LWP::Simple trouble. [SOLVED]

[scarfguy]

So close, but yet so far!

I try to download a .zip file from a site, which I navigated and logged in to, using WWW::Mechanize. The url ends with .../pluginfile.php/randomStuff/myFile.zip?forcedownload=1. If I navigate to this link by hand, a window opens and asks me where to save the file. This is the php stuff? How do I get past this window in my script?

I attempt to download the file with  getstore($downloadLink, $fileName);. But instead of downloading the .zip file, it saves an html-file. :( . Any thoughts?

[haukex]

Hi scarfguy,

Do the contents of the HTML file you download give you a hint as to what is going wrong?

It's been a while since I worked with Mechanize, so someone else might have a quicker solution handy, but my first thought was to use Wireshark to record a normal, successful session from the browser and compare that to what Mechanize is doing. Perhaps there is a redirect happening that Mechanize isn't dealing with, or the server has a mechanism in place to detect automated downloads, or some header isn't getting set the right way, or something else...

Update: Actually, the AM is probably right, why are you switching from WWW::Mechanize to LWP::Simple? You lose any cookies or referrers that logging in with Mechanize gains you.

Regards,
-- Hauke D

[scarfguy]

Losing the cookies. That's probably why the downloaded page is the logout page! I could not figure out why. Thank you, I will try Mechanize and report back.

[Anonymous Monk]

Any thoughts?

stick with WWW::Mechanize, LWP::Simple is too simple

Also, study the mechanize faq, use firefox+livehttpheaders/wireshark, figure out what headers you need to send , what cookie setting web bugs you need to load, what urls you need to access...

there is no windows, just urls, no secret except trace the http

[scarfguy]

Thank you guys! It works with:

$mech -> get($downloadURI);
$mech -> save_content($fileName);

I thought LWP::Simple was the standard way to download stuff with perl. The problem really was the loss of the cookies.