Turn Teamcenter API Docs into Postman in Minutes

Hi all,
If you’re working with Teamcenter PLM system from Siemens, you know how useful its REST APIs can be. But getting them set up in Postman for testing can be a pain. That’s where my tool, TCApi2Postman, comes in. It’s a simple Java app that takes the auto-generated API docs from Teamcenter and turns them into a ready to use Postman collection. No more manual work just import and start testing.

In this article, I’ll explain what it does, why you might need it, and how to get it running.

What Is TCApi2Postman?
Teamcenter is a PLM (Product Lifecycle Management) system from Siemens. It has a bunch of REST APIs for things like data management and workflows. These APIs come with documentation in a file called structure.js, which you generate from the Teamcenter setup.

TCApi2Postman reads that structure.js file and creates a Postman collection file you can import directly into Postman. The cool part? It doesn’t just list the endpoints it adds full descriptions, parameters, and examples for each method. This saves hours of copying and pasting.

I built this because I got tired of doing it by hand. If you’re a developer, QA engineer, or even in presales showing off Teamcenter features, this tool can make your life easier.

Key Features
Here’s what it offers:

• Converts API Docs to Postman: Takes structure.js and outputs a complete Postman collection JSON.
• Rich Documentation: Each request in Postman gets detailed info from the original docs.
• Optional Internal APIs: Use the include internal flag to add unpublished APIs (but be careful, they’re internal for a reason).
• Custom Config: Add a config file with config to tweak things if needed.
• Easy Output: Just a clean JSON file ready for Postman import.

It’s built with Java, so it’s solid and runs anywhere with a JDK.

Who Should Use It?
This is for anyone dealing with Teamcenter REST APIs:

• Developers integrating Teamcenter with other systems.
• QA teams testing API calls.
• Presales folks demoing features quickly.
• Anyone who hates manual setup.

If you’re new to Teamcenter, start with the official docs first. But if you’re already in the trenches, this tool is a time saver.

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How to Get Started
What You Need
Java 17 or higher (like OpenJDK or Oracle JDK). Check with java -version.

• Maven 3.6 or later if you’re building from source.
  Check with mvn -version
• The structure.js file from your Teamcenter installation.

To get structure.js (note that this is after installing the AWC components):

1. Go to your Teamcenter AWC directory (something like …\aws2\stage).
2. Run initenv
3. Then npm run genSoaApi
4. Find structure.js in …\aws2\stage\out\soa\api

If you want internal APIs, edit initenv.cmd to add SET SOAGENAPI_INCLUDE_UNPUBLISHED=true before generating.

Building the Tool
Clone the repo from GitHub: https://github.com/Krusty84/TCApi2Postman

1. Open a terminal in the project folder.
2. Run mvn clean package.
3. You’ll find the JAR file in target/ called TCApi2Postman-1.0.0.jar

Or grab the latest release from the repo if you don’t want to build it.

Running It
Use this command:
java -jar TCApi2Postman-1.0.0.jar <path-to-structure.js> <output-file.json>
[ — include-internal] [ — config <config-file>]

For example:
java -jar TCApi2Postman-1.0.0.jar
C:\Siemens\Teamcenter\13\aws2\stage\out\soa\api\structure.js
D:\Temp\TcApi_collection.json — config TCApi2Postman.config

Then, import the JSON into Postman.

Done!

Why This Matters
Teamcenter is powerful and one of the most popular PLM systems in the world, but its APIs can be overwhelming.
Tools like this bridge the gap between docs and real-world use.