Swagger File
swagger: '2.0'
info:
title: snip
version: 1.3.3.7
paths:
/some-stuff:
get:
parameters:
- name: some-filter
in: query
description: snip
required: true
type: array
items:
$ref: '#/definitions/SomeDef'
responses:
200:
description: snip
definitions:
SomeDef:
type: integer
format: int32
Issue
Given the file above, I get the following error:

If I replace
$ref: '#/definitions/SomeDef'
with plain
type: integer
format: int32
then the error goes away. Judging by Response Object Examples in the spec (not the same, but related), it should be okay to use $ref in this context. Is my assumption wrong, or is this a bug?
You cannot use $ref's in any way under non-body parameters, not directly and not for arrays. You'd have to define it all inline. This changes in the next version of the spec.
Hi, i have simmilar issue; i try describe this form
<form>
<input name="contact[0][name]" />
<input name="contact[0][number]" />
<input name="contact[1][name]" />
<input name="contact[1][number]" />
...
<input name="contact[n][name]" />
<input name="contact[n][number]" />
</form>
swagger: '2.0'
info:
title: Test case
description: Complex form data
version: 1.0.0
host: test.example.com
schemes:
- http
basePath: /v1
produces:
- application/json
paths:
/test:
post:
summary: Example
description: |
Example
parameters:
- name: items
in: formData
description: Array of strings
type: array
items:
type: string
- name: contacts
in: formData
description: Array of objects which won't work
type: array
items:
properties:
example_id:
type: string
description: Unique identifier
description:
type: string
description: Description of example.
responses:
default:
description: Some response
schema:
$ref: '#/definitions/Example'
definitions:
Examples:
type: array
items:
$ref: '#/definitions/Example'
Example:
type: object
properties:
example_id:
type: string
description: Unique identifier
description:
type: string
description: Description of example.
i got this error 
but fields are work fine 
Can you help me with this?
Can i describe array of objects in form data request in current version of swagger?
@gjorgic - today, you'd need to declare those explicitly. So you'd need to create a parameter with the name contact[0][name]. In the next version there will be better support for it, but I'm not sure it will fully cover your use case.
I wonder; Is there a reason for not allowing $ref in array in a non-body parameter @webron ?