API testing tools like Postman are essential for developers working with APIs.

However, creating a custom tool tailored to specific needs can offer more control and better integration with your projects.

In this article, we'll guide you through building your own basic Postman-like application in Python using the ttkbootstrap library, which provides a modern and visually appealing interface.

Get the Source Code

What is ttkbootstrap?

ttkbootstrap is a library that enhances the traditional ttk module in tkinter by adding modern themes and additional widgets.

It allows developers to create beautiful and responsive graphical user interfaces (GUIs) with ease.

Building the Postman-like Application

We will create a simple GUI application that allows users to enter an API endpoint, select the request method (GET or POST), add headers and a request body, include authentication (basic and API token), and display the response.

We'll build this application step-by-step, incrementally adding different functionalities.

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Step 1: Basic Postman

The application will have the following features:

  • A text entry field for the URL.
  • A dropdown menu to select the HTTP method (GET, POST, PUT, DELETE).
  • A button to send the HTTP request.
  • A text area to display the response from the server.

Setting Up the Environment

Before diving into the code, ensure you have the necessary libraries installed. You can install requests and ttkbootstrap using pip:

pip install requests ttkbootstrap

The Code

Here is the code for our basic Postman application:

import requests
from tkinter import StringVar, Text, messagebox
import ttkbootstrap as ttk


class PostmanApp(ttk.Window):
    def __init__(self):
        super().__init__(themename="darkly")
        self.title("Basic Postman")
        self.geometry("800x600")

        # URL Entry
        self.url_label = ttk.Label(self, text="URL:")
        self.url_label.grid(row=0, column=0, padx=10, pady=10)

        self.url_entry = ttk.Entry(self, width=50)
        self.url_entry.grid(row=0, column=1, padx=10, pady=10)

        # Method Dropdown
        self.method_label = ttk.Label(self, text="Method:")
        self.method_label.grid(row=1, column=0, padx=10, pady=10)

        self.method_var = StringVar(value="GET")
        self.method_dropdown = ttk.Combobox(self, textvariable=self.method_var, values=["GET", "POST", "PUT", "DELETE"])
        self.method_dropdown.grid(row=1, column=1, padx=10, pady=10)

        # Send Button
        self.send_button = ttk.Button(self, text="Send", command=self.send_request)
        self.send_button.grid(row=2, column=1, padx=10, pady=10)

        # Response Text
        self.response_text = Text(self, height=20, width=95)
        self.response_text.grid(row=3, column=0, columnspan=3, padx=10, pady=10)


    def send_request(self):
        url = self.url_entry.get()
        method = self.method_var.get()

        try:
            if method == "GET":
                response = requests.get(url)
            elif method == "POST":
                response = requests.post(url)
            elif method == "PUT":
                response = requests.put(url)
            elif method == "DELETE":
                response = requests.delete(url)
            else:
                messagebox.showerror("Error", "Invalid HTTP method.")
                return

            self.response_text.delete(1.0, ttk.END)
            self.response_text.insert(ttk.END, response.text)
        except Exception as e:
            messagebox.showerror("Error", str(e))


if __name__ == "__main__":
    app = PostmanApp()
    app.mainloop()

Running the Application

To run the application, execute the Python script. The GUI will appear, allowing you to enter a URL, select an HTTP method, and view the response:

Basic Postman Application

Step 2: Adding Headers and Body

This version includes additional functionality for setting headers and body in the requests:

  • Text entry fields for headers and body, allowing JSON input.

The Code

Below is the code changes for our enhanced Postman application:

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Python