Generate Test Identities

Overview

Random Identity works by generating random names, addresses, and other personal information. It returns the generated identity in a structured format.

Live Test Generate Test Identities Source →

Formula

One function covers the whole catalog: the first argument names the source, the rest are its inputs, and the "field" pair says which single value lands in the cell. Formulas covers the grammar that applies to all of them.

=VERVE("randomidentitygenerator", "field", "identities.0.name")

Inputs

Required inputs are positional, in the order below. Everything else is passed as a "name", value pair after them — the same shape as SUMIFS. Premium inputs are accepted on every plan but only take effect on plans that include them.

Input	Type	Where it goes	Description
`count`OptionalPremium	integer	"count", value	The number of identities to create default 1 · range 1–100
`includeAvatar`OptionalPremium	boolean	"includeAvatar", value	Include an AI-generated face avatar for each identity

Passing an option

=VERVE("randomidentitygenerator", "count", 5)

What lands in your sheet

The "field" pair is what makes the formula resolve to one cell. Its value is a dot-path from the table below, so swapping it is how you pull a different value — one formula per column.

Seeing everything at once

Drop the "field" pair and the formula returns the whole response instead: two columns, field name on the left and value on the right, spilling from the cell you typed in.

=VERVE("randomidentitygenerator")

Good for exploring, not for filling down

The second row's table would land on top of the first's, and every cell after the first reads #REF! (#SPILL! in Excel). Keep one per sheet, or name a field, and leave the cells below and to the right empty.

Response fields

Paths are relative to data. Each one is exactly what the "field" pair accepts, so swapping it is how you pull a different value into a cell. On a plan without a Premium field the cell reads #PREMIUM(field) rather than a value, so a locked field never looks like a real answer.

Use as "field"	Type	Example cell value	Description
`count`	number	`1`	Total number of identities generated in response
`identities`	array[1]		Array containing all generated random identity objects
`identities.0.name`	string	`Dr. Brent Carter`	Full name of the generated random identity
`identities.0.username`	string	`Fannie_Treutel28`	Username associated with generated identity
`identities.0.email`	string	`[email protected]`	Email address for the generated random identity
`identities.0.phone`	string	`862-207-2982 x6455`	Landline phone number of generated identity
`identities.0.website`	string	`mervin.net`	Website URL associated with generated identity
`identities.0.company`	object	`{…}`	Company information object for generated identity
`identities.0.company.name`Premium	string	`Runolfsson, Gaylord and Christiansen`	Name of the company associated with identity
`identities.0.company.catchPhrase`Premium	string	`Profit-focused didactic algorithm`	Marketing catchphrase for company
`identities.0.company.bs`Premium	string	`brand ubiquitous paradigms`	Business statement or tagline for company
`identities.0.gender`	string	`Male`	Gender of the generated random identity
`identities.0.birthdate`Premium	string	`1978-11-23`	Birth date in YYYY-MM-DD format for identity
`identities.0.cell`	string	`1-514-413-1724`	Mobile cell phone number of generated identity
`identities.0.avatar`Premium	string	`https://storage.googleapis.com/apiverve/APIResources/faces/Male/40-50/87654321.jpg?X-Goog-Signature=...`	URL to an AI-generated face avatar matching the identity's gender and age

When a cell doesn't fill

A failed lookup returns readable text starting with #ERR rather than a spreadsheet error, because Excel cannot show a custom message on a real error — you would get a bare #VALUE! with no reason. The trade-off is that IFERROR() will not catch it; test with LEFT(cell, 4) = "#ERR" instead. Error handling covers the rest.

Cell reads	What happened
`#ERR Not connected`	No API key saved. Open the side panel and connect your account.
`#ERR Replace <name> with a cell or value`	A preview formula was copied as-is. Swap the placeholder for a cell reference.
`#ERR No "x" in randomidentitygenerator`	An option name this source does not take. The message lists the ones it does.
`#ERR No data point "…"`	The `"field"` path is not in the response. Check it against the table above.
`#PREMIUM(field)`	The field exists but your plan does not include it.
`#ERR Out of credits`	The cycle's credits are spent. Usage resets on your billing date.

Before the formula works

The add-in reads the API key you saved once in the side panel — the key never goes in the formula, so a shared sheet does not leak it and a collaborator without access simply sees the last calculated values.

Install the add-in for Google Sheets or Excel.
Open the side panel and sign in, or paste a key from your dashboard.
Type the formula above into any cell.

Use cases

Staging Database Seeding: Engineers populating local environments generate synthetic user records to test onboarding flows without exposing real customer contact records.
Prototype Design Mockups: When previewing client dashboards, UX designers fill directory tables with mock names, usernames, and websites instead of repetitive placeholder text.
QA Form Validation: To stress-test registration portals, automated testing suites submit generated email addresses and cell numbers to verify format checks and account creation.
Privacy-Compliant Demos: Sales engineers replace live customer records with synthetic identities during product walkthroughs to avoid revealing personal data on recorded calls.

Other ways to use Generate Test Identities

Set up Generate Test Identities on VerveSheets, or reach the same source a different way. Your VerveSheets account and credits work on all of them — one key, one balance.

Call it as a REST APIOne HTTPS endpoint and an x-api-key header, with SDKs for Node, Python and .NET.APIVerve →Reference →

Give it to an AI agentConnect over MCP and your agent calls it as a native tool — Claude, Cursor, ChatGPT.VerveKit →Reference →