Add a definitions and properties

Definitions let you define how an API response looks like. To simplify the work when you integrate data from an API into an application, create a definition for each possible response the API gives.

In this task, you learn how to add a definition to an external API manually. With many APIs, you can import definitions or derive definitions from sample requests instead. Learn more.

Procedure

  1. Navigate to the Definitions tab and click + to add a definition.

    api designer add definition

  2. Enter a Name, for example, Films, and Description.

  3. Navigate to the Properties tab and click + Add.

    api designer add properties

    Result: The API Designer adds a new line to specify a property.

  4. For each property, enter a Name that indicates what kind of information the property holds, for example, title, episode_id, producer, and characters.

  5. Select the allowed Type for the property.

    If you select Array or Object, go to the Actions column and click + to add sub-properties to the property.
  6. Enter a Description.

  7. If you want the property to be mandatory, activate the Required box.

  8. Click Save.

If you used the example data in this topic, your properties look like this:

api designer external example

Additionally: You can use the JSON Import functionality to import definitions from JSON:

api designer JSON Import

Results

  • You have added a definition and corresponding properties to an external API.