REST Request in Katalon

Creating REST requests manually

Now that we have seen how to create REST requests using the UI. Let's see how to do this manually if you happen to be an experienced user of Katalon.

Request Object 

Handling API requests manually involves the use of the RequestObject and ResponseObject classes. To create a RequestObject instance, use setter methods to set the request information.

• setRestUrl() sets the request URL.
• setRestRequestMethod() sets the request method.
• setHttpHeaderProperties sets the request header properties.
   

Alternatively, we can also use the RestRequestObjectBuilder class to return an instance of the RequestObject. This class uses the build() method along with the following.

• withRestUrl()
• withHttpHeaders()
• withRestRequestMethod()
   

Here is an example of sending a GET request using the RequestObject class.

import com.kms.katalon.core.testobject.ResponseObject
import com.kms.katalon.core.testobject.RestRequestObjectBuilder
import com.kms.katalon.core.testobject.ConditionType
import com.kms.katalon.core.testobject.RequestObject
import com.kms.katalon.core.testobject.TestObjectProperty
import com.kms.katalon.core.testobject.impl.HttpTextBodyContent
import com.kms.katalon.core.webservice.keyword.WSBuiltInKeywords as WS

public class SampleRequest 
{
	String endpointURL = "http://universities.hipolabs.com/search?country=China"
	String reqMethod = "GET"
	String AuthHeader = "RequestAuthentication"

	TestObjectProperty h1 = new TestObjectProperty("Authorization", ConditionType.EQUALS, AuthHeader)
	TestObjectProperty h2 = new TestObjectProperty("Content-Type", ConditionType.EQUALS, "application/json")
	ArrayList AllHeaders = Arrays.asList(h1, h2)

	public ResponseObject APIRequest1() 
	{
		RequestObject req = new RequestObject("objectId")
		req.setRestUrl(endpointURL)
		req.setHttpHeaderProperties(AlltHeaders)
		req.setRestRequestMethod(reqMethod)

		ResponseObject resp = WS.sendRequest(req)
		return resp
	}
}

The below example shows the use of RestRequestObjectBuilder class for the same request.

import com.kms.katalon.core.testobject.RestRequestObjectBuilder
import com.kms.katalon.core.testobject.TestObjectProperty
import com.kms.katalon.core.testobject.impl.HttpTextBodyContent
import com.kms.katalon.core.webservice.keyword.WSBuiltInKeywords as WS

public class SampleRequest 
{
	String endpointURL = "http://universities.hipolabs.com/search?country=China"
	String reqMethod = "GET"
	String AuthHeader = "RequestAuthentication"

	TestObjectProperty h1 = new TestObjectProperty("Authorization", ConditionType.EQUALS, AuthHeader)
	TestObjectProperty h2 = new TestObjectProperty("Content-Type", ConditionType.EQUALS, "application/json")
	ArrayList AllHeaders = Arrays.asList(h1, h2)

	public ResponseObject APIRequest2() 
	{
		RequestObject req = new RestRequestObjectBuilder()
		.withRestUrl(endpointURL)
		.withHttpHeaders(AllHeaders)
		.withRestRequestMethod(reqMethod)
		.build()

		ResponseObject resp = WS.sendRequest(req)
		return resp
	}
}

Response Object

We receive an instance of the ResponseObject class after sending a RequestObject instance to the API server. All information from the Response object can be retrieved using the following methods:

• getStatusCode()
• getResponseText()
• getResponseBodySize()
• getResponseHeaderSize()
• getWaitingTime()

Frequently Asked Questions

Name the parts of a RESTful Web Service object where variables can be used.

Variables can be used and called in the request URL, query parameters, HTTP header, HTTP body and verification. They can be declared in the Variables tab.

What is the advantage of using RestRequestObjectBuilder?

RestRequestObjectBuilder provides additional methods like MultipartFormBodyContent and FileBodyContent for sending a POST request. It is much easier to use compared to using the RequestObject class directly.

How is the request body specified for POST requests manually?

The request body is specified within setBodyContent() method while using the RequestObject class. The withTextBodyContent() method is used while using the RestRequestObjectBuilder class.

Conclusion

This blog explains how to create REST requests in Katalon Studio using the UI and manually. It briefly highlights all the information as part of the request and response messages. Check out our articles on Generate Test Steps in Manual and Script View, Sample API tests project in Katalon and Search and Call Test cases in Katalon.

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