Group multiple parameter definitions for better maintainability

[cansik]

Idea

Sometimes you have some parameters you want to provide on every path. At the moment it is possible to reference them with the $ref tag. This works great if you have a lot of different parameter combination for each route.

But we now have a complex api with a lot of optional get parameters for every path. Now the problem we encounter is, that if we have to add new parameters to this get parameters, it is very cumbersome and inconvenient to set the reference to them on each path. Often it happens that you forget one.

It would be great if we could group parameter definitions for a better maintainability and usability.

Example

As already presented on stackoverflow here an example of the definition (how it could look like):

parameters:
  MetaDataParameters:
    # Meta Data Properties
    - name: id
      in: query
      description: Entry identification number
      required: false
      type: integer

    - name: time_start
      in: query
      description: Start time of flare
      required: false
      type: string

    - name: nar
      in: query
      description: Active region number
      required: false
      type: string

And here is how I would like to reference it:

/test/:
  get:
    tags:
      - TEST
    operationId: routes.test
    parameters:
      - $ref: "#/parameters/MetaDataParameters"
    responses:
        200:
          description: OK

To get more on the user experience, this definition is much more readable than 20 parameters for each route.

Other Ideas?

Have you already thought about something like this or do you want us swagger users to go another way to deal with this problem?

Regards
Florian

[webron]

Thanks for opening the issue, there's just one thing that's not clear. On one hand, you're saying that you want to provide them for 'every path' which implies a global definition that won't require you to reference it, and on other hand, you go ahead and reference from a specific method to the group of parameters. So which of the two are you looking for? or is it both?

[cansik]

Ok the formulation every path is maybe wrong (too open). We still have paths which do not need this parameter. We would like to use it as described in the example to reference a group of parameter with one reference. Otherwise it would look like this:

/test/:
  get:
    tags:
      - TEST
    operationId: routes.test
    parameters:
      # In path parameter
      - $ref: "#/parameters/event_type"
      - $ref: "#/parameters/appearance_date"

      # Meta Data Properties
      - $ref: "#/parameters/param1"
      - $ref: "#/parameters/param2"
      - $ref: "#/parameters/param3"
      - $ref: "#/parameters/param4"
      - $ref: "#/parameters/param5"
      - $ref: "#/parameters/param6"

      # Data Properties
      - $ref: "#/parameters/param7"
      - $ref: "#/parameters/param8"
      - $ref: "#/parameters/param9"
      - $ref: "#/parameters/param10"

      # Specific Properties
      - $ref: "#/parameters/param11"
      - $ref: "#/parameters/param12"
      - $ref: "#/parameters/param13"
      - $ref: "#/parameters/param14"
      - $ref: "#/parameters/param15"
      - $ref: "#/parameters/param16"
      - $ref: "#/parameters/param17"
    responses:
        200:
          description: OK

With the enhancement we could write it like this and manage the items of each group in one place:

/test/:
  get:
    tags:
      - TEST
    operationId: routes.test
    parameters:
      # In path parameter
      - $ref: "#/parameters/event_type"
      - $ref: "#/parameters/appearance_date"

      # Meta Data Properties
      - $ref: "#/parameters/MetaDataParamGroup"

      # Data Properties
      - $ref: "#/parameters/DataParamGroup"

      # Specific Properties
      - $ref: "#/parameters/SpecificParamGroup"
    responses:
        200:
          description: OK

[webron]

Okay, thank you for the clarification. The reason I asked is because we have a feature request for global parameters already.

People have asked for parameter groups in various places, but nobody opened a feature request, so thank you for taking the time to do so. The value of it is understandable. I'm not sure the syntax you shared works, but we can evaluate it further over time.

[mohsen1]

If $ref: "#/parameters/MetaDataParamGroup" resolves to a hash (as described above) parameters will have that hash in it which is not valid as Swagger 2.0. Unless we change the parameters array format to allow hashs (which I don't think it's a good idea) it will not work.

[cansik]

@mohsen1 Ok and what is the problem with hashes for parameters? Is there a discussion in another issue about this?

[mohsen1]

parameters is an array of parameter objects. I'm not sure if we want parameterName:parameterObject hashs in the spec also.

[dolmen]

@cansik, @mohsen1: /parameters is a hash of parameter objects but /paths/{path}/parameters and /paths/{path}/{operation}/parameters are arrays of parameters objects. There is no confusion.

[dolmen]

@cansik For your request, I suggest that you define your own vendor extension for parameter groups, and write a processing tool that would inline your group references into a pure Swagger 2.0 spec for external consumption.
This is how I work for my own API: I write my spec in YAML (that allows me to use comments) and will only publish the JSON version of it.

I already find that many tools do not fully support the current spec (for example I found issues with /parameters and /paths/{path}/parameters and I had to write a processor to inline them). We don't need now to complexify the spec if tools do not follow it.

[project0]

+1
Want to see this feature as well.

[0x62ash]

+1
we too have predefined query params to almost all api paths

[renanmt]

+1 this would save me a lot of time and lines in my doc spec

[Growiel]

+1 this too, everything that gets me to reuse code is a huge +1.

[mkostin]

+1
would love to see it

[rafael84]

+1

[jharmn]

It's worth noting that RAML take on this, 'traits' (really not much different from the proposed structure).
http://raml.org/developers/raml-200-tutorial#traits

[ranacseruet]

+1

[fehguy]

Reference OAI/OpenAPI-Specification#560

[clemensberndt]

+1

[lggmonclar]

+1

[ePaul]

Just as a note for everyone wanting to vote this up: Github recently added a feature allowing a "reaction" to each post, using the button in the top left corner of each post. This will not clutter the thread with contentless comments.

[DavidBiesack]

How about allowing us to organize parameters into sets?
Then a path could reference parameter sets to automatically get all the parameters in those sets:

parameters:
    - name: id
      in: query
      description: Entry identification number
      required: false
      type: integer
      sets: [ "MetaData" ]

    - name: time_start
      in: query
      description: Start time of flare
      required: false
      type: string
      sets: [ "MetaData", "Alternate" ]

    - name: nar
      in: query
      description: Active region number
      required: false
      type: string
      sets: [ "Alternates" ]

paths:
  /test/:
    get:
      parameters:
        - $ref: "#/parameters/event_type"             <<<< $ref still works
        - $ref: "#/parameters/appearance_date"
      parameterSets: [ "MetaData", "Alternate" ] <<< yields id, time_start and nar
  /other/:
    get:
      parameters:
      parameterSets: [ "Alternate" ]         <<< yields time_start and nar

This is analogous to tags, but I used "sets" to avoid ambiguity. It's basically a shorthand for multiple $ref, but I think would be easier to read, maintain and reuse. It would not require changing the structure of parameters as in the OP, and would allow parameters to be in multiple sets, which the OP proposal does not allow (I think).

(I don't think there is a UI aspect to these sets, so no set descriptions are needed. Syntax for describing parameter sets would be added for documentation purposes, though.)

[k-omukai]

+1

[fehguy]

@OAI/tdc propose closing this with no action. The fix in OAI/OpenAPI-Specification#633 will help with this

[webron]

I think we still need to support this, and should be fairly easy.

OAI/OpenAPI-Specification#633 doesn't really help with this. This is not about global parameters, and reusable parameters existed in 2.0 already.

[DavidBiesack]

FWIW, I would like OAS to use structural abstractions (such as the tags I suggest above) over $ref representation "tricks" which IMHO hide or obscure the intent. The API designer's goal is to reuse common API constructs such as sets of parameters. Implementing that through $ref and JSON schema inclusion works, but doing so adds a level of redirection (which to me equates to obfuscation.)

[earth2marsh]

I agree with @webron that sets deserve consideration on their own.

[jlusiardi]

I think this would be great to DRY out pagination parameters on list resources ;)

[Halkcyon]

@jlusiardi This is just the case I was trying to tackle at work this week. Any clue if recipes exist to emulate the behavior requested here where some parameters are required if others are included in a request? (e.g. if pageSize in the query string, pageNo needs to be there, too)

[edmarola]

hi everyone. Do someone has the solution for this?

[dronky]

Hello, any updates on this?

[UnJavaScripter]

Hello from 2022, +1

[webron]

This is one of the items we consider and hope to solve using Overlays. You can follow this discussion to get more information. The README in the repo is very empty right now, but we'll add more information there. We also have regular meetings for Overlays which everyone is welcome to join (info will be added to the readme).

[delameter]

Still hoping for the best 🥲

[ADiligentMan]

When does this feature be implemented?

[maduonline]

Love to have this feature soon.

[kscheirer]

I will take a look at if/how overlays can solve this problem. This is part of determining whether overlay spec is sufficient, so I won't comment on other solutions now. I'm not a member of the steering committee, just a developer who would like to see overlays become reality. I did not read every comment on this issue.

For @cansik's original request, an overlay solution might look like

{
  "overlay": "1.0.0",
  "info": {
    "title": "Default Parameters Overlay",
    "version": "1.0.0"
  },
  "actions": [
    {
      "target": "info",
      "update": {
        "x-overlay-applied": "default-parameters"
      }
    },
    {
      "description": "Add default perameters to all operations",
      "target": "paths.*.*",
      "update": {
        "parameters": [
          {
            "name": "id",
            "in": "query",
            "description": "Entry identification number",
            "required": false,
            "schema": {
              "type": "integer"
            }
          },
          {
            "name": "time_start",
            "in": "query",
            "description": "Start time of flare",
            "required": false,
            "schema": {
              "type": "string"
            }
          },
          {
            "name": "nar",
            "in": "query",
            "description": "Active region number",
            "required": false,
            "schema": {
              "type": "string"
            }
          }
        ]
      }
    }
  ]
}

Or applying parameters only to operations with a particular tag (traits could be used instead)

{
  "overlay": "1.0.0",
  "info": {
    "title": "Default Parameters Overlay",
    "version": "1.0.0"
  },
  "actions": [
    {
      "target": "info",
      "update": {
        "x-overlay-applied": "default-parameters"
      }
    },
    {
      "description": "Add default perameters to all operations",
      "target": "paths[*][?(@.tags == 'pets')]",
      "update": {
        "parameters": [
          {
            "name": "id",
            "in": "query",
            "description": "Entry identification number",
            "required": false,
            "schema": {
              "type": "integer"
            }
          },
          {
            "name": "time_start",
            "in": "query",
            "description": "Start time of flare",
            "required": false,
            "schema": {
              "type": "string"
            }
          },
          {
            "name": "nar",
            "in": "query",
            "description": "Active region number",
            "required": false,
            "schema": {
              "type": "string"
            }
          }
        ]
      }
    }
  ]
}

[bvenkadachalam]

I love this feature soon

[karel-caplena]

the demand persists even in 2023 :)

[philsturgeon]

My recomendation is to do something about it instead of wondering why its not been done.

@philsturgeon Based on past conversations there is no sign of an easy win here. I started to write the proposal PR up for this over the summer and ran out of time. -- @darrelmiller

Can somebody take a swing at a proposal PR instead of just hoping somebody else does it?

[redben]

We already use json schema everywhere, parameters could be broken down, query, path. headers, and we could just use json schema

paths:
    /things:
        query:
            oneOf:
                - type: object
                  properties:
                      startDate: ...
                      endDate: ...
                - type: object
                  properties:
                      startIndex: ...
                      endIndex: ...

[antonMetodika]

Almost 2024 and we're still waiting for this?

[FranciscoCaldeira]

+1 how many more comments are needed till we have this feature done?

[tobq]

+1 - This is all I want for christmas

[RicardoMoraisPOR]

+1 - I want to start my 2024 with a smile please :')

[dastanko]

+1 Santa this is my wish

[KES777]

@FranciscoCaldeira

+1 how many more comments are needed till we have this feature done?

I think more correct question would be: Where can we donate to have all these features done? =)

[handrews]

I'm going to move this to the Overlays repository as suggested by a previous comment, but note also that this sort of thing is being discussed for v4 of OpenAPI over in the sig-moonwalk repository.