Capturing POST response

[acdx]

Hey

How can I send a POST request to a server and capture the response (HTML page) in a string? Kinda like you can capture GET output with eg. file_get_contents().

Thanks

[w32]

I thought that function worked with Post as well....try it...with application/x-www-form-urlencoded on your enctype...if not I wouldnt know... :(

[acdx]

I'm not sure how to do that..

[w32]

Do it exactly as you'd have done it using the GET method, just use a form like this one:
<form action="your-script.php" method="post" enctype="application/x-www-form-urlencoded">

</form>

[acdx]

[quote author=w32 link=topic=106634.msg426556#msg426556 date=1157211655]
Do it exactly as you'd have done it using the GET method, just use a form like this one:
<form action="your-script.php" method="post" enctype="application/x-www-form-urlencoded">

</form>
[/quote]

That's not what I want to do..

Let me explain.. I want to send a POST request that includes form data using php to a remote server/page and capture the response into a string.

This were easy if the script accepted GET form data (form data in the URL)

[code]<?php
$output = file_get_contents("http://a.com/script.php?a=this&b=that");
?>[/code]

How can I do this with POST?

[w32]

mmm as I told you, personally I dont' know any other way to POST information to the server without the use of a form...  :D

[acdx]

Just realized this should be possible with fsockopen() etc, right?

[w32]

yip :)

you'll still need a form if using POST, lol ;)


actually no...wouldnt work in the exact same way...

kinda troublesome u know...

[acdx]

[quote author=w32 link=topic=106634.msg426595#msg426595 date=1157213849]
yip :)

you'll still need a form if using POST, lol ;)
[/quote]
In my scenario, it's not the user that POSTs the data and looks at the response, it's my PHP script that does..

[w32]

ooohh should've said that...well show me how you're using post in your script, and I'll try to use file_get_content() (should work just as GET)

because fsockopen to my knowledge wouldnt help ya

[acdx]

I believe I can't do it with GET as the remote script only accepts POST.

I got things working with fsockopen() however. I tested this on my own server.

[code]<?php
$c = fsockopen([my hostname], 80);
$rq =
"POST /ptest.php HTTP/1.0
Content-Type: application/x-www-form-urlencoded
Content-Length: 14

a=blah&b=blah2

";
fwrite($c, $rq);
while(!feof($c))
{
echo(htmlentities(fgets($c))."<br />");
}
?>[/code]

The receiving end in this test simply prints the variables:

[code]<?php
echo($_POST["a"]." and ".$_POST["b"]);
?>[/code]

As said, this is only a test where both files reside on my own server and the output is simply printed to the user.

[kenrbnsn]

You need to use either fsockopen() or CURL functions.
CURL: http://www.php.net/curl
fsockopen: http://www.php.net/fsockopen

There is an user contribution on the fsockopen page which may help you.

Ken