Collection Runner

Collection Runner lets you execute multiple saved requests in sequence. It is designed for smoke tests, regression checks, setup flows, and request chains where data from one step feeds the next.

What It Is For

  • Run a list of requests without sending them manually one by one
  • Reuse environment variables across the full run
  • Chain values between requests with post-response scripts
  • Stop immediately on failure or continue through the full sequence
  • Save runner configurations for repeatable workflows

Opening Collection Runner

  1. Open Resonance and select the collection or requests you want to work with
  2. Open the Collection Runner panel from the interface
  3. Choose the requests to include in the run
  4. Arrange them in the order they should execute

Building a Run

  1. Add the requests that belong to your scenario
  2. Reorder the steps to match the expected flow
  3. Pick the environment you want to run against
  4. Review each request for variables, auth, and scripts
  5. Save the runner configuration if you plan to reuse it

Runner Options

  • Stop on error: Halt the run when a request fails or a script throws
  • Continue on error: Complete the full queue even if an earlier step fails
  • Delay between requests: Add a wait time between steps
  • Saved configurations: Keep commonly used flows available for later runs

Variable Chaining

Collection Runner becomes more useful when paired with environments and test scripts. A request can extract values from a response and write them into the active environment for later steps.

// Request 1 test script
const data = JSON.parse(response.body);
environment.set('authToken', data.token);
environment.set('userId', data.user.id);

// Request 2 uses those values
Authorization: Bearer {{authToken}}
GET {{baseUrl}}/users/{{userId}}
  • Use test scripts to capture IDs, tokens, and workflow state
  • Use environment variables in later URLs, headers, and bodies
  • Keep variable names stable so runner flows stay readable

Typical Workflow

  1. Log in and capture an access token
  2. Create a resource and store the returned identifier
  3. Fetch the resource to confirm its data
  4. Update or delete the resource in a final cleanup step

Monitoring a Run

As the runner executes, use the results view to see which step passed, failed, or was skipped.

  • Track progress through the queue in real time
  • Inspect individual response details for failed steps
  • Review script output when a chained variable was not set as expected
  • Use timing data to spot unusually slow endpoints

Saving and Reusing Configurations

  1. Assemble and order the requests for your scenario
  2. Save the runner configuration with a descriptive name
  3. Reload it later when you want to repeat the same workflow
  4. Update the configuration when requests or environments change

Best Practices

  • Keep each runner focused on one workflow or test scenario
  • Prefer stable environment variables over hardcoded IDs or tokens
  • Use scripts to validate important responses, not only status codes
  • Include cleanup requests when your scenario creates data on a shared system
  • Use small delays if your target system needs time to settle between steps

Troubleshooting

Later requests fail because variables are missing
  • Check the earlier response body and confirm the test script extracted the expected fields
  • Verify the variable names in scripts match the placeholders used by later requests
  • Inspect the runner output to see where the chain first broke
Execution order is wrong
  • Reorder the request list before starting the run
  • Save the corrected sequence as a runner configuration
  • Avoid relying on collection tree order if the workflow requires a different sequence
Runs stop too early
  • Check whether Stop on error is enabled
  • Review failed assertions or script exceptions in the step results
  • Switch to continue-on-error when you need a full pass over all requests

Next Steps