Response Visualization

Bruno provides a powerful visualization feature that allows you to display API response data in a more readable and interactive format using the bru.visualize function. This feature supports multiple providers and formats to help you analyze and present your API data effectively.


bru.visualize(type, config)

type: The type of visualization to render (e.g., ‘table’, ‘html’).
config: A configuration object that includes:
- name: The name of the visualization instance.
- provider: The rendering library or provider used to display the visualization (e.g., ‘ag-grid’, ‘react-table’).
- props: Additional properties required by the provider to configure the visualization.

Supported Visualization Types and Providers

Table Visualization (‘table’)

You can render tables using different providers like ag-grid and react-table.

Using ag-grid

Example:

ag-grid


const rowData = [
  { name: 'John Doe', age: 28, email: 'john@example.com', city: 'New York' },
  { name: 'Jane Smith', age: 32, email: 'jane@example.com', city: 'London' }
];
 
const columnDefinitions = [
  { field: "name", filter: true, floatingFilter: true },
  { field: "age", filter: true, floatingFilter: true },
  { field: "email", filter: true, floatingFilter: true },
  { field: "city", filter: true, floatingFilter: true }
];
 
bru.visualize('table', {
  name: 'table1',
  provider: 'ag-grid',
  props: { rowData, columnDefinitions }
});

This will render a table using the ag-grid provider with filters enabled on all columns.

Using react-table

Example:

react-table


const rowData1 = Array.from({ length: 2500 })
  .map((_) => [
    { firstName: 'Tanner', lastName: 'Linsley', age: 24, visits: 100 },
    { firstName: 'Tandy', lastName: 'Miller', age: 40, visits: 40 },
    { firstName: 'Joe', lastName: 'Dirte', age: 45, visits: 20 },
  ]).flat();
 
 
const columnDefinitions1 = [
  {
    id: "firstName",
    cell: (info) => info.getValue(),
    header: "First Name",
    meta: { filterVariant: "text" },
  },
  {
    id: "lastName",
    cell: (info) => info.getValue(),
    header: "Last Name",
    meta: { filterVariant: "text" },
  },
  {
    id: "age",
    cell: (info) => info.getValue(),
    header: "Age",
    meta: { filterVariant: "range" },
  },
  {
    id: "visits",
    cell: (info) => info.getValue(),
    header: "Visits",
    meta: { filterVariant: "range" },
  }
];
 
bru.visualize('table', {
  name: 'table2',
  provider: 'react-table',
  props: { rowData: rowData1, columnDefinitions: columnDefinitions1 }
});

The header property only accepts string values. Use strings like header: "Column Name".

This example renders a large table using the react-table provider, with custom headers and filter variants.

Using API Response Data

One of the most powerful features of bru.visualize is the ability to transform API responses into visual tables. Here are practical examples of working with real API data:

In Bruno, the parsed API response is stored in res.body


// ✅ Correct
const data = res.body;
 
// ❌ Incorrect
const data = res.data;

Example 1: Simple User List API

For an API that returns a list of users:


// API URL: https://jsonplaceholder.typicode.com/users
// First, let's check the response structure
console.log('Response:', res);
console.log('Response body:', res.body);
 
// Bruno stores the parsed response in res.body
const users = res.body;
 
// Verify we have data
if (!Array.isArray(users)) {
  console.error('Expected array but got:', typeof users);
  return;
}
 
console.log('Number of users:', users.length);
 
const columnDefinitions = [
  { field: "id", filter: true },
  { field: "name", filter: true, floatingFilter: true },
  { field: "email", filter: true, floatingFilter: true },
  { field: "phone", filter: true },
  { field: "website", filter: true }
];
 
bru.visualize('table', {
  name: 'usersTable',
  provider: 'ag-grid',
  props: { 
    rowData: users, 
    columnDefinitions 
  }
});

Example 2: Nested API Response Data

For APIs returning nested objects, you can flatten the data before visualization:


// API URL: https://jsonplaceholder.typicode.com/users
// Bruno stores the parsed response in res.body
const users = res.body;
 
// Transform nested data into flat structure
const flattenedData = users.map(user => ({
  id: user.id,
  name: user.name,
  email: user.email,
  city: user.address?.city || 'N/A',
  company: user.company?.name || 'N/A',
  phone: user.phone
}));
 
const columnDefinitions = [
  { field: "id", filter: true },
  { field: "name", filter: true, floatingFilter: true },
  { field: "email", filter: true, floatingFilter: true },
  { field: "city", filter: true, floatingFilter: true },
  { field: "company", filter: true, floatingFilter: true },
  { field: "phone", filter: true }
];
 
bru.visualize('table', {
  name: 'usersWithDetails',
  provider: 'ag-grid',
  props: { 
    rowData: flattenedData, 
    columnDefinitions 
  }
});

Example 3: Transforming Complex Data

For complex responses that need transformation before visualization:


// API URL: https://jsonplaceholder.typicode.com/posts
// Bruno stores the parsed response in res.body
const posts = res.body;
 
// Transform and enhance data
const tableData = posts.slice(0, 20).map((post, index) => ({
  index: index + 1,
  title: post.title.substring(0, 50) + '...', // Truncate long titles
  body: post.body.substring(0, 100) + '...',   // Truncate body
  userId: post.userId,
  postId: post.id,
  length: post.body.length
}));
 
const columnDefinitions = [
  { field: "index", filter: false, width: 80 },
  { field: "postId", filter: true, width: 100 },
  { field: "userId", filter: true, width: 100 },
  { field: "title", filter: true, floatingFilter: true, width: 300 },
  { field: "body", filter: true, width: 400 },
  { field: "length", filter: true, width: 100 }
];
 
bru.visualize('table', {
  name: 'postsTable',
  provider: 'ag-grid',
  props: { 
    rowData: tableData, 
    columnDefinitions 
  }
});

Example 4: Error Handling with API Data

Always include error handling when working with API responses:


try {
  // Bruno stores the parsed response in res.body
  // Check if response has data
  if (!res.body) {
    console.error('No response body found');
    return;
  }
 
  const data = res.body;
 
  // Check if data is an array (for direct array responses)
  // or if it has a data property (for wrapped responses)
  const rowData = Array.isArray(data) ? data : data.data;
 
  if (!Array.isArray(rowData)) {
    console.error('Invalid response format. Expected array but got:', typeof rowData);
    console.log('Response structure:', data);
    return;
  }
 
  // Verify data is not empty
  if (rowData.length === 0) {
    console.log('No data to visualize');
    return;
  }
 
  console.log(`Visualizing ${rowData.length} records`);
 
  const columnDefinitions = [
    { field: "id", filter: true },
    { field: "name", filter: true, floatingFilter: true },
    { field: "email", filter: true, floatingFilter: true }
  ];
 
  bru.visualize('table', {
    name: 'safeDataTable',
    provider: 'ag-grid',
    props: { 
      rowData: rowData, 
      columnDefinitions 
    }
  });
} catch (error) {
  console.error('Visualization error:', error.message);
  console.error('Stack trace:', error.stack);
}

When working with API responses:

Always verify the response structure before accessing nested properties
Use optional chaining (?.) to safely access nested data
Transform data to match your visualization needs
Add meaningful column headers using the field property
Enable filters for better data exploration

HTML Visualization (‘html’)

You can also render custom HTML content using the html type. This allows for advanced templating and formatting, such as generating a data table or a report.

Using HTML String

Example:

html


const htmlString = `
<html>
  <head>
    <style>
      table { width: 100%; border-collapse: collapse; }
      th, td { border: 1px solid black; padding: 8px; }
      th { background-color: #f2f2f2; }
    </style>
  </head>
  <body>
    <table>
      <tr><th>Name</th><th>Age</th><th>Email</th><th>City</th></tr>
      <tr><td>John Doe</td><td>28</td><td>john@example.com</td><td>New York</td></tr>
      <tr><td>Jane Smith</td><td>32</td><td>jane@example.com</td><td>London</td></tr>
    </table>
  </body>
</html>
`;
 
bru.visualize('html', {
  name: 'htmlReport',
  content: htmlString
});

This example will render an HTML table with predefined data using the html type.

Using API Response Data with HTML

You can dynamically generate HTML from API responses:


// API URL: https://jsonplaceholder.typicode.com/users
// Bruno stores the parsed response in res.body
const users = res.body;
 
// Generate table rows from API data
const tableRows = users.slice(0, 10).map(user => `
  <tr>
    <td>${user.id}</td>
    <td>${user.name}</td>
    <td>${user.email}</td>
    <td>${user.phone}</td>
  </tr>
`).join('');
 
const htmlString = `
<html>
  <head>
    <style>
      body { font-family: Arial, sans-serif; padding: 20px; }
      h1 { color: #333; }
      table { 
        width: 100%; 
        border-collapse: collapse; 
        margin-top: 20px;
      }
      th { 
        background-color: #4CAF50; 
        color: white; 
        padding: 12px; 
        text-align: left;
      }
      td { 
        border: 1px solid #ddd; 
        padding: 10px; 
      }
      tr:hover { background-color: #f5f5f5; }
      .summary { 
        background-color: #e3f2fd; 
        padding: 15px; 
        border-radius: 5px; 
        margin-bottom: 20px;
      }
    </style>
  </head>
  <body>
    <h1>User Report</h1>
    <div class="summary">
      <strong>Total Users:</strong> ${users.length}
    </div>
    <table>
      <thead>
        <tr>
          <th>ID</th>
          <th>Name</th>
          <th>Email</th>
          <th>Phone</th>
        </tr>
      </thead>
      <tbody>
        ${tableRows}
      </tbody>
    </table>
  </body>
</html>
`;
 
bru.visualize('html', {
  name: 'userReport',
  content: htmlString
});

Custom Dashboard with Statistics

Create rich dashboards with API data:


// Example with custom stats or API response
// Bruno stores the parsed response in res.body
const apiData = res.body;
 
// Calculate or extract statistics from your API response
const stats = {
  totalRequests: apiData.length || 0,
  successRate: 98.5,
  avgResponseTime: 145
};
 
const htmlString = `
<html>
  <head>
    <style>
      body { 
        font-family: 'Segoe UI', Tahoma, Geneva, Verdana, sans-serif; 
        padding: 20px; 
        background-color: #f8f9fa;
      }
      .dashboard { 
        max-width: 1200px; 
        margin: 0 auto;
      }
      .header { 
        text-align: center; 
        margin-bottom: 30px;
      }
      .cards { 
        display: grid; 
        grid-template-columns: repeat(auto-fit, minmax(250px, 1fr)); 
        gap: 20px; 
        margin-bottom: 30px;
      }
      .card { 
        background: white; 
        padding: 20px; 
        border-radius: 8px; 
        box-shadow: 0 2px 4px rgba(0,0,0,0.1);
      }
      .card-title { 
        color: #666; 
        font-size: 14px; 
        margin-bottom: 10px;
      }
      .card-value { 
        font-size: 32px; 
        font-weight: bold; 
        color: #333;
      }
      .card-trend { 
        color: #4CAF50; 
        font-size: 14px; 
        margin-top: 5px;
      }
    </style>
  </head>
  <body>
    <div class="dashboard">
      <div class="header">
        <h1>API Analytics Dashboard</h1>
        <p>Last updated: ${new Date().toLocaleString()}</p>
      </div>
      <div class="cards">
        <div class="card">
          <div class="card-title">Total Requests</div>
          <div class="card-value">${stats.totalRequests || 0}</div>
          <div class="card-trend">↑ 12% from last week</div>
        </div>
        <div class="card">
          <div class="card-title">Success Rate</div>
          <div class="card-value">${stats.successRate || 0}%</div>
          <div class="card-trend">↑ 3% improvement</div>
        </div>
        <div class="card">
          <div class="card-title">Avg Response Time</div>
          <div class="card-value">${stats.avgResponseTime || 0}ms</div>
          <div class="card-trend">↓ 15ms faster</div>
        </div>
      </div>
    </div>
  </body>
</html>
`;
 
bru.visualize('html', {
  name: 'dashboard',
  content: htmlString
});

Viewing Your Visualization

Add the visualization code to your request’s script section
Execute the request
Your visualization will be displayed in the panel

Visualization Output

Parameters

Name	Type	Description
`type`	`string`	The type of visualization to render. Supported values: `'table'`, `'html'`.
`config`	`object`	Configuration object for the visualization. See below for available properties.

Config Properties

Property	Type	Description
`name`	`string`	Name of the visualization instance.
`provider`	`string`	The provider or rendering engine to use for the visualization. E.g., `'ag-grid'`, `'react-table'`.
`props`	`object`	Additional properties required by the provider to configure the visualization.
`content`	`string`	(For `html` type only) The HTML content to render.