Duplicating and moving requests in Postman - Build an Automation Script

Duplicate and move a request in Postman

Preconditions (3)

Step 1: Open the 'Sample Collection' in Postman

Step 2: Right-click on the request named 'Get User'

Step 3: Select 'Duplicate' from the context menu

Step 4: Verify a new request named 'Get User Copy' appears in the same collection

Step 5: Drag the duplicated request 'Get User Copy' to another collection named 'Backup Collection'

Step 6: Verify the request 'Get User Copy' is now listed under 'Backup Collection' and no longer under 'Sample Collection'

✅ Expected Result: The request is duplicated correctly with the new name and moved successfully to the target collection.

Automation Requirements - Postman Test Scripts with Newman CLI

Assertions Needed:

Verify the duplicated request exists in the original collection before moving

Verify the duplicated request is removed from the original collection after moving

Verify the duplicated request exists in the target collection after moving

Best Practices:

Use Postman Collection SDK to manipulate collections programmatically

Use explicit checks for request existence in collections

Avoid hardcoding collection IDs; use variables or dynamic retrieval

Use Newman CLI to run tests and validate collection structure

Automated Solution

Postman

import fs from 'fs';
import { Collection } from 'postman-collection';

// Load the original collection JSON
const sampleCollectionData = JSON.parse(fs.readFileSync('Sample_Collection.json', 'utf8'));
const backupCollectionData = JSON.parse(fs.readFileSync('Backup_Collection.json', 'utf8'));

const sampleCollection = new Collection(sampleCollectionData);
const backupCollection = new Collection(backupCollectionData);

// Find the request named 'Get User'
const originalRequest = sampleCollection.items.one('Get User');
if (!originalRequest) {
  throw new Error("Original request 'Get User' not found in Sample Collection.");
}

// Duplicate the request
const duplicatedRequest = originalRequest.clone();
duplicatedRequest.name = 'Get User Copy';

// Add duplicated request to Sample Collection
sampleCollection.items.add(duplicatedRequest);

// Assert duplicated request exists in Sample Collection
if (!sampleCollection.items.one('Get User Copy')) {
  throw new Error("Duplicated request not found in Sample Collection after adding.");
}

// Remove duplicated request from Sample Collection
sampleCollection.items.remove(duplicatedRequest);

// Assert duplicated request removed from Sample Collection
if (sampleCollection.items.one('Get User Copy')) {
  throw new Error("Duplicated request still exists in Sample Collection after removal.");
}

// Add duplicated request to Backup Collection
backupCollection.items.add(duplicatedRequest);

// Assert duplicated request exists in Backup Collection
if (!backupCollection.items.one('Get User Copy')) {
  throw new Error("Duplicated request not found in Backup Collection after adding.");
}

// Save updated collections back to files
fs.writeFileSync('Sample_Collection_Updated.json', JSON.stringify(sampleCollection.toJSON(), null, 2));
fs.writeFileSync('Backup_Collection_Updated.json', JSON.stringify(backupCollection.toJSON(), null, 2));

console.log('Request duplicated and moved successfully.');

This script uses the Postman Collection SDK to automate duplicating and moving a request between collections.

First, it loads the JSON files for the two collections: 'Sample Collection' and 'Backup Collection'.

It finds the original request named 'Get User' in the sample collection. If not found, it throws an error.

It clones this request and renames it to 'Get User Copy'.

The duplicated request is added to the sample collection, then verified to exist there.

Next, the duplicated request is removed from the sample collection and verified it no longer exists there.

Then, the duplicated request is added to the backup collection and verified to exist there.

Finally, the updated collections are saved back to JSON files.

This approach uses explicit checks after each step to ensure the duplication and move operations succeeded, following best practices for automation.

Common Mistakes - 4 Pitfalls

Hardcoding collection IDs or request IDs instead of using names or dynamic lookup

Not verifying the request exists after duplication or move

Modifying the original request object directly instead of cloning

Not saving the updated collections back to files after changes

Bonus Challenge

Now add data-driven testing to duplicate and move requests with three different request names.

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