`postman.setNextRequest` does not work as expected when the collection is run in the command line using newman

[saiudayakella]

Version and environment information:

1. Newman Version (can be found via newman -v): 5.1.2
2. OS details (type, version, and architecture): Windows 10
3. Are you using Newman as a library, or via the CLI? CLI
4. Did you encounter this recently, or has this bug always been there: I believe, always there
5. Expected behaviour: Next request set in the function `postman.setNextRequest('request-id') should be executed
6. Command / script used to run Newman: newman run "<collection.json>" --folder "" -e "<environment.json>" -g "<globals.json>"
7. Sample collection, and auxiliary files (minus the sensitive details):
8. Screenshots (if applicable):
   

Steps to reproduce the problem:

• Fetch the id of next request to be executed in the flow. I fetched this via postman API
  

• Based on the desired flow, set the next request via request_id

• Run the collection in collection runner and in the command line using newman

Observation:

• Collection runs without any issues in collection runner whereas it fails in commandline. Refer the screenshot attached above.

• Surprisingly when the next request is set via request_name, I do not encounter this problem. But the issue is we have requests with same name under different folders and as id is unique, this will be preferred way of setting the request workflow for us

[DannyDainton]

Hey @saiudayakella

Can you provide an example of the script you're using in the app that uses that requestId please? Any screenshots with be useful too.

A scaled down collection that shows the issue and one we can run locally would help here

You don't have to use you're endpoints for this, you could replace them with GET https://postman-echo.com/get if you need too.

[saiudayakella]

Hey @DannyDainton

I have used Postman Echo collection for replicating the scenario. Here is the scenario:

• Pick Request Methods folder under the collection

• Change the order of execution by skipping the second request in this folder which is POST Raw Text

• Set the net request to POST Form Data in GET Request (postman.setNextRequest('083e46e7-53ea-87b1-8104-f8917ce58a17'); // Skipping POST Raw Text and moving to POST FormData)

• Run the folder via runner and newman

Behavior when the collection is run in newman:

Behavior when the collection is run via runner:

As mentioned in this issue, postman.setNextRequest doesn't work in newman when the request is set via the id.

Refer the collection here - https://docs.postman-echo.com/

FYI, fetched the respective ids using Postman API

Let me know if you need any more details

[DannyDainton]

Could you also provide the full script that you have in the GET request, please?

[saiudayakella]

Hey @DannyDainton - Here it is:

var responseJSON;

try { 
    responseJSON = JSON.parse(responseBody); 
    tests['response is valid JSON'] = true;
}
catch (e) { 
    responseJSON = {}; 
    tests['response is valid JSON'] = false;
}

tests['response json contains headers'] = _.has(responseJSON, 'headers');
tests['response json contains args'] = _.has(responseJSON, 'args');
tests['response json contains url'] = _.has(responseJSON, 'url');

tests['args key contains argument passed as url parameter'] = ('test' in responseJSON.args);
tests['args passed via request url params has value "123"'] = (_.get(responseJSON, 'args.test') === "123");

postman.setNextRequest('083e46e7-53ea-87b1-8104-f8917ce58a17'); // Skipping POST Raw Text and moving to POST FormData

Except adding the last line, I did not modify the default code which is already there.

[DannyDainton]

Have you opened the Collection JSON file in a text editor and confirmed that it's the valid id of the request?

I know that you have checked that against the Postman API but that's not what Newman is using during the run.

[saiudayakella]

As I do not see any issues when I run this folder in runner, do you still think there is a problem with request_id?

[DannyDainton]

You're using a hardcoded id that could be wrong, I can't see the raw JSON file that you're using, to know if that id is even part of that file.

The issues I see here are that that Collection Runner isn't Newman, the Collection it's using, looks the same, but isn't the exported file being used by Newman, the hardcoded id could be wrong, many other things.

I don't believe this is a simple case of 'The sendNextRequest() function isn't working with request ids'.

[saiudayakella]

I don't get what you mean by hardcoded id that could be wrong. This statement is very high level. Collection runner uses the collection but is skipping the second request as I expected. Isn't it the same behavior that I should expect when I run in newman? I understand collection runner and newman are 2 different entities but at the end of the day, you expect your postman collection to run the same way.

Anyways, attached the zipped collection file for your reference. Let me know what should I use from this file such that it works in newman and runner without any issues for the scenario I mentioned above? [ I already mentioned the scenario]. This collection is a demo collection provided by postman so anything which is expected (or) not expected is out of my hands.

Postman Echo.postman_collection.zip

PS: There is no proper information in your documentation on what id should be used ( there is usually a id tagged to prerequest and id tagged to test as well) and how a user can fetch that id etc.

[DannyDainton]

Although this id
083e46e7-53ea-87b1-8104-f8917ce58a17 is mentioned as the next request, it's not going to go anywhere when run with Newman because that is not a valid request id in that collection, for whatever reason.

As you can see in the console statement that its attempting to find that request but it doesn't find it so it ends the execution.

I have no idea where you got the Collection from or what documentation your referencing - I don't know what 'provided by Postman means. The collection looks very old, it's using URLs that are not longer valid for and the test syntax is very old.

The latest version of that can be found here:

https://docs.postman-echo.com/

If you point to where you go your Collection, we can get that updated/replaced.

I would recommend using the Requests Name rather than the ID.

[saiudayakella]

I have explained the reason for picking request id rather than the name when I logged the issue itself. We often copy setup folders across different collections and they tend to have same names. Unfortunately postman still doesn't provide to set the next request via the syntax - Folder/Request. So, renaming duplicate requests could be one option but when the project grows, this approach is not effective

I'm using the latest version of the collection now and I couldn't get this scenario working.

I have set the next request in GET Request under Request Methods folder like this - postman.setNextRequest('9addc033-6926-4d6d-8e5b-68c9467b0ec5');

Attached the exported collection for your reference. Let me know if you are able to find this id (or) not. I could see this id in tagged to the test event of POST Form Data request. Let me know what is missing and how to get the scenario working in newman by using the id option.
Postman Echo.postman_collection.zip

Also, you did not tell which id should be used in general - id tagged to a pre-request event (or) id tagged to test event. Collections we use at work has pre-request scripts as well.
Eg:

 "event": [
										{
											"listen": "prerequest",
											"script": {
												"id": "e24411c8-e7c7-4f08-8058-812b067300bb",
												"exec": [
													""
												],
												"type": "text/javascript"
											}
										},
										{
											"listen": "test",
											"script": {
												"id": "0f5e8ed7-65a1-4986-bf58-c0a79b04aea7",
												"exec": [
													"pm.test(\"Successful POST request\", () => {",
													"   pm.response.to.have.status(201) ;",
													"   pm.response.to.have.status(\"Created\");",
													"});",

In this case, which id should be used in postman.setNextRequest('') function

[DannyDainton]

As you're using a static JSON file exported from the app - the request ids are not part of the file and get recreated at runtime so the request ids from the setNextRequest() function are not matching. I have printed the pm.info.requestId in a test so you can see it changing.

This is using an exported file:

Using the Postman API to run the Collection, this doesn't change anything so the ids match the test script and go to the correct next request.

[saiudayakella]

In this case I can use Postman API to fetch the request id as well rather than using the exported id which you suggested. Is that right?