# Contextual reference this and parent

The power of your schema lies in its ability to reference other parts of the data structure. You have two contextual references available:

<this.: Allows you to access values within the nearest object context.

<parent.: Grants access to values in the entire generated schema.

In your schema, <this.nested.object> references the nested.object field within the same object. This lets you reuse values within the same object. For example:

{
  "value": "John Doe",
  "label": "<this.nested.object>",
  "nested": {
    "object": "Employee"
  }
}

This will generate:

{
  "value": "John Doe",
  "label": "Employee",
  "nested": {
    "object": "Employee"
  }
}

The <parent. reference allows you to access values from other parts of the generated schema. For instance:

{
  "parentField": "Parent Value",
  "child": {
    "value": "Child Value",
    "combined": "<parent.parentField> - <this.value>"
  }
}

This will generate:

{
  "parentField": "Parent Value",
  "child": {
    "value": "Child Value",
    "combined": "Parent Value - Child Value"
  }
}

Using schemas for dynamic data generation with contextual references like <this. and <parent. provides powerful flexibility. You can create complex data structures with interdependencies, making it easier to simulate real-world scenarios in your testing or development processes. Understanding how to leverage these references effectively will enable you to generate diverse and realistic data effortlessly.