# Accessing the result of GraphQL queries with variables in Python

**URL:** <https://community.bitquery.io/t/accessing-the-result-of-graphql-queries-with-variables-in-python/451>\
**Category:** GraphQL Tutorials\
**Tags:** python, variables\
**Created:** [August 28, 2021, 3:28pm UTC](https://community.bitquery.io/t/accessing-the-result-of-graphql-queries-with-variables-in-python/451 "2021-08-28T15:28:54Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 1\
**Page:** 1

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![sayon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/b2d939/32.png) [@sayon](https://community.bitquery.io/u/sayon)\
**Post date:** [August 28, 2021, 3:28pm UTC](https://community.bitquery.io/t/accessing-the-result-of-graphql-queries-with-variables-in-python/451/1 "2021-08-28T15:28:54Z")

</div>

You might already be familiar with how responses can be generated from the Bitquery GraphQL API using python. The article for the same is under **BITQUERY BLOG** in our website as follows: **[How to use GraphQL with Python, Javascript, and Ruby - Bitquery](https://bitquery.io/blog/graphql-with-python-javascript-and-ruby#GraphQL_Python_Libraries)**

The python code below is what has been shown in the Blog. Notice, that the below query is successfully able to send a POST request to the Bitquery GraphQL API and is able to fetch the appropriate response.

```auto
import requests

def run_query(query): # A simple function to use requests. post to make the API call.
    headers = {'X-API-KEY': 'YOUR API KEY'}
    request = requests.post('https://graphql.bitquery.io/',
                            json={'query': query}, headers=headers)
    if request.status_code == 200:
        return request.json()
    else:
        raise Exception('Query failed and return code is {}. {}'.format(request.status_code,
                        query))

# The GraphQL query

query = """
query{
  bitcoin{
    blocks{
      count
    }
   }
}
"""
result = run_query(query) # Execute the query
print 'Result - {}'.format(result)

```

The GraphQL query in the above code seems to have no variables in it. But what if we use variables while making the same POST request to the API. Let us take an example of a query with variables.

> **GraphQL Query**

```auto
query ($network: EthereumNetwork!, $address: String!, $limit: Int!, $offset: Int!, $from: ISO8601DateTime, $till: ISO8601DateTime) {
  ethereum(network: $network) {
    smartContractCalls(
      options: {desc: "block.timestamp.time", limit: $limit, offset: $offset}
      date: {since: $from, till: $till}
      smartContractAddress: {is: $address}
    ) {
      block {
        timestamp {
          time(format: "%Y-%m-%d %H:%M:%S")
        }
        height
      }
      smartContractMethod {
        name
        signatureHash
      }
      address: caller {
        address
        annotation
      }
      transaction {
        hash
      }
      gasValue
      external
    }
  }
}

```

> **Variables**

```auto
{
  "limit": 10,
  "offset": 0,
  "network": "bsc_testnet",
  "address": "0x2d4ee064ebb491b1e6db6ea1962db59d1d0e0741",
  "from": null,
  "till": null,
  "dateFormat": "%Y-%m"
}

```

If you simply run this query in python, you would get an error like the one shown below.

```auto
Result - {'errors': [{'message': 'Variable $network of type EthereumNetwork! was provided invalid value', 'locations': [{'line': 2, 'column': 8}], 'extensions': {'value': None, 'problems': [{'path': [], 'explanation': 'Expected value to not be null'}]}}, {'message': 'Variable $address of type String! was provided invalid value', 'locations': [{'line': 2, 'column': 36}], 'extensions': {'value': None, 'problems': [{'path': [], 'explanation': 'Expected value to not be null'}]}}, {'message': 'Variable $limit of type Int! was provided invalid value', 'locations': [{'line': 2, 'column': 55}], 'extensions': {'value': None, 'problems': [{'path': [], 'explanation': 'Expected value to not be null'}]}}, {'message': 'Variable $offset of type Int! was provided invalid value', 'locations': [{'line': 2, 'column': 69}], 'extensions': {'value': None, 'problems': [{'path': [], 'explanation': 'Expected value to not be null'}]}}]}

```

# Implementating variables in the GraphQL query

To ignore the above error, you can create a **“variables”** variable in the function on which the API call is taking place as shown below

```auto
 variables = {'limit': 10, 'offset': 0, 'network': 'bsc_testnet', 'address': '0x2d4ee064ebb491b1e6db6ea1962db59d1d0e0741', 'from': '2021-08-23', 'till': '2021-08-26', 'dateFormat': '%Y-%m'}

```

and then, add a **“variables” parameter** to the **request.post( )** method as shown below.

```auto
request = requests.post('https://graphql.bitquery.io/', json={'query': query, 'variables': variables}, headers=headers)

```

Finally, the code must look like the one shown below

```auto
import requests

# The GraphQL query

query = """
query ($network: EthereumNetwork!, $address: String!, $limit: Int!, $offset: Int!, $from: ISO8601DateTime, $till: ISO8601DateTime) {
  ethereum(network: $network) {
    smartContractCalls(
      options: {desc: "block.timestamp.time", limit: $limit, offset: $offset}
      date: {since: $from, till: $till}
      smartContractAddress: {is: $address}
    ) {
      block {
        timestamp {
          time(format: "%Y-%m-%d %H:%M:%S")
        }
        height
      }
      smartContractMethod {
        name
        signatureHash
      }
      address: caller {
        address
        annotation
      }
      transaction {
        hash
      }
      gasValue
      external
    }
  }
}

"""

def run_query(query): # A simple function to use requests.post to make the API call.
    headers = {'X-API-KEY': 'YOUR API KEY'}
    variables = {'limit': 10, 'offset': 0, 'network': 'bsc_testnet', 'address': '0x2d4ee064ebb491b1e6db6ea1962db59d1d0e0741', 'from': '2021-08-23', 'till': '2021-08-26', 'dateFormat': '%Y-%m'}
    request = requests.post('https://graphql.bitquery.io/', json={'query': query, 'variables': variables}, headers=headers)
    if request.status_code == 200:
        return request.json()
    else:
        raise Exception('Query failed and return code is {}. {}'.format(request.status_code, query))

result = run_query(query) # Execute the query
print ("Result - {}".format(result['data']))

```

> **NOTICE** that in order to get the data, you need to pass the ‘data’ attribute to the **result** variable like this `result['data']`

If you face any issues regarding the same, feel free to comment below in the same thread.