Send URL-encoded or form data to actions in Postman Flows

In a Postman Flows action, the Request block gets input data from a scenario. That enables you to test the action locally. This topic explains how to create scenarios for Request blocks in actions whose HTTP request bodies need to be formatted as form-data or x-www-form-urlencoded data. For actions whose request bodies will only require plain JSON, skip this topic and follow the procedure here instead.

Deploy the action

1. Deploy the action. Don’t add any new blocks yet. Deploying an action that doesn’t “do anything” is fine at this stage.

2. In the Deploy modal, click Open in HTTP request to open the HTTP request editor.

Edit the request

1. In the HTTP request editor, select the POST request method.

2. (Optional) Configure parameters, authorization, headers, scripts, and settings as desired.

3. Configure the request body in the Body tab. Choose one of the following two options, depending on whether your action will require its HTTP request body to be formatted as x-www-form-urlencoded or form-data:

   • Option one: Select x-www-form-urlencoded, then enter the keys and example values.

   • Option two: Select form-data, then enter the keys and example values for your form fields.

   Form data values are of type Text by default, but you can alternatively select File, add a file. If the file hasn’t been uploaded to the Postman cloud yet, click Upload file to team to make it available to your teammates.

4. Save and send the request.

5. Assuming that the action responds with 200 OK, click Home to open the Analytics tab.

Obtain the request body

1. In the Action column, click the name of the action you’re sending requests to, to open its details at right.

2. Under Run Logs, click Request to reveal details. In the Body section, click Copy to copy the request body.

3. Click Open action to return to your action.

Work with the request body in the action

1. Create or edit a scenario, and in the Body field, paste the request body that you copied while in the request editor.

2. Save and run the scenario.

3. Click the Body output of the Request block to open the block footer, and verify that the block emitted the correct request body, headers, and parameters.

4. Based on the correctly formed request body that’s available in the block footer, add blocks to your action to process the request body data as desired.