Create a reference or field reference

When you designate a test value as a reference or designate a set of test data as a field reference, you can use the data elsewhere in the test.

A reference, which is typically located in response data, points to a specific value to use in a subsequent test location, typically a request. You can substitute a request value with a reference. This substitution is called data correlation. You can also use a reference as input to an IF-THEN condition in a test or as input to custom Java code that the test calls.

A field reference points to an entire block of test data. For example, an entire HTTP response can be designated as a field reference. You can use a field reference as input to custom Java code that the test calls.

Create a reference or field reference

1. In the Test Navigator, browse to the test, and double-click it.

2. Locate the value or set of data to designate as a reference or field reference.

   Different protocols support different references. For HTTP tests, you can create references and field references in these fields:

   • A response header value, the Value column of a Response Headers table
   • Response content, the Content field

   For HTTP responses, you can create field references in these fields:

   • The Status field

   • The Reason field

3. Create the reference:

   1. For response contents, highlight the value.

      For response header contents, click the row in the Response Headers table, and then click Modify.

   2. Right-click, and then click...
      Create Reference

      The value is highlighted in light blue to indicate that it is an unused reference. When you use it, the highlight changes to dark blue. The reference is given a name automatically. To see the name of the reference, right-click the value, and then select Properties. To edit the regular expression used to locate the reference, click the button...

      Toggle regular expression assistant push

      ...on the Properties window. The regular expression assistant displays the response content matched by the regular expression and the groups captured by the regular expression.

4. To create a field reference, do not highlight the value.

   Instead, right-click the value, and then click Create Field Reference.

   

   1. Field references are not automatically given names.

      To name a field reference, right-click the field reference, and then select Properties. Type a name in the Name field, and then click OK.

   The entire field is highlighted in yellow to indicate that it is a field reference.

   

See also: Selecting a reference in a response

Related:
Data correlation overview
Data correlation rules overview
Test data sources overview
Guidelines for adjusting data correlation View data correlation
View references
Correlate multiple fields in a test
Finding data correlation errors
Disable data correlation
Recorrelating test data

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