Collection variables in Postman - Test Execution Trace

Test Overview

This test verifies that a Postman collection variable is correctly set and used in a request. It checks that the variable value is accessible and the request returns the expected response.

Test Code - Postman Test Script

Postman

pm.test("Collection variable is set and used correctly", function () {
    // Get the collection variable 'baseUrl'
    const baseUrl = pm.collectionVariables.get("baseUrl");
    
    // Check that the variable is not undefined or empty
    pm.expect(baseUrl).to.be.a('string').and.not.empty;
    
    // Send a GET request to the baseUrl + '/status'
    pm.sendRequest(baseUrl + "/status", function (err, res) {
        pm.expect(err).to.be.null;
        pm.expect(res).to.have.property('code', 200);
        pm.expect(res.json()).to.have.property('status', 'ok');
    });
});

Execution Trace - 5 Steps

Step	Action	System State	Assertion	Result
1	Test starts	Postman test script execution begins	-	PASS
2	Retrieve collection variable 'baseUrl' using pm.collectionVariables.get	Variable 'baseUrl' is fetched from collection variables	Check that 'baseUrl' is a non-empty string	PASS
3	Send GET request to URL constructed from 'baseUrl' + '/status'	Request sent to the server at the constructed URL	Verify no error in request and response code is 200	PASS
4	Check response JSON has property 'status' with value 'ok'	Response received with JSON body	Assert response JSON property 'status' equals 'ok'	PASS
5	Test ends	All assertions passed	-	PASS

Failure Scenario

Failing Condition: Collection variable 'baseUrl' is missing or empty, or the GET request returns an error or unexpected response

Execution Trace Quiz - 3 Questions

What does the test check first in the execution trace?

A That the collection variable 'baseUrl' exists and is a non-empty string

B That the response status code is 404

C That the request URL is hardcoded

D That the response JSON has a 'message' property

Key Result

Always verify that collection variables are properly set before using them in requests to avoid test failures due to missing or incorrect variable values.