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FILE_SAVE_LOAD_GUIDE.md

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File-Based Request Save & Load - Guide

Overview

Prism now supports saving and loading requests as portable JSON files. This allows you to:

  • Store requests in version control (Git)
  • Share requests with team members
  • Organize requests in your file system
  • Keep environment variables unresolved for portability

Usage

Save Request

Three ways to save:

  1. Button: Click the save icon (💾) next to the Send button
  2. Keyboard: Press Ctrl+S (Windows/Linux) or Cmd+S (Mac)
  3. Menu: File → Save Request (if menu implemented)

A native file dialog will open. Choose location and filename (defaults to request.json).

Load Request

Three ways to load:

  1. Button: Click the folder icon (📂) next to the save button
  2. Keyboard: Press Ctrl+O (Windows/Linux) or Cmd+O (Mac)
  3. Menu: File → Load Request (if menu implemented)

A native file dialog will open. Select a .json request file.

Important: Loading a request populates the UI but does NOT automatically send it. Review and click Send when ready.

File Format

Requests are saved as human-readable JSON:

{
  "name": "GET .../users/1",
  "request": {
    "method": "GET",
    "url": "{{BASE_URL}}/users/1",
    "params": [
      {
        "enabled": true,
        "key": "page",
        "value": "1"
      }
    ],
    "headers": [
      {
        "enabled": true,
        "key": "Authorization",
        "value": "Bearer {{TOKEN}}"
      }
    ],
    "body": null,
    "auth": {
      "type": "bearer",
      "token": "{{TOKEN}}",
      "apiKey": null,
      "apiValue": null,
      "username": null,
      "password": null
    }
  }
}

Key Features

  • Pretty-printed: Easy to read and edit
  • UTF-8 encoded: Supports all characters
  • Variables preserved: {{VAR}} syntax remains unresolved
  • Complete state: All request details included
  • No history: Only the request, not responses
  • No timestamps: Clean and portable

Use Cases

1. Version Control

# Save requests in your project
mkdir api-requests
# Save request as api-requests/get-user.json

# Commit to Git
git add api-requests/
git commit -m "Add user API request"

2. Team Sharing

# Share via Git
git push origin main

# Teammate pulls and loads
git pull
# Load api-requests/get-user.json in Prism

3. Request Organization

project/
├── api-requests/
│   ├── auth/
│   │   ├── login.json
│   │   └── refresh-token.json
│   ├── users/
│   │   ├── get-user.json
│   │   ├── create-user.json
│   │   └── update-user.json
│   └── products/
│       ├── list-products.json
│       └── get-product.json

4. Environment Portability

Save with variables:

{
  "url": "{{API_HOST}}/users",
  "auth": {
    "type": "bearer",
    "token": "{{AUTH_TOKEN}}"
  }
}

Each developer sets their own environment variables:

  • Dev: API_HOST = dev.api.example.com
  • Staging: API_HOST = staging.api.example.com
  • Prod: API_HOST = api.example.com

Workflow Example

Scenario: Testing a new API endpoint

  1. Build the request in Prism

    • Set method, URL, headers, body
    • Use environment variables for flexibility
    • Test with Send button

  2. Save the request

    • Press Ctrl+S
    • Save as api-requests/new-endpoint.json

  3. Commit to Git

    git add api-requests/new-endpoint.json
git commit -m "Add new endpoint request"
git push

  4. Teammate loads it

    • Pull latest changes
    • Press Ctrl+O
    • Select api-requests/new-endpoint.json
    • Set their environment variables
    • Click Send to test

Tips

File Naming

Use descriptive names:

  • ✅ get-user-by-id.json
  • ✅ create-product.json
  • ✅ auth-login.json
  • ❌ request1.json
  • ❌ test.json

Directory Structure

Organize by feature or resource:

api-requests/
├── authentication/
├── users/
├── products/
└── orders/

Environment Variables

Always use variables for:

  • Base URLs: {{BASE_URL}}
  • Auth tokens: {{TOKEN}}
  • API keys: {{API_KEY}}
  • Environment-specific values

Git Integration

Add to .gitignore if needed:

# Ignore local test requests
api-requests/local-*.json
api-requests/test-*.json

Keyboard Shortcuts

Action Windows/Linux Mac
Save Request Ctrl+S Cmd+S
Load Request Ctrl+O Cmd+O
Send Request Ctrl+Enter Cmd+Enter

Limitations

Not Included in Files:

  • Response data
  • History entries
  • Timestamps
  • Request execution results

Not Supported:

  • Collections (single requests only)
  • Folders in UI
  • Auto-save
  • Cloud sync
  • Request naming UI (name auto-generated)

Troubleshooting

File dialog doesn't open?

  • Ensure you're running the desktop app (not browser)
  • Check app permissions

Variables not resolving after load?

  • Variables are preserved as {{VAR}} in files
  • Set environment variables in Env tab
  • Variables resolve when you click Send

Can't find saved file?

  • Check the directory you selected in save dialog
  • Use OS file search
  • Files have .json extension

Load doesn't work?

  • Ensure file is valid JSON
  • Check file format matches expected structure
  • Look for syntax errors in JSON

See Also

  • ENV_VARIABLES_GUIDE.md - Environment variables documentation
  • QUICK_REFERENCE.md - Quick reference for all features
  • README.md - General app documentation