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](https://github.com/postmanlabs/postman-app-support/issues/7432) to add a flag in the path parameter setup — Manuel Spigolon, Oct 04 '19 at 09:38

score 113 · Answer 1 · answered Oct 12 '19 at 09:04

113

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 '19 at 09:04

Mohhamad Hasham

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this is the best way. – Sukh Dec 06 '19 at 21:04
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easily the best way – volume one Apr 15 '20 at 22:24
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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. – SnakE Jun 29 '20 at 13:57
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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). – thelr Oct 09 '20 at 13:05
this is the way – ma11achy Apr 12 '22 at 10:17

score 90 · Accepted Answer · edited Jul 21 '20 at 10:47

90

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 '20 at 10:47

Community

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answered Apr 25 '17 at 12:55

Shahar Hadas

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Will not this affect the remaining request, will it get corrupted – Zahid Afaque Sep 02 '20 at 07:22
I don’t understand the question – Shahar Hadas Sep 02 '20 at 10:54
This isn't resulting the results I am expecting. is there a way to see the value of "encoded phone number"? Thanks – Eric Aug 25 '21 at 12:58
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@Eric Open Postman Console (menu -> View -> Show Postman Console / Ctrl+Alt+C), you'll see the request paths with the "encoded phone number". – HKJeffer May 11 '23 at 08:55

score 14 · Answer 3 · answered Nov 04 '20 at 11:01

14

Just a shortcut to Mohhamad Hasham' answer.

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

answered Nov 04 '20 at 11:01

pme

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It doesn't answer the question of encoding content from variable reference `{{ var }}`. There is no problem to encode static piece of text. – gavenkoa Nov 04 '20 at 12:01
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@gavenkoa you are right - I was misguided by the popular answer that helped me. – pme Nov 04 '20 at 12:06

score 9 · Answer 4 · edited Jul 22 '19 at 12:20

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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);

edited Jul 22 '19 at 12:20

zhangfx

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answered Dec 01 '17 at 12:33

samwa

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score 3 · Answer 5 · answered Jun 15 '23 at 11:47

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});

score 2 · Answer 6 · answered Feb 02 '22 at 20:59

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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);

answered Feb 02 '22 at 20:59

James Smith

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Mostafa Shamin Yeasar · Answer 7 · 2022-11-24T02:10:52.997

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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)

edited Nov 24 '22 at 02:10

answered Nov 23 '22 at 06:13

Mostafa Shamin Yeasar

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score 2 · Answer 8 · answered Jan 23 '23 at 18:37

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);
}

score 2 · Answer 9 · answered Feb 23 '23 at 12:02

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

answered Feb 23 '23 at 12:02

Petr Flídr

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score 1 · Answer 10 · answered Apr 21 '20 at 15:13

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.

score 1 · Answer 11 · answered Feb 18 '21 at 03:44

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

answered Feb 18 '21 at 03:44

G.S

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score -2 · Answer 12 · answered May 04 '18 at 09:37

-2

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

answered May 04 '18 at 09:37

gwecho huang

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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. – domsom May 10 '19 at 19:50

score -2 · Answer 13 · answered Nov 23 '22 at 03:57

POSTMAN's documentation on building requests in the section "sending parameters" is helpful here. You can encode path data by simply encoding the URL with a colon, listing the key name of the encoded element, and then a new section will appear below the query parameters allowing you to customize values and add a description, just as we do with query params. Here's an example of encoding the URL for a GET request:

https://somesite-api-endpoint/:record/get

And here's what the display looks like after you add path data. Any value you add in the path variables section will automagically update the URL with your data.

URL encode Postman variable?

13 Answers13

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