Include Movie Title in Media List API Responses

[mbrownnycnyc]

Description

Add movie titles to API responses that return lists of media items

Currently, some API endpoints that return a list of media items (e.g., movies) do not include the movie title in the response. Instead, they only provide the TMDB ID (tmdbId). This forces API consumers to make an additional API call for each item in the list to retrieve its title. This is inefficient and adds unnecessary latency.

Desired Behavior

All API endpoints that return a list of media items should include the title of the media (movie or TV show) in the response, alongside the tmdbId. This will eliminate the need for extra API calls to enrich the data, making the API more efficient and easier to use.

Additional Context

Suggested Code Changes for Feature Request: Include Movie Title in Media List API Responses

This document outlines the potential code changes required to implement the feature request "Include Movie Title in Media List API Responses." The goal is to ensure that all API endpoints returning lists of media items also include the title of the movie or TV show, eliminating the need for subsequent API calls to retrieve this information.

1. Backend API Endpoints Modification:

• Identify relevant endpoints: Review all API endpoints under server/api and server/routes that return lists of Media objects, MediaRequest objects, or any other data structure containing tmdbId for movies/TV shows. Examples might include:
  • Endpoints related to get_all_requests
  • Discovery endpoints (e.g., discover_movies, discover_tv).
  • Search endpoints.
  • User-specific media lists (e.g., requested media, watchlists).
• Modify response structures: For each identified endpoint, ensure that the JSON response for each media item includes a title field. This title should be the primary display title of the movie or TV show.

2. Data Models/Entities Update:

• Media Entity/Interface: Examine the Media entity or interface definition (likely in server/entity or server/interfaces). If a title field is not already explicitly defined and consistently populated for both movies and TV shows, it should be added.
  • Consider if a separate displayTitle or similar field is needed if the raw title from TMDB requires formatting.

3. Service Layer and External API Integration:

• TMDB Integration: The services responsible for interacting with The Movie Database (TMDB) (likely in server/api/themoviedb or server/lib/themoviedb) will need to ensure that when media details are fetched, the title (for movies) or name (for TV shows) is consistently extracted and stored/passed along.
• Data Population Logic: Review the logic where Media objects (or similar) are constructed and populated. Ensure that the title field is always populated when a tmdbId is present, even if it means making an initial call to TMDB during the media object creation/retrieval process. This initial population would be more efficient than multiple subsequent calls from the client.

4. Database Schema (if applicable):

• If the Media entity is persisted in a database, the database schema might need to be updated to include a title column in the relevant table(s). This would involve creating a new migration.

Example Scenario (Illustrative):

Consider an endpoint like /api/v1/request/all. Currently, its response for a movie request might look like:

{
  "id": 123,
  "media": {
    "mediaId": 550, // TMDB ID for Fight Club
    "mediaType": "movie"
  },
  "status": 2
}

After changes, the desired response would be:

{
  "id": 123,
  "media": {
    "mediaId": 550,
    "mediaType": "movie",
    "title": "Fight Club" // New field
  },
  "status": 2
}

This approach ensures that the necessary information is available directly in the initial API response, reducing client-side complexity and improving performance.

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