[development] D7: Getting attached files from nid and field name

[Fabio Varesano]

Hi everyone,

In Drupal 7.x, given a nid and a file field name, I'm trying to get
the files (as fids or file objects) which have been uploaded as file
attachments to that node.

Drupal will populate $node->{$field_name} only when there are files
set as "displayed" but I need to do this for all the files of that
field, no matters how their display setting is.

I've spent quite some time investigating into this but the new d7 file
api looks pretty obscure from a documentation and code point of view.
IMHO, too much "drupal magic" happening there for a fast understanding.

Any pointer to good documentation and/or suggestion on the solution
greatly appreciated.

Thanks,

Fabio Varesano