API object type

channel

A channel object is a legacy object that contains information about a workspace channel. These channel objects are not the same object type as private channels, which are considered group objects. Channels and groups are now considered a type of conversation.

Field Type Description
id
string
The channel ID.
name
string
Indicates the name of the channel-like thing, without a leading hash sign. Don't get too attached to that name. It might change. Don't even bother storing it. When thinking about channel-like things, think about their IDs, their type, and the team/workspace they belong to.
is_channel
boolean
Indicates if it is a channel.
created
Unix timestamp
Timestamp of when the channel was created.
creator
string
The user ID of the member that created the channel.
is_archived
boolean
true if the channel is archived.
is_general
boolean
true if this channel is the "general" channel that includes all regular members. In most workspaces this is called #general, but some workspaces have renamed it.
name_normalized
string
A normalized string of the name.
is_shared
boolean
true if the channel is shared.
is_org_shared
boolean
Indicates if the organization which the channel belongs to is shared.
is_member
boolean
true if the calling member is part of the channel.
is_private
boolean
Indicates if the channel is private.
is_mpim
boolean
Indicates if the channel is a multi-party instant message.
last_read
Unix timestamp
The timestamp for the last message the calling user has read in this channel.
latest
object
The latest message in the channel.
unread_count
integer
A full count of visible messages that the calling user has yet to read.
unread_count_display
integer
A count of messages that the calling user has yet to read that matter to them (this means it excludes things like join/leave messages).
members
array
A list of user IDs for all users in this channel. This includes any disabled accounts that were in this channel when they were disabled.
topic
object
The topic of the channel.
purpose
object
The purpose of the channel.
previous_names
array
A list of prior names the channel has used.
{
    "ok": true,
    "channel": {
        "id": "C1H9RESGL",
        "name": "busting",
        "is_channel": true,
        "created": 1466025154,
        "creator": "U0G9QF9C6",
        "is_archived": false,
        "is_general": false,
        "name_normalized": "busting",
        "is_shared": false,
        "is_org_shared": false,
        "is_member": true,
        "is_private": false,
        "is_mpim": false,
        "last_read": "1503435939.000101",
        "latest": {
            "text": "Containment unit is 98% full",
            "username": "ecto1138",
            "bot_id": "B19LU7CSY",
            "attachments": [
                {
                    "text": "Don't get too attached",
                    "id": 1,
                    "fallback": "This is an attachment fallback"
                }
            ],
            "type": "message",
            "subtype": "bot_message",
            "ts": "1503435956.000247"
        },
        "unread_count": 1,
        "unread_count_display": 1,
        "members": [
            "U0G9QF9C6",
            "U1QNSQB9U"
        ],
        "topic": {
            "value": "Spiritual containment strategies",
            "creator": "U0G9QF9C6",
            "last_set": 1503435128
        },
        "purpose": {
            "value": "Discuss busting ghosts",
            "creator": "U0G9QF9C6",
            "last_set": 1503435128
        },
        "previous_names": [
            "dusting"
        ]
    }
}