Custom documentation templates in Postman - Cheat Sheet & Quick Revision

Recall & Review

beginner

What is a custom documentation template in Postman?

A custom documentation template in Postman is a user-defined layout that changes how API documentation looks and what information it shows, making it easier to share clear and tailored API details.

beginner

Which language is used to create custom documentation templates in Postman?

Postman uses the Handlebars templating language to create custom documentation templates. It allows inserting dynamic content and controlling the layout.

beginner

How can you preview changes when editing a custom documentation template in Postman?

Postman provides a live preview panel that updates instantly as you edit the template, so you can see how your documentation will look before saving.

intermediate

Name two benefits of using custom documentation templates in Postman.

1. You can tailor the documentation to your team's needs for clarity.
2. You can highlight important API details and hide unnecessary info, improving user experience.

intermediate

What is a best practice when creating locators or references inside a custom documentation template?

Use clear and consistent Handlebars expressions that match Postman's data structure. Avoid hardcoding values and test your template to ensure all dynamic parts load correctly.

What templating language does Postman use for custom documentation templates?

A EJS

B Mustache

C Handlebars

D Jinja

Postman uses Handlebars, which allows dynamic content insertion and logic in templates.

Which of the following is NOT a benefit of custom documentation templates in Postman?

A Tailoring documentation layout

B Automatically generating test scripts

C Highlighting important API details

D Hiding unnecessary information

Custom documentation templates control appearance and content, but do not generate test scripts automatically.

How can you check your changes while editing a custom documentation template in Postman?

A Send a request to the API

B Run the API tests

C Export and open in a browser

D Use the live preview panel

The live preview panel shows how your documentation looks as you edit the template.

When writing Handlebars expressions in Postman templates, what should you avoid?

A Hardcoding values

B Using dynamic data references

C Using loops and conditions

D Testing the template

Hardcoding values reduces flexibility and can cause errors if data changes.

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

A To customize how API documentation is displayed

B To write API test scripts

C To create API mocks

D To monitor API performance

Custom documentation templates let you change the look and content of API docs.

Explain how custom documentation templates improve API documentation in Postman.

Think about how you can make documentation easier to read and share.

Describe best practices when creating and testing custom documentation templates in Postman.

Consider how to avoid errors and ensure templates work well.

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}}