Built-in Variables

Restflow includes a set of built-in variables that you can use to generate dynamic data for your tests. This is incredibly useful for creating unique resources or for testing with random values.

Important Note: A new, unique value is generated every time a built-in variable is referenced. If you need to use the same generated value in multiple places, you should capture it first.

{{uuid}}

Generates a standard Version 4 UUID (Universally Unique Identifier).

Use case: Creating resources that require a unique identifier, or for X-Request-ID headers.

### Create a new user with a unique email
POST /users
Content-Type: application/json

{
  "email": "user-{{uuid}}@example.com",
  "password": "password123"
}

{{timestamp}}

Generates the current Unix timestamp (the number of seconds since the Unix epoch).

Use case: Timestamps for created resources, or for testing time-based functionality.

### Create a post with a dynamic title
POST /posts
Content-Type: application/json

{
  "title": "Post created at {{timestamp}}",
  "body": "This is the content."
}

{{randomString}}

Generates a random alphanumeric string of a variable length.

Use case: Creating unique usernames, names, or other text fields.

### Register a user with a random username
POST /register
Content-Type: application/json

{
  "username": "user_{{randomString}}",
  "email": "email_{{randomString}}@example.com"
}

{{randomNumber}}

Generates a random integer between 0 and 999999.

Use case: Testing with random numerical data, such as quantities or ratings.

### Add an item to a cart with a random quantity
POST /cart/items
Content-Type: application/json

{
  "item_id": 123,
  "quantity": {{randomNumber}}
}

Ensuring Consistency

If you need to use the same random value in multiple places, capture it from a header or body. A common pattern is to send it in a request header and capture it from the response if the API echoes it back.

A simpler way is to use it in an environment variable, but that is a more advanced topic.