Usage Documentation

Goal

API Calls helps you exercise REST services without relying on a browser or external tools. It lets you craft HTTP requests, send them, inspect responses, and organise them into tabs, collections, and workspaces.

Requirements and Installation

• Official packages: download the latest release for Linux, macOS, or Windows from GitHub Releases.
• Arch Linux: available through the api-calls-bin package (AUR).
• Running from source:
  1. npm install
  2. npm run dev to launch the application in development mode.
  3. npm run build:<platform> to generate installers (linux/mac/win).

First Run

1. On launch, the default workspace opens with the side menu collapsed.
2. Click New Tab (the + icon or Ctrl/Cmd+T) to prepare a new request.
3. Choose the HTTP method, enter the URL, and add the required parameters or body.
4. Press Ctrl/Cmd+Enter or the Send button to execute the request.
5. Review the response at the bottom: status, duration, size, and body.

Interface at a Glance

• Optional top menu: quick access to actions, view, tools, and updates (toggle from Settings or Ctrl/Cmd+M).
• Side menu: tabs for Collections, Environments, History, Cookies, and Settings (switch via shortcuts).
• Side panel: displays the content of the selected section (collection tree, environments, etc.).
• Central tabs: request editor, header/body configuration, and response viewer. Tabs support drag-and-drop reordering.
• Bottom console: log of sent requests and debugging messages.

Building and Sending Requests

1. Method and URL: use the selectors for GET, POST, PUT, and more. URLs auto-complete with environment variables when selected.
2. Query parameters: add rows in the Params section.
3. Headers: add request headers. I will overwrite collection headers.
4. Body: choose the mode (JSON, YAML, text, form-data, x-www-form-urlencoded, file). The Monaco-based editor offers syntax highlighting.
5. Authentication: configure Bearer, Basic, or custom tokens from the Auth tab.
6. Environment: assign variables via Environment (collections can specify a preferred environment).
7. Send and cancel: Ctrl/Cmd+Enter sends the request, Esc cancels it.

Scripting

You can write JavaScript code to execute before a request is sent (Pre-request Script) or after a response is received (Post-request Script).

Available Resources

• console: Use console.log(message) or console.error(message).
• environment: access and modify environment variables.
  • environment.get(key)
  • environment.set(key, value)
  • environment.unset(key)
• http: Make asynchronous HTTP requests directly from your script.
  • await http.get(url, headers)
  • await http.post(url, body, headers)
• request: Access the current request details.
• response (Post-script only): Access the received response.

Managing Tabs

• Duplicate: right-click a tab and choose Duplicate tab.
• Restore: Ctrl/Cmd+Shift+T reopens the last closed tab.
• Move: drag tabs to reorder them.
• Search: open the tab switcher with Ctrl/Cmd+O to find a tab by name.
• Close: Ctrl/Cmd+W closes the active tab.
• Bulk close: right-click for Close others or Close all.
• Save a request: Ctrl/Cmd+S saves to the linked collection.

Collections

• Create folders and sub-folders to group related requests.
• Assigning an environment to a collection propagates default variables to linked tabs.
• Use Pre-request Script to run JavaScript before sending a request.
• Import and export from the context menu: supports Postman v2, OpenAPI, and custom YAML/JSON files.
• Define collection headers that will be sent on requests.

Environments and Variables

• Define environments (dev, staging, prod) with key/value pairs.
  • Insert variables as {{variable}} in URLs, headers, or bodies.
  • Define environment headers that will be sent on requests.
• Duplicate, reorder, or export complete environments as needed.
• Pick the active environment per tab from the request toolbar.

History and Cookies

• History: stores up to maxHistory requests. Reopen entries as tabs or clear them in bulk.
• Cookies: when Manage cookies is enabled, stored cookies are listed and can be cleared per domain.

Workspaces

• Separate collections, environments, tabs, and cookies per project.
• Access the list and workspace actions from the side menu.
• Create, duplicate, rename, and remove workspaces. Each workspace is stored in its own file.

Settings

• Appearance: Theme, Window mode, Request orientation.
• Behavior: Menu visibility, Auto-scroll, Notifications.
• Network: Request timeout, Redirect handling, SSL rejection.
• Default headers: define headers that should be applied automatically.

Auto Updates (Beta)

• On macOS and Windows, the app checks for updates in the background.
• On Linux, install new versions manually.

Essential Shortcuts

Tips and Troubleshooting

• If an HTTPS call fails, temporarily disable Reject unauthorized in Settings.
• Check the bottom console for validation messages.
• Use Restore tab to recover accidentally closed tabs.

Where Data Lives

Collections, environments, tabs, and cookies are stored per workspace under Electron's user data directory.

Additional Resources

• GitHub repository
• Issues: use Help > Submit bug or open a GitHub ticket.