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Using the API Explorer

  • Updated

The API Explorer is used to perform specific tasks using service requests to the server via the API and the server processes the API call before returning a response. APIs enable a user to develop any kind of web application having all possible CRUD (create, retrieve, update, delete) operations.

Access the API Explorer

  1. Go to any project
  2. Click Create New Test button in the upper right corner of the page
  3. Select Architect
  4. The Create New Test window will open and click the API Endpoint tab
  5. Click Start to open the API Explorer
  6. The Architect will launch along with the Functionize API Explorer tool site

-OR-

  1. Go to any project
  2. Select Create New Test button in the upper right corner of the page
  3. Select Architect
  4. From the Web App tab, enter the URL for the site under test, confirm I understand that no production credentials should be used in my test cases, enter any further information, then click Start
  5. Once Architect is launched and recording has begun, click the plus  icon
  6. Click API Explorer under the Tools section
  7. Select Open in a new tab (if desired), then click Add
  8. The API Explorer tool site will open along with the Architect

API Explorer Request Form

  1. Destination (drop-down selection):
    • GET - Use GET requests to retrieve resource representation/information only
    • POST - Use POST Request to create new subordinate resources
    • PUT - Use PUT APIs primarily to update an existing resource
    • DELETE - DELETE APIs are used to delete resources
    • URL - enter API endpoint URL
  2. Response Type (drop-down selection):
    • XML
    • JSON
  3. Request Method (drop-down selection):
    • HTTP
    • SOAP
  4. Follow Redirect (drop-down selection):
    • Yes
    • No
  5. Output Type (drop-down selection):
    • Formatted Response
    • Tree Response
    • Raw Response
  6. Authentication - Add Authentication
    • Basic Auth - Enter the Username and Password to authenticate directly to a primary application
    • OAuth 2 - Enter the access token in a URL parameter or HTTP header, this protocol allows users to grant third-party Providers (Google, GitHub, and others) application access to the user's protected resources, without necessarily revealing their long-term credentials
    • Proxy - Enter the IP address and Port of the proxy server, authorization involves the use of 'Proxy-Authorization' header for HTTP requests
    • Certificate - Add and manage SSL Certificates, a digital authentication of a website's identity which enables an encrypted connection
  7. Headers
    • Name
    • Value
    • Add Another Header - optional, can add multiple
  8. Cookies
    • Name
    • Value
    • Add Another Cookie - optional, can add multiple
  9. Parameters
    • Name
    • Value
    • Add Another Parameter - optional, can add multiple
  10. Payload tab - Payload Type (drop-down selection):
    • Text
    • XML
    • JSON
    • Payload - enter payload string
  11. Launch Request - submits the API request and returns API response

Creating a Request

  1. Enter the request details, then select Launch Request
  2. The API Explorer Response results will populate, under the Response Data tab, select the + to view root details and at this point and select New Request to execute a new new API call, depending on the use case

JSON Explorer Tab

Use $. in the Enter Path field to access objects in the resulting JSON. For example, if you have an object called coord (for coordinates) with a name/value pair beneath called lon (for longitude), you could access it with $.array.coord.lon