URL encode Postman variable?

Question

I use Postman for REST API testing and parametrize tests with global variables.

I should put a phone number into GET request: /path/get?phone={{phone}} but leading + sign in the phone number is interpreted as a space.

What is the syntax to URL encode global variables in Postman? Is it possible to run JS encodeURIComponent() on variable in URL?

I opened an issue to postman to add a flag in the path parameter setup — Manuel Spigolon
– Manuel Spigolon, Commented Oct 4, 2019 at 9:38

Mohhamad Hasham · Accepted Answer · 2019-10-12 09:04:37Z

141

I am late but still worth it:

Just highlight and right click the part of url you want to encode. Select encodeURIComponent

That's it.

answered Oct 12, 2019 at 9:04

Mohhamad Hasham

2,0721 gold badge17 silver badges18 bronze badges

Sign up to request clarification or add additional context in comments.

6 Comments

Sukh Over a year ago

this is the best way.

volume one Over a year ago

easily the best way

SnakE Over a year ago

The question was about variables, that is, stuff like {{defined_someplace_else}}. You can't encode them like that because the value inside that variable needs to be encoded, not the variable reference.

thelr Over a year ago

This is the best way for static parameters. If you try it on a variable in that spot, it encodes the braces that identify it as a variable, not the contents of the variable. Doesn't answer the question (but still helpful for lots of people that find this answer).

ma11achy Over a year ago

this is the way

|

Community · Accepted Answer · 2020-07-21 10:47:03Z

108

Use the Pre-request scripts (it's next to body) for this:

var encoded = encodeURIComponent({{phone number}});

or

var encoded = encodeURIComponent(pm.environment.get("phone number"));

and to proceed, use:

pm.environment.set("encoded phone number", encoded);

And set your URL to /path/get?phone={{encoded phone number}}

edited Jul 21, 2020 at 10:47

CommunityBot

11 silver badge

answered Apr 25, 2017 at 12:55

Shahar Hadas

2,8672 gold badges31 silver badges30 bronze badges

4 Comments

Zahid Afaque Over a year ago

Will not this affect the remaining request, will it get corrupted

Shahar Hadas Over a year ago

I don’t understand the question

Eric Over a year ago

This isn't resulting the results I am expecting. is there a way to see the value of "encoded phone number"? Thanks

HKJeffer Over a year ago

@Eric Open Postman Console (menu -> View -> Show Postman Console / Ctrl+Alt+C), you'll see the request paths with the "encoded phone number".

pme · Accepted Answer · 2020-11-04 11:01:16Z

21

Just a shortcut to Mohhamad Hasham' answer.

You can encode and decode direct in the Params Value field:

answered Nov 4, 2020 at 11:01

pme

14.9k5 gold badges63 silver badges112 bronze badges

2 Comments

gavenkoa Over a year ago

It doesn't answer the question of encoding content from variable reference {{ var }}. There is no problem to encode static piece of text.

pme Over a year ago

@gavenkoa you are right - I was misguided by the popular answer that helped me.

zhangfx · Accepted Answer · 2019-07-22 12:20:11Z

The trick is to get your environment variable in the pre-request script and then set it after encoding it

 var encoded = encodeURIComponent(pm.environment.get("phone")); pm.environment.set("encoded phone number", encoded);

SCendlak · Accepted Answer · 2023-06-15 11:47:16Z

If you are automating Bearer and need encoding you can do this in pre-request script

var encodedUser = encodeURIComponent(pm.request.url.query.get("userName")); var encodedPass = encodeURIComponent(pm.request.url.query.get("userPassword")); pm.request.url.query.remove("userName"); pm.request.url.query.remove("userPassword"); pm.request.url.query.insert({key:"userName",value: encodedUser}); pm.request.url.query.insert({key:"userPassword",value:encodedPass});

Petr Flídr · Accepted Answer · 2023-02-23 12:02:49Z

4

Switch the toggle on for encoding path and all params in request.

answered Feb 23, 2023 at 12:02

Petr Flídr

1561 silver badge5 bronze badges

1 Comment

Jarod Felson Over a year ago

In version 10.21.9, this option isn't sufficient: some characters are "forgotten", like the ":" which is not automatically encoded by Postman (tested on a timestamp, format UTC -> "2024-01-10T14:30:45.282Z").

Ian Kemp - SO dead by AI greed · Accepted Answer · 2023-01-23 18:37:20Z

The problem with right-click => Encode URI Component is that it destroys the raw value of that parameter. You can use the following pre-request script to overcome this (which also works for cases where you have disabled that param):

// queryParam is of type https://www.postmanlabs.com/postman-collection/QueryParam.html if ((queryParam = pm.request.url.query.one("name_of_your_query_param")) !== undefined && queryParam.disabled !== true) { queryParam.value = encodeURIComponent(queryParam.value); }

James Smith · Accepted Answer · 2022-02-02 20:59:10Z

This will work as well:

var encoded = encodeURIComponent(pm.request.url.query.get("phone")); pm.request.url.query.remove("phone"); pm.request.url.query.insert("phone", encoded);

Mostafa Shamin Yeasar · Accepted Answer · 2022-11-24 02:10:52Z

For the postman version 9.28.4 ==>

You can use 2 methods:

By selecting the part of the url in url bar -> right click -> EncodeURLComponent. (screenshot attached)

You can also use "pre-request script" tab of postman and write the script for the variable manually. (screenshot attached)

randy · Accepted Answer · 2020-04-21 15:13:58Z

I came across this question looking for an answer to a similar question. For me, the variable was a JSON object. The endpoint I needed to hit was expecting an object list as a query parameter and I have no way to change that to be the request body.

As much as some of the answers helped, I ended up coming up with a combined solution. Also, some of the code given in other answers is outdated as Postman has updated their API over the years, so this uses methods that work on 7.22.1.

pm.environment.set("basicJSON", '[{"key1":"value1","key2":"value2"},{"key1":"value1","key2":"value2"}]') var encoded = encodedURIComponent(pm.environment.get("basicJSON")) pm.environment.set("encodedJSON", encoded)

This solution requires that both basicJSON and encodedJSON exist as environment variables. But what was important for me was the ease of editing the object. I didn't want to have to decode/encode constantly to change values, and I didn't want to have to open the environment variables dialogue. Also, it's important to note the single-quotes around the object. Excluding them or using double-quotes would cause Postman to send something like "[object Object]" which is useless to an endpoint expecting actual JSON.

G.S · Accepted Answer · 2021-02-18 03:44:29Z

I had similar problem with braces { and } in query parameter.
By turning off the following setting it started working for me.

Vladislav Velichko · Accepted Answer · 2024-04-29 17:03:21Z

Universal Pre-request Script:

var encoded = encodeURIComponent(pm.request.url.query); pm.request.url.query.clear(); pm.request.url.query.populate(encoded);

gwecho huang · Accepted Answer · 2018-05-04 09:37:23Z

Click the Params button to open the data editor for URL parameters. When you add key-value pairs, Postman combines everything in the query string above. If your URL already has parameters - for example, if you are pasting a URL from some other source. Postman splits the URL into pairs automatically. https://www.getpostman.com/docs/v6/postman/sending_api_requests/requests

This does not answer the question. These docs describe how to add urlencoded form parameters, whereas the question is about urlencoding GET parameters set from environment variables.

Collectives™ on Stack Overflow

URL encode Postman variable?

13 Answers 13

6 Comments

4 Comments

2 Comments

Comments

Comments

1 Comment

Comments

Comments

Comments

Comments

Comments

Comments

1 Comment

Linked

Hot Network Questions

Collectives™ on Stack Overflow

13 Answers 13

6 Comments

4 Comments

2 Comments

Comments

Comments

1 Comment

Comments

Comments

Comments

Comments

Comments

Comments

1 Comment

Linked

Related