Custom documentation templates in Postman

Introduction

Custom documentation templates help you create clear and easy-to-understand API docs that fit your team's style. This makes sharing and using APIs simpler for everyone.

You want to add your company logo and colors to API docs.

You need to explain API endpoints with extra examples or notes.

You want to hide some technical details to keep docs simple.

You want to organize API info in a way that matches your workflow.

You want to create docs that non-technical people can understand.

Syntax

Postman

Handlebars template syntax is used for custom docs in Postman.

Example placeholders:
{{title}} - API title
{{description}} - API description
{{#each endpoints}} ... {{/each}} - Loop through endpoints
{{method}} - HTTP method
{{url}} - Endpoint URL
{{response}} - Example response

Use double curly braces {{}} to insert variables.

Use #each to loop through lists like endpoints.

Examples

Shows the API title and description in the docs.

Postman

{{title}}

{{description}}

Lists all API endpoints with their method, URL, and description.

Postman

{{#each endpoints}}
- {{method}} {{url}}: {{description}}
{{/each}}

Shows each endpoint with an example response.

Postman

{{#each endpoints}}
### {{method}} {{url}}
Example response:
{{response}}
{{/each}}

Sample Program

This template creates a simple API documentation page. It shows the API title and description, then lists each endpoint with its method, URL, description, and example request and response.

Postman

/* Sample Postman custom documentation template using Handlebars */

{{title}}

{{description}}

## Endpoints

{{#each endpoints}}
### {{method}} {{url}}
Description: {{description}}

Example Request:
```
{{method}} {{url}}
```

Example Response:
```
{{response}}
```

{{/each}}

Important Notes

Test your template with sample data to see how the docs look.

Keep templates simple for easy updates and maintenance.

You can use HTML inside templates for better formatting.

Summary

Custom documentation templates let you control how API docs look and feel.

They use Handlebars syntax with placeholders and loops.

Templates help make docs clearer and fit your team's needs.

Practice

1. What is the main purpose of custom documentation templates in Postman?

easy

A. To control the appearance and structure of API documentation

B. To write test scripts for API requests

C. To automate API request execution

D. To generate API mock servers

Solution

1. Step 1: Understand the role of documentation templates

   Custom documentation templates let you change how API docs look and feel, making them clearer and tailored.

2. Step 2: Differentiate from other Postman features

   Test scripts, automation, and mock servers serve different purposes unrelated to documentation appearance.

3. Final Answer:

   To control the appearance and structure of API documentation -> Option A

4. Quick Check:

   Custom templates = control doc look [OK]

Hint: Templates change docs look, not tests or mocks [OK]

Common Mistakes:

• Confusing templates with test scripts
• Thinking templates automate requests
• Mixing templates with mock server setup

2. Which syntax is used inside Postman custom documentation templates to insert dynamic content?

easy

A. [[variable]]

B. {{variable}}

C. %%variable%%

D. ##variable##

Solution

1. Step 1: Identify the templating syntax used by Postman

   Postman uses Handlebars syntax, which uses double curly braces like {{variable}} to insert dynamic content.

2. Step 2: Compare with other common syntaxes

   Other options like [[ ]], %% %% or ## ## are not used in Postman templates.

3. Final Answer:

   {{variable}} -> Option B

4. Quick Check:

   Handlebars = {{variable}} [OK]

Hint: Remember Handlebars uses double curly braces {{}} [OK]

Common Mistakes:

• Using square brackets instead of curly braces
• Confusing with environment variable syntax
• Using percent signs or hashes incorrectly

3. Given this snippet in a Postman custom documentation template:

{{#each requests}}
- {{name}}
{{/each}}

What will this code output?

medium

A. The word 'requests' repeated multiple times

B. An error because loops are not allowed

C. A list of request names from the collection

D. Nothing, because {{name}} is undefined

Solution

1. Step 1: Understand the Handlebars loop syntax

   The {{#each requests}} block loops over all requests in the collection, outputting each request's name.

2. Step 2: Determine the output of the loop

   Each iteration outputs a dash and the request name, creating a list of request names.

3. Final Answer:

   A list of request names from the collection -> Option C

4. Quick Check:

   Loop over requests outputs names [OK]

Hint: Loops with #each output list items [OK]

Common Mistakes:

• Thinking loops are not supported
• Assuming {{name}} is undefined
• Expecting repeated static text instead of dynamic names

4. You wrote this in a Postman custom documentation template:

{{#each requests}}
- {{name}
{{/each}}

Why does the documentation fail to render correctly?

medium

A. Incorrect loop syntax, should be {{#for requests}}

B. The closing tag {{/each}} is missing

C. The variable 'name' does not exist in requests

D. Missing closing curly brace in {{name}}

Solution

1. Step 1: Check the variable syntax inside the loop

   The variable {{name} is missing a closing curly brace, it should be {{name}}.

2. Step 2: Verify loop syntax and tags

   The loop uses correct {{#each requests}} and closing {{/each}} tags, so those are not the issue.

3. Final Answer:

   Missing closing curly brace in {{name}} -> Option D

4. Quick Check:

   All must have matching braces [OK]

Hint: Check all {{}} pairs are closed properly [OK]

Common Mistakes:

• Using wrong loop syntax like #for
• Assuming variable 'name' is missing
• Forgetting to close the loop tag

5. You want to create a custom documentation template that shows each request's name and description only if the description exists. Which Handlebars syntax correctly achieves this?

hard

A. {{#each requests}}
- {{name}}
{{#if description}}
Description: {{description}}
{{/if}}
{{/each}}

B. {{#each requests}}
- {{name}}
{{#unless description}}
Description: {{description}}
{{/unless}}
{{/each}}

C. {{#each requests}}
- {{name}}
{{#if !description}}
Description: {{description}}
{{/if}}
{{/each}}

D. {{#each requests}}
- {{name}}
{{#exists description}}
Description: {{description}}
{{/exists}}
{{/each}}

Solution

1. Step 1: Use the correct conditional block for existence

   Handlebars uses {{#if variable}} to check if a variable exists and is truthy.

2. Step 2: Verify the loop and conditional structure

   {{#each requests}}
   - {{name}}
   {{#if description}}
     Description: {{description}}
   {{/if}}
   {{/each}}

   correctly loops over requests, shows name, and conditionally shows description only if it exists.

3. Final Answer:

   {{#each requests}} - {{name}} {{#if description}} Description: {{description}} {{/if}} {{/each}} -> Option A

4. Quick Check:

   Use {{#if}} to check existence [OK]

Hint: Use {{#if variable}} to show content only if it exists [OK]

Common Mistakes:

• Using {{#unless}} which shows content when variable is missing
• Trying to negate with ! inside {{#if}} which is invalid
• Using non-existent helpers like {{#exists}}