HTTP Client extension for Nova

HTTP Client is an extension for the Nova editor to make HTTP calls from a *.http file.

Includes:

• HTTP Syntax highlighting
• Auto-completion for many HTTP Headers and their standard values
• File and request-scoped variables
• Run HTTP command
• Run HTTP task
• Sidebar with request history

HTTP Client tries to be compatible to the very popular REST Client extension of VS Code, however it supports only a small subset of its features, yet.

Getting Started

1. Install the extension from the Nova extensions library.

2. Create a file with "http" extension, or select the HTTP Language in the current editor

3. Write a HTTP verb and URL in a line:

GET https://wikipedia.org

3. Put the cursor on the line and press CMD-R or right-click and select the "Run HTTP" command

4. HTTP Client will open a new editor with the result of the request (HTTP & body). It detects if the response is HTML, JSON or XML and selects the appropriate syntax in Nova.

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Usage

In the editor, type an HTTP request by starting with a HTTP verb (all UPPERCASE):

GET https://postman-echo.com/get

Add request headers

GET https://postman-echo.com/get
x-api-key: test
x-version: 1.0

Some headers will be automatically added to the request, but you can overwrite them.

Add request body

Separate the body with an empty line after URL/headers:

POST https://postman-echo.com/post
Content-Type: application/json

{
  "name": "louis77"
}

You can also specify a file path to use as a body, which starts with <. It will try to read the file and use it as the body.

POST https://postman-echo.com/post
Content-Type: application/json

< /home/joe/payload.json

Multiple request blocks

Separate multiple request in the same file with ### on a separate line. You can also add some text to name your requests. If you just type s a Clip will popup.

Place the cursor anywhere inside a request when running it.

GET https://postman-echo.com/get
x-api-key: test
x-version: 1.0

### My request

POST https://postman-echo.com/post
Content-Type: application/json

{
  "name": "louis77"
}

Variables

HTTP Client support the definition and usage of file and request-scoped variables.

File variables are defined at the beginning of the file or inside a block (separated by ###) which does not contain a request.

Request-scoped variables are defined at the beginning of a request block.

@echoUrl = https://httpbin.org     <--- file variable

### GET anything

@method = get     <--- request-scoped variable

GET {{echoUrl}/@method

### another global block

@key = test    <--- file variable, available from this point on

### 

GET {{echoUrl}}/get
x-api-key: {{key}} 

In this example, echoUrl is a file variable which is available to all requests after it is defined. methodis a request-scoped variable which is only available in the request block it was defined.

Variable substitution with {{variable}} works for subsequent variable values, request URLs, and header values:

@baseURL = http://localhost:8080
@basePath = {{baseURL}}/api
@type = application/json

GET {{basePath}}
Content-Type: {{type}}

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Execute HTTP requests

You have several options to execute the current HTTP request:

1. Right-click and select "Run HTTP"
2. Press CMD-R
3. Bring up the command palette (CMD-SHIFT-P) and search for "Run HTTP"
4. Click on the "Run HTTP Task" run button
5. Use the menu "Editor > Run HTTP"

The cursor must always be anywhere inside an HTTP request.

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History Sidebar

HTTP Client features a sidebar to list your request history:

Settings

This extension provides a few settings to customize its behaviour:

• Follow Redirects (3xx responses) (default: true)
• Specify a timeout for requests

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Limitations

• Non text-based responses (i.e. binary, images) are not supported yet

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Roadmap

Let me know if you find the extension useful and what features you want to see.

• Option to include request (w/o body) in response output
• Look for a global "requests.http" to populate Task list
• Open response document immediately and populate incrementally
• Environment variables
• Variables defined via settings
• Run multiple requests at once

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Contributing

Contributions are what make the open source community such an amazing place to learn, inspire, and create. Any contributions you make are greatly appreciated.

If you have a suggestion that would make this better, please fork the repo and create a pull request. You can also simply open an issue with the tag "enhancement". Don't forget to give the project a star! Thanks again!

1. Fork the Project
2. Create your Feature Branch (git checkout -b feature/AmazingFeature)
3. Commit your Changes (git commit -m 'Add some AmazingFeature')
4. Push to the Branch (git push origin feature/AmazingFeature)
5. Open a Pull Request

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Donate

If you like this extension and want it to get better over time, please consider showing your appreciation by donating a small tip. Thank you!

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License

Distributed under the GPL-3-or-later. See LICENSE.txt for more information.

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Contact

Louis Brauer - @BrauerLouis1 - [email protected]

Project Link: https://github.com/louis77/nova-http-client

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