Query parameters in Postman - Test Execution Trace

Test Overview

This test sends a GET request with query parameters to an API endpoint and verifies that the response contains the expected filtered data based on those parameters.

Test Code - Postman

Postman

pm.test("Verify response contains correct query parameter data", function () {
    const url = pm.request.url;
    pm.expect(url.getQueryString()).to.include("status=active");

    pm.response.to.have.status(200);
    const jsonData = pm.response.json();
    pm.expect(jsonData).to.be.an('array');
    jsonData.forEach(item => {
        pm.expect(item.status).to.eql('active');
    });
});

Execution Trace - 5 Steps

Step	Action	System State	Assertion	Result
1	Test starts and prepares GET request with query parameter 'status=active'	Postman UI shows request URL with '?status=active' appended	—	PASS
2	Sends GET request to API endpoint with query parameter	Request sent to server with URL including '?status=active'	—	PASS
3	Receives response with HTTP status 200 and JSON body	Response body contains array of objects with 'status' fields	pm.response.to.have.status(200)	PASS
4	Checks that request URL contains query parameter 'status=active'	URL query string is 'status=active'	pm.expect(url.getQueryString()).to.include("status=active")	PASS
5	Verifies each item in response array has 'status' equal to 'active'	All items in JSON array have 'status' field with value 'active'	pm.expect(item.status).to.eql('active') for each item	PASS

Failure Scenario

Failing Condition: Response does not contain expected query parameter or data filtered by it

Execution Trace Quiz - 3 Questions

What does the test verify about the request URL?

A It contains the query parameter 'status=active'

B It uses POST method

C It has no query parameters

D It contains a header named 'status'

Key Result

Always verify that query parameters are correctly included in the request URL and that the API response respects those parameters by filtering data accordingly.

Practice

1. What symbol is used to start query parameters in a URL when making an API request in Postman?

easy

A. Question mark (?)

B. Ampersand (&)

C. Hash (#)

D. Slash (/)

Solution

1. Step 1: Understand URL structure

   Query parameters always start after the base URL with a question mark to separate them from the path.

2. Step 2: Identify the correct symbol

   The question mark (?) is the standard symbol to begin query parameters in URLs.

3. Final Answer:

   Question mark (?) -> Option A

4. Quick Check:

   Query parameters start with ? = C [OK]

Hint: Query parameters always start with ? in URLs [OK]

Common Mistakes:

• Using & to start query parameters instead of ?
• Confusing # (fragment) with query start
• Starting query parameters with /

2. Which of the following is the correct way to add two query parameters named user and id with values alice and 123 respectively in Postman?

easy

A. ?user=alice&id=123

B. &user=alice&id=123

C. ?user=alice#id=123

D. ?user=alice;id=123

Solution

1. Step 1: Start query parameters with ?

   The first query parameter must start with a question mark (?).

2. Step 2: Separate multiple parameters with &

   Additional parameters are separated by an ampersand (&), so user=alice&id=123 is correct.

3. Final Answer:

   ?user=alice&id=123 -> Option A

4. Quick Check:

   First ? then & between parameters = A [OK]

Hint: Start with ? then separate params with & [OK]

Common Mistakes:

• Starting with & instead of ?
• Using # instead of & to separate parameters
• Using semicolon ; instead of &

3. Given the URL https://api.example.com/data?type=fruit&color=red, what will Postman send as query parameters?

medium

A. No query parameters sent

B. type=fruit only

C. type=fruit and color=red

D. color=red only

Solution

1. Step 1: Identify all query parameters after ?

   After the question mark, parameters are separated by &. Here, we have type=fruit and color=red.

2. Step 2: Confirm both parameters are included

   Both parameters will be sent in the request as key-value pairs.

3. Final Answer:

   type=fruit and color=red -> Option C

4. Quick Check:

   Both params after ? separated by & = D [OK]

Hint: All params after ? separated by & are sent [OK]

Common Mistakes:

• Ignoring second parameter after &
• Thinking only first parameter is sent
• Confusing fragment (#) with query parameters

4. You wrote the URL https://api.example.com/search?query=books&limit10 in Postman. What is wrong with this query parameter syntax?

medium

A. Extra '&' before 'limit10'

B. Missing '=' between 'limit' and '10'

C. Query parameters should start with '&' not '?'

D. Using '=' instead of ':' between key and value

Solution

1. Step 1: Check each query parameter format

   Each parameter must be in key=value format. Here, 'limit10' lacks '='.

2. Step 2: Identify missing '=' sign

   Correct syntax should be 'limit=10' to assign value 10 to key 'limit'.

3. Final Answer:

   Missing '=' between 'limit' and '10' -> Option B

4. Quick Check:

   Each param must be key=value, '=' missing = B [OK]

Hint: Check each param has key=value format [OK]

Common Mistakes:

• Omitting '=' between key and value
• Starting query with & instead of ?
• Using ':' instead of '='

5. You want to filter API results in Postman to show only active users with role 'admin' and limit results to 5. Which query parameter string correctly achieves this?

hard

A. ?status=active&role=admin&limit=5&

B. ?status=active&role=admin&limit5

C. ?status=active;role=admin;limit=5

D. ?status=active&role=admin&limit=5

Solution

1. Step 1: Use correct key=value pairs separated by &

   Each filter must be a key=value pair, separated by &. ?status=active&role=admin&limit=5 uses correct syntax.

2. Step 2: Avoid syntax errors like missing '=' or wrong separators

   ?status=active&role=admin&limit5 misses '=' in limit, C uses semicolons instead of &, D has extra trailing & which is invalid.

3. Final Answer:

   ?status=active&role=admin&limit=5 -> Option D

4. Quick Check:

   All params key=value separated by & = A [OK]

Hint: Use key=value pairs separated by & without extra symbols [OK]

Common Mistakes:

• Missing '=' in parameters
• Using semicolons instead of &
• Adding extra & at the end