POSTing to my own scripts

[Steven Stern]

I've got some scripts that back-end multiple HTML forms, accepting data via
POST. What I'd like to do is have some automated processing take place via
cron, using those same scripts to do the back-end processing. I'm looking for
a way to invoke those scripts from a script *not* executed via a browser
session.

I've found one way via streams (http://www.php.net/stream), by creating a
pretend browser session.

1. Is there an easy-to-use class that encapsulates this? That is, something
that I pass an array of field names and values along with the target URL?

2. Is there a better way?

[Ian.H]

Re: POSTing to my own scripts

On Wed, 15 Sep 2004 13:42:31 GMT, Steven Stern
<sdsternNOSPAMH ERE@NOSPAMHEREm indspring.com> wrote:
[color=blue]
>I've got some scripts that back-end multiple HTML forms, accepting data via
>POST. What I'd like to do is have some automated processing take place via
>cron, using those same scripts to do the back-end processing. I'm looking for
>a way to invoke those scripts from a script *not* executed via a browser
>session.
>
>I've found one way via streams (http://www.php.net/stream), by creating a
>pretend browser session.
>
>1. Is there an easy-to-use class that encapsulates this? That is, something
>that I pass an array of field names and values along with the target URL?
>
>2. Is there a better way?[/color]



If you can't use an external browser (Lynx for example) I'd probably
personally use the LWP::Simple module in a small Perl script and exec
that from a cronjob. I have a few that do GET for updating scripts, but
could easily be done for POST data (including using cookies if required
etc etc).

I don't use PHP for "system" based scripting.. so haven't looked into
this for PHP.



Regards,

Ian

--
Ian.H
digiServ Network
London, UK

http://digiserv.net/

[Andy Hassall]

Re: POSTing to my own scripts

On Wed, 15 Sep 2004 13:42:31 GMT, Steven Stern
<sdsternNOSPAMH ERE@NOSPAMHEREm indspring.com> wrote:
[color=blue]
>I've got some scripts that back-end multiple HTML forms, accepting data via
>POST. What I'd like to do is have some automated processing take place via
>cron, using those same scripts to do the back-end processing. I'm looking for
>a way to invoke those scripts from a script *not* executed via a browser
>session.
>
>I've found one way via streams (http://www.php.net/stream), by creating a
>pretend browser session.
>
>1. Is there an easy-to-use class that encapsulates this? That is, something
>that I pass an array of field names and values along with the target URL?
>
>2. Is there a better way?[/color]

If you want automated posting, then Perl's WWW::Mechanize module is excellent,
or the LWP module for a lower-level approach.

For a PHP solution, then I think there's cURL: http://uk.php.net/curl but I've
never used it.

--
Andy Hassall / <andy@andyh.co. uk> / <http://www.andyh.co.uk >
<http://www.andyhsoftwa re.co.uk/space> Space: disk usage analysis tool

[Manuel Lemos]

Re: POSTing to my own scripts

Hello,

On 09/15/2004 10:42 AM, Steven Stern wrote:[color=blue]
> I've got some scripts that back-end multiple HTML forms, accepting data via
> POST. What I'd like to do is have some automated processing take place via
> cron, using those same scripts to do the back-end processing. I'm looking for
> a way to invoke those scripts from a script *not* executed via a browser
> session.
>
> I've found one way via streams (http://www.php.net/stream), by creating a
> pretend browser session.
>
> 1. Is there an easy-to-use class that encapsulates this? That is, something
> that I pass an array of field names and values along with the target URL?[/color]

This class does exactly what you ask, it submits forms with POST,
including submitting large files if necessary, it can collect cookies
and redirection if you need to emulate a login session.

http://www.phpclasses.org/httpclient

--

Regards,
Manuel Lemos

PHP Classes - Free ready to use OOP components written in PHP

http://www.phpclasses.org/

PHP Reviews - Reviews of PHP books and other products

http://www.phpclasses.org/reviews/

Metastorage - Data object relational mapping layer generator

http://www.meta-language.net/metastorage.html

[Steven Stern]

Re: POSTing to my own scripts

On Wed, 15 Sep 2004 15:42:08 -0300 (more or less), Manuel Lemos
<mlemos@acm.org > wrote:
[color=blue]
>Hello,[/color]
[color=blue]
>
>This class does exactly what you ask, it submits forms with POST,
>including submitting large files if necessary, it can collect cookies
>and redirection if you need to emulate a login session.
>
>http://www.phpclasses.org/httpclient[/color]


THANKS

[R. Rajesh Jeba Anbiah]

Re: POSTing to my own scripts

Steven Stern <sdsternNOSPAMH ERE@NOSPAMHEREm indspring.com> wrote in message news:<afhgk0t9a tclcqiv67gepmus 6d1k2ga9qm@4ax. com>...[color=blue]
> I've got some scripts that back-end multiple HTML forms, accepting data via
> POST. What I'd like to do is have some automated processing take place via
> cron, using those same scripts to do the back-end processing. I'm looking for
> a way to invoke those scripts from a script *not* executed via a browser
> session.
>
> I've found one way via streams (http://www.php.net/stream), by creating a
> pretend browser session.
>
> 1. Is there an easy-to-use class that encapsulates this? That is, something
> that I pass an array of field names and values along with the target URL?[/color]

http://in2.php.net/fsockopen

[color=blue]
> 2. Is there a better way?[/color]

http://in.php.net/curl

--
| Just another PHP saint |
Email: rrjanbiah-at-Y!com

[David Risner]

Re: POSTing to my own scripts

Steven Stern wrote:[color=blue]
> I've got some scripts that back-end multiple HTML forms, accepting data via
> POST. What I'd like to do is have some automated processing take place via
> cron, using those same scripts to do the back-end processing. I'm looking for
> a way to invoke those scripts from a script *not* executed via a browser
> session.
>
> I've found one way via streams (http://www.php.net/stream), by creating a
> pretend browser session.
>
> 1. Is there an easy-to-use class that encapsulates this? That is, something
> that I pass an array of field names and values along with the target URL?
>
> 2. Is there a better way?[/color]

You should look at the curl module. It nicely encapsulates this.

--
David G. Risner
Software Engineer, California State University, Los Angeles

http://www.risner.org/david/