Getting Started with Workflows

Let’s start understanding workflow in Postman,

Step 1: Creating Collections

The first step is to organize API requests into a collection. Collections act as containers for related requests, making them easier to manage and execute as part of a workflow.

1. Open Postman and click on the “Collections” tab.

Collection in Postman

2. Click “New Collection” and give it a name, for example, “My Workflow“.

Step 2: Adding Requests to Collections

Now, let’s populate our collection with API requests. For example, Consider testing a Library API with requests to https://library-api.postmanlabs.com/books.

1. Click on your collection.

2. Press “Add a Request” and provide a relevant name example “books“.

Step 3: Setting Up Environments

Postman allows variables to be set individually depending on the environment context. For example, one might have a production environment that points to the live server’s URL and a development environment that points to the local server’s base URL.

1. Click on the icon and select “Environments.”

2. Add a new environment, e.g., “Book API Testing,” and set variables like “baseURL“.

3. Select the “Book API Testing” environment from the dropdown menu.

4. Once you select the environment, variables defined in that environment, such as BaseURL, will automatically be applied to the request.

5. Execute API requests with the customized variables.

6. Click on the “Send” button to execute the API request.

7. Review the response to ensure it conforms to expectations based on the selected environment.

Step 4: Tests-Using Workflows for Automating API Testing with Postman

Let’s see how pre-request scripts and collection runners can be used for efficient automating API testing.

Pre-request Script: Run a pre-request script to modify the request before submitting it to the library API.

Follow these steps:

1. Open the request for which you want to execute the pre-request script.

2. Click on the “Pre-Request Script” tab within the request.

3. Use JavaScript to define actions that occur before a request is received. For example, check if the response exists and has Books.

Javascript

// Check if the response exists and has Books
pm.test(&quot;Response has Books&quot;, function () {
    try {
        const jsonData = pm.response.json();
        pm.expect(jsonData).to.be.an('array').and.to.have.lengthOf.at.least(1);
    } catch (error) {
        console.error(&quot;Error parsing or checking the response:&quot;, error.message);
    }
});

Pre-request Script

Collection Runners: Collection Runners boost test case performance by automating the execution of multiple queries.

1. Click on the “Runner” tab in the top menu.

2. Select collection (e.g., “My Workflow“) and environment (e.g., “Book API Testing“).

3. Click “Run” to execute the entire collection with the specified environment variables.

Collection Runner

4. Review the test results.

Tests Results

Workflows in Postman

Postman is an API (Application Programming Interface) development tool that helps in creating, testing, and modifying APIs. Powerful features enable to automation of the complex processes involved in API interactions, increasing efficiency and reducing the chance of errors.

Table of Content

Workflows in Postman
Getting Started with Workflows
Sharing and Collaborating on Workflows
Advanced Topics in Postman Workflows
Use Cases
Conclusion

Postman has become a must-have for quality analysts and software developers, providing a simple approach to API development and testing. In this article, we will take a thorough look at the idea of workflow in Postman, delve deeper into environment variables, collection runners, and pre-request scripts, and provide practical examples for better understanding.