[SOLVED] Error with file() and dynamic links.

[agentq]

I'm having a problem opening a web page where i have to generate the url.

 

$url= 'http://www.example.org/webservices/application.cfm?BEDROOMS=' . $bedrooms .'&HOWMANYPEOPLE=' . $howmanypeople . '&KINDOFBUILDING=' . $kindOfBuilding . '&STATE=' . $state . '&qtyToCalculate=' . $qtyToCalculate;


$data = implode("", file($url));

 

This works fine, if i echo the url, and copy paste the link into a browser.

The link works. And if I paste the link that echo spits out in ("", file("")); It also works just fine.

 

A quick overview is, this website generates an xml file when variables are passed to it via the url. I'm trying to then pull that xml file down, and parse it to display data.

 

Also, this website is a "Web service" So i don't have access to the actual cold fusion code.

 

Any help would be greatly appreciated.

 

Thanks,

[darkfreaks]

what are you trying to implode?

 

implode joins things in an array

 

are you sure you dont need?

 

<?php

$data = explode("", file($url));?>

[agentq]

Right, I'm imploding the array into a string, for output. Was an easy way to see if it pulled in all the data from the xml before I started trying to parse the array.

[darkfreaks]

oh i see LOL it reads it into an array

[darkfreaks]

would be nice if there was an actual problem or erro?

[agentq]

Yeah, it would be. It just doesn't display anything. If I use the actual built out link, it pulls the xml file down just fine. Its only when i am trying to build the link dynamically.

 

I'm curious if anyone knows of a problem with passing a filename to file() that is made up of several variables, if it breaks?

 

heres the full function:

 

function readDatabase($filename)
{
    // read the XML database of carboncalculators
    $data = implode("", file($filename));
    $parser = xml_parser_create();
    xml_parser_set_option($parser, XML_OPTION_CASE_FOLDING, 0);
    xml_parser_set_option($parser, XML_OPTION_SKIP_WHITE, 1);
    xml_parse_into_struct($parser, $data, $values, $tags);
    xml_parser_free($parser);

    // loop through the structures
    foreach ($tags as $key=>$val) {
        if ($key == "carboncalculatorsresults") {
            $molranges = $val;
            // prase data
            for ($i=0; $i < count($molranges); $i+=2) {
                $offset = $molranges[$i] + 1;
                $len = $molranges[$i + 1] - $offset;
                $tdb[] = parseMol(array_slice($values, $offset, $len));
            }
        } else {
            continue;
        }
    }
    return $tdb;
}

 

 

I'm sending $url to that function, and having $url be defined as:

 

$url= 'http://www.example.org/webservices/application.cfm?BEDROOMS=' . $bedrooms .'&HOWMANYPEOPLE=' . $howmanypeople . '&KINDOFBUILDING=' . $kindOfBuilding . '&STATE=' . $state . '&qtyToCalculate=' . $qtyToCalculate;

 

Doesn't work. But having $url defined as:

 

$url= "http://www.example.org/webservices/application.cfm?BEDROOMS=4&HOWMANYPEOPLE=10&KINDOFBUILDING=Big%20apartment%20building%20(more%20than%2015%20units)&STATE=Alabama&qtyToCalculate=2";

 

does work.

 

 

[darkfreaks]

<?php

$data = implode("",$url); /// joins the url
$data =  file($url); /// reads the joined url

echo $data; /// echos it


?>

[agentq]

Thanks for the help darkfreaks,

 

Unfortantly, I'm getting the same result.

 

After some more thought on the issue, and looking at the "Correct" url, i'm realizing that the variable names the web service requires has spaces in them. These spaces are automatically converted to %20 in a url in a web browser, but my guess is, that isn't happening in php. And the file() call is breaking as soon as it see's a white space.

 

Does anyone know an easy way to convert all the white spaces into url friendly %20's?

 

Thanks, in advance.

[agentq]

Ah, that was the problem. The more obvious approach was to add the %20's to the variables on the form.

 

Worked like a charm!

 

Thanks for the help darkfreaks.