Variable Types

Restflow has a powerful variable system with several types of variables. Understanding each type will help you write more dynamic and maintainable tests.

Variable Resolution Priority

When a variable is used, Restflow searches for its value in the following order of priority (from highest to lowest):

1. CLI Variables: Passed via the command line.
2. Captured Variables: Extracted from a previous step's response.
3. Environment Variables: Loaded from .env files.
4. Built-in Variables: Provided by Restflow for dynamic data generation.

This means that a CLI variable will override an environment variable with the same name.

1. CLI Variables

You can pass variables directly from the command line when you run a flow. This is useful for overriding default values or for use in CI/CD pipelines.

(Note: The exact syntax for passing CLI variables will be covered in the CLI Reference section.)

2. Captured Variables

These variables are created using the capture directive. They allow you to extract a value from an HTTP response and use it in subsequent requests. This is the primary way to chain requests together.

### Login and capture token
POST /login
...
> capture auth_token = body.token
> capture session_id = cookies.sessionId

### Use the captured token and session
GET /profile
Authorization: Bearer {{auth_token}}
Cookie: sessionId={{session_id}}

What Can Be Captured

You can capture values from different parts of the HTTP response:

• Response Body: Use JSONPath syntax like body.user.id or body.data[0].name
• Response Headers: Use headers.header-name syntax like headers.x-request-id
• Cookies: Use cookies.cookie-name syntax like cookies.sessionId
• Status: Use status to capture the HTTP status code
• Response Time: Use responseTime to capture request duration

3. Environment Variables

Environment variables are loaded from .env files and are typically used for environment-specific configuration like API keys, base URLs, or test user credentials.

# .env.staging
BASE_URL=https://staging.api.example.com
API_KEY=my-secret-key

4. Built-in Variables

Restflow provides a set of built-in variables for generating common types of dynamic data.

• {{uuid}}: A version 4 UUID.
• {{timestamp}}: A Unix timestamp.
• {{randomString}}: A random alphanumeric string.
• {{randomNumber}}: A random number.

Each time a built-in variable is used, it generates a new, unique value.