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Static Values

Any field without a "gen" keyword is treated as a static (literal) value.

Basic Static Values​

{
  "users": {
    "count": 5,
    "item": {
      "id": {"gen": "uuid"},
      "role": "user",
      "active": true,
      "version": 1
    }
  }
}

Output:

{
  "users": [
    {
      "id": "550e8400-...",
      "role": "user",
      "active": true,
      "version": 1
    }
  ]
}

Supported Types​

Strings​

{
  "status": "pending",
  "message": "Hello World",
  "empty": ""
}

Numbers​

{
  "count": 42,
  "price": 19.99,
  "negative": -10,
  "zero": 0
}

Booleans​

{
  "active": true,
  "deleted": false,
  "verified": true
}

Null​

{
  "middleName": null,
  "deletedAt": null
}

Objects​

{
  "metadata": {
    "version": 1,
    "type": "standard",
    "features": {
      "premium": false,
      "trial": true
    }
  }
}

Arrays​

{
  "roles": ["user", "viewer"],
  "permissions": ["read", "write"],
  "tags": [],
  "scores": [10, 20, 30, 40, 50]
}

Mixing Static and Generated Values​

Combine static and generated values in the same item:

{
  "users": {
    "count": 10,
    "item": {
      "id": {"gen": "uuid"},
      "name": {"gen": "name.fullName"},
      "role": "user",
      "active": true,
      "createdAt": "2024-01-01T00:00:00Z",
      "metadata": {
        "version": 1,
        "source": "api"
      }
    }
  }
}

Static Values in Nested Objects​

{
  "products": {
    "count": 20,
    "item": {
      "id": {"gen": "uuid"},
      "name": {"gen": "lorem.word"},
      "pricing": {
        "currency": "USD",
        "taxRate": 0.08,
        "amount": {"gen": "float", "min": 9.99, "max": 999.99, "decimals": 2}
      },
      "metadata": {
        "version": 1,
        "schema": "v2",
        "flags": {
          "featured": false,
          "onSale": false
        }
      }
    }
  }
}

Static Arrays with Generated Items​

Arrays can have static structure with generated content:

{
  "users": {
    "count": 5,
    "item": {
      "id": {"gen": "uuid"},
      "roles": ["user", "viewer"],
      "contacts": [
        {
          "type": "email",
          "value": {"gen": "internet.emailAddress"},
          "primary": true
        },
        {
          "type": "phone",
          "value": {"gen": "phone.phoneNumber"},
          "primary": false
        }
      ]
    }
  }
}

Common Patterns​

Default Values​

{
  "users": {
    "count": 100,
    "item": {
      "id": {"gen": "uuid"},
      "name": {"gen": "name.fullName"},
      "role": "user",
      "status": "active",
      "emailVerified": false,
      "phoneVerified": false,
      "twoFactorEnabled": false
    }
  }
}

Configuration Objects​

{
  "applications": {
    "count": 10,
    "item": {
      "id": {"gen": "uuid"},
      "name": {"gen": "lorem.word"},
      "config": {
        "timeout": 30000,
        "retries": 3,
        "debug": false,
        "endpoints": {
          "api": "https://api.example.com",
          "cdn": "https://cdn.example.com"
        }
      }
    }
  }
}

Versioning​

{
  "documents": {
    "count": 50,
    "item": {
      "id": {"gen": "uuid"},
      "content": {"gen": "lorem.paragraph"},
      "version": 1,
      "schemaVersion": "2.0",
      "format": "markdown"
    }
  }
}

Timestamps​

{
  "records": {
    "count": 100,
    "item": {
      "id": {"gen": "uuid"},
      "data": {"gen": "lorem.sentence"},
      "createdAt": "2024-01-01T00:00:00Z",
      "updatedAt": {"gen": "date", "format": "iso_datetime"},
      "deletedAt": null
    }
  }
}

Feature Flags​

{
  "users": {
    "count": 50,
    "item": {
      "id": {"gen": "uuid"},
      "name": {"gen": "name.fullName"},
      "features": {
        "darkMode": {"gen": "boolean", "probability": 0.7},
        "betaAccess": false,
        "premiumTrial": false,
        "notifications": true
      }
    }
  }
}

When to Use Static Values​

Use static values when:

  1. Default Values: All items should have the same default value
  2. Configuration: Fixed configuration that doesn't change
  3. Versioning: Schema or API version numbers
  4. Type Indicators: Fixed type or category identifiers
  5. Flags: Boolean flags that are initially false
  6. Null Placeholders: Fields that are initially null

Use generators when:

  1. Variation Needed: Each item should have different values
  2. Realistic Data: Need realistic-looking data (names, emails, etc.)
  3. Random Values: Need random numbers, dates, or choices
  4. Relationships: Need to reference other collections

Combining with Choice Generator​

For controlled variation, use Choice with static options:

{
  "users": {
    "count": 100,
    "item": {
      "id": {"gen": "uuid"},
      "role": {
        "gen": "choice",
        "options": ["user", "admin", "moderator"],
        "weights": [85, 10, 5]
      },
      "status": "active",
      "tier": {
        "gen": "choice",
        "options": ["free", "premium"],
        "weights": [80, 20]
      }
    }
  }
}

Best Practices​

  1. Use Static for Constants: Don't generate values that should be constant
  2. Mix Appropriately: Combine static and generated values naturally
  3. Document Defaults: Comment why certain values are static
  4. Consider Choice: Use Choice generator for controlled variation
  5. Null for Optional: Use null for optional fields that may be populated later

Next Steps​