Variables Overview

Variables are a key feature of Restflow, allowing you to create dynamic and flexible API tests. You can use variables to pass data between steps, use environment-specific values, and generate random data.

Variable Syntax

Variables in Restflow use the {{variable_name}} syntax. When a flow is executed, Restflow replaces these placeholders with their corresponding values.

### Get user profile
GET https://api.example.com/users/{{userId}}
Authorization: Bearer {{auth_token}}

Types of Variables

Restflow supports several types of variables:

• Environment Variables: Loaded from .env files. Useful for storing environment-specific data like API keys and base URLs.
• Captured Variables: Extracted from the response of a previous step using the capture directive. This is how you chain requests together.
• Built-in Variables: Provided by Restflow for generating dynamic data like {{uuid}}, {{timestamp}}, and {{randomString}}.
• CLI Variables: Passed from the command line when running a flow.

A Simple Workflow

Here's an example of how variables connect steps in a workflow:

### 1. Login and get a token
POST https://api.example.com/login
Content-Type: application/json

{
  "username": "{{test_user}}",
  "password": "{{test_password}}"
}

> capture auth_token = body.token

### 2. Use the token to access a protected resource
GET https://api.example.com/profile
Authorization: Bearer {{auth_token}}

> assert status == 200

In this example:

1. {{test_user}} and {{test_password}} are likely defined in an environment file.
2. The capture directive saves the token from the login response into the auth_token variable.
3. The auth_token variable is then used in the Authorization header of the next request.

This is just a brief overview. The "Variables & Environment" section provides more in-depth information on each variable type.