple example of searching for youtube videos
async function runSample() {
  const auth = await authenticate({
    keyfilePath: path.join(__dirname, '../oauth2.keys.json'),
    scopes: ['https://www.googleapis.com/auth/youtube'],
  });
  google.options({auth});

    const res0 = await youtube.videos.list({
        fields: 'items/snippet/categoryId',
        part: 'snippet',
        id: 'VIDEO_ID'
    });

    const prev = res0.data.items[0].snippet;


  const res = await youtube.videos.update({
    part: 'id,snippet,localizations',
    id: 'VIDEO_ID',                    
    requestBody: {
        snippet: {
            title: "Generic title",
            description: "Generic description",
            categoryId: prev.categoryId    
        },
        localizations: {
            "sq": {           
                title: "Translated title",
                description: "Translated description"
            }
        }
    }
  });

  console.log("RESULT DATA: " + res.data);
}

if (module === require.main) {
  runSample().catch(console.error);
}
module.exports = runSample;

This code gives me an authentication error:

GaxiosError: Forbidden
    at Gaxios._request (C:\MyData\Youtube\API\youtube_node\node_modules\gaxios\build\src\gaxios.js:112:23)
    at processTicksAndRejections (internal/process/task_queues.js:97:5)
    at async OAuth2Client.requestAsync (C:\MyData\Youtube\API\youtube_node\node_modules\google-auth-library\build\src\auth\oauth2client.js:343:18)
    at async runSample (C:\MyData\Youtube\API\youtube_node\sample_translations.js:48:15) {

How to do it?

Answer 1

You have to acknowledge that calling the Videos.update API endpoint has to be done as shown below:

Case #1: Not updating snippet.title and snippet.description

const res = await youtube.videos.update({
    part: 'id,localizations',
    id: 'VIDEO_ID',
    requestBody: {
        localizations: {
            "sq": {           
                title: "Translated title",
                description: "Translated description"
            }
        }
    }
});

Case #2: Updating both snippet.title and snippet.description

According to the official spec, while updating a video's snippet property, you're required to specify a value for the properties snippet.title and snippet.categoryId (even in the case these two properties have previously been set). The official spec also says that:

If you are submitting an update request, and your request does not specify a value for a property that already has a value, the property's existing value will be deleted.

Therefore, you'll have to have a call to Videos.list API endpoint, for to obtain snippet.categoryId, prior to invoking Videos.update:

const res0 = await youtube.videos.list({
    fields: 'items/snippet/categoryId',
    part: 'snippet',
    id: 'VIDEO_ID'
});

const prev = res0.data.items[0].snippet;

const res = await youtube.videos.update({
    part: 'id,snippet,localizations',
    id: 'VIDEO_ID',
    requestBody: {
        snippet: {
            title: "Generic title",
            description: "Generic description",
            categoryId: prev.categoryId    
        },
        localizations: {
            "sq": {           
                title: "Translated title",
                description: "Translated description"
            }
        }
    }
});

Note also that above I used the fields request parameter for to get from the API only the info that's actually needed.