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DSL Reference

Complete reference for the DataGeneration DSL syntax.

Basic Structure​

{
  "collectionName": {
    "count": <number>,
    "item": {
      "fieldName": <field definition>
    }
  }
}

Topics​

  • Collections - Define collections and items
  • References - Create relationships between collections (including range and conditional references)
  • Shadow Bindings - Bind and reuse referenced items for cross-entity constraints
  • Arrays - Generate arrays of values
  • Filtering - Exclude specific values
  • Expressions - Computed string values with functions
  • Static Values - Use literal values

Key Features​

Reference Types​

  • Simple [*] - Random item
  • Indexed [0] - Specific item
  • Range [0:9] - Subset by index range
  • Conditional [status='active'] - Filter by field values
  • Sequential - Cycle through items in order
  • Self this.field - Reference same item
  • Shadow Bindings $name - Bind items for reuse in conditions

Quick Examples​

Simple Collection​

{
  "users": {
    "count": 10,
    "item": {
      "id": {"gen": "uuid"},
      "name": {"gen": "name.fullName"}
    }
  }
}

With References​

{
  "users": {
    "count": 5,
    "item": {"id": {"gen": "uuid"}}
  },
  "orders": {
    "count": 20,
    "item": {
      "id": {"gen": "uuid"},
      "userId": {"ref": "users[*].id"}
    }
  }
}

With Arrays​

{
  "products": {
    "count": 10,
    "item": {
      "id": {"gen": "uuid"},
      "tags": {
        "array": {
          "size": 3,
          "item": {"gen": "lorem.word"}
        }
      }
    }
  }
}

Next Steps​

Explore each topic in detail using the sidebar navigation.