# JSON Request With Saved Object Find API
**URL:** https://discuss.elastic.co/t/json-request-with-saved-object-find-api/251265
**Category:** Kibana
**Created:** [October 7, 2020, 12:19pm UTC](https://discuss.elastic.co/t/json-request-with-saved-object-find-api/251265 "2020-10-07T12:19:11Z")
**Posts on this page:** 4
**Page:** 1
### Author:  [@git-blame](https://discuss.elastic.co/u/git-blame)
#### Post date: [October 7, 2020, 12:19pm UTC](https://discuss.elastic.co/t/json-request-with-saved-object-find-api/251265/1 "2020-10-07T12:19:11Z")
In the Find API, there is a _has\_reference_ parameter which is an object with fields _type_ and _id_. However,
- There is no example I can find of how to format that as a URL (e.g., for a curl get)
- This [comment](https://discuss.elastic.co/t/kibana-api-for-automatic-export-all/201243/6) implies that I can send the request as JSON. But my attempts to do so does not work
```auto
curl -b cookie.txt -k -H 'Content-Type: application/json' -XGET 'https://localhost:5601/api/saved_objects/_find' -d '
{
"type": "visualization",
"hasReference": {
"type": "index-pattern",
"id": "728b8d30-5977-11ea-a830-91c011d847a4"
}
}
> '
{"statusCode":400,"error":"Bad Request","message":"[request query.type]: expected at least one defined value but got [undefined]"}
```
- Note that if I include the type in the URL I will get data but it is obvious that the hasReference parameter as JSON request body was not processed.
Does anyone know how to either format a _has\_reference_ parameter or in general, send GET requests as JSON body to Kibana?
---
### Author:  [@cheiligers](https://discuss.elastic.co/u/cheiligers)
#### Post date: [October 7, 2020, 8:43pm UTC](https://discuss.elastic.co/t/json-request-with-saved-object-find-api/251265/2 "2020-10-07T20:43:56Z")
Hi @git-blame and welcome to the Discuss community!
The [`saved_objects/_find` API](https://www.elastic.co/guide/en/kibana/master/saved-objects-api-find.html) doesn't support using `hasReference`. `hasReference` refers to saved objects that reference other saved objects like a dashboard referencing the visualization saved objects it contains.
If there's a specific saved object you want to retrieve, you can try using the **experimental** [`get` API.](https://www.elastic.co/guide/en/kibana/master/saved-objects-api-get.html#saved-objects-api-get)
---
### Author:  [@git-blame](https://discuss.elastic.co/u/git-blame)
#### Post date: [October 8, 2020, 12:44pm UTC](https://discuss.elastic.co/t/json-request-with-saved-object-find-api/251265/3 "2020-10-08T12:44:58Z")
So it turns out you can use the `has_reference` parameter if you URL encode the JSON object. For example:
```auto
curl -b cookie.txt -G 'https://localhost:5601/api/saved_objects/_find?type=visualization&fields=title'
--data-urlencode 'has_reference={ "type": "index-pattern", "id": "728b8d30-5977-11ea-a830-91c011d847a4" }'
```
You would only get visualization objects that references that object.
---
### Author:  [@system](https://discuss.elastic.co/u/system)
#### Post date: [November 5, 2020, 12:45pm UTC](https://discuss.elastic.co/t/json-request-with-saved-object-find-api/251265/4 "2020-11-05T12:45:06Z")
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