Re: HTTP Post of XML data

[dorko]

UPDATE: The original post was modified between the time I started writing and the time I posted this response. I'm sure my response looks odd now, so all bets are off on my response making any kind of sense.

Warning: Although I've submitted XML via a POST, I've never used XML::Writer in combination with LWP::UserAgent like you're trying to do.

From the docs for XML::Writer, the OUTPUT parameter of an XML::Writer object must be either an "object blessed into IO::Handle or one of its subclasses (such as IO::File), or a reference to a string." I'm pretty sure that $browser->post('http://localhost:8180/automanager/request') is neither of those.

Plus, from the SYNOPSIS section of the XML::Writer docs, I'm pretty sure all you've done is created an object. It takes a bit more to actually create XML. This untested snippet is modified from the synopsis of the XML::Writer docs:

my $output;
my $writer = new XML::Writer(OUTPUT => \$output);
$writer->startTag("greeting", 
                  "class" => "simple");
$writer->characters("Hello, world!");
$writer->endTag("greeting");
$writer->end();
print $output;

If you then POST $output to your URL, I think that will do what you want. You'll need to specify $object as the Content of the POST (See the REQUEST METHODS section of the LWP::UserAgent docs. I remember having to use HTTP::Request::Common to build the request, but I don't remember why I needed to do that at the moment.)

All this is from a quick read of the docs and from memory so it could all be way off base, but I think it at least points you in the right directions.

Cheers,

Brent

[hallikpapa]

Sorry for editing the original post. I should have left the original and added some of my changed content. I will check out some of your suggestions. Any other suggestions on how you would post your XML data instead of using LWP::UserAgent? Update: So I created a little test script, and I saw the test XML post in the jboss log correctly:

#!/usr/bin/perl

use XML::Writer;
use LWP::UserAgent;

my $output;
my $writer = new XML::Writer(OUTPUT => \$output);
$writer->startTag("greeting",
                  "class" => "simple");
$writer->characters("Hello, world!");
$writer->endTag("greeting");
$writer->end();
print $output;


my $browser = LWP::UserAgent->new;
my $url = 'http://localhost:8180/request';
my $response = $browser->post($url,Content => $output);

And I added this at the end of my current script, and got this error:

Not an ARRAY reference at /usr/share/perl5/HTTP/Request/Common.pm line
+ 83.

my $browser = LWP::UserAgent->new;
my $url = 'http://localhost:8180/request';
my $response = $browser->post($url,$writer);

I tried with Content => \$writer, CONTENT => $writer, and just $writer. I'll keep fiddling with this unless someone else has suggestions on a better way to post this $writer to a specific port/url

[rvosa]

It looks like you are trying to post an XML::Writer object to a URL. Without looking at the API for either XML::Writer or LWP::UserAgent I can only guess, but I seriously, seriously doubt that procedure is possible. What you will want to post is not the writer object, but the output it produces.

[erroneousBollock]

I think he's trying to use Perl 5.8's "stringy filehandles".

From the docs:

OUTPUT

    An object blessed into IO::Handle or one of its subclasses (such a
+s IO::File), or a reference to a string; if this parameter is not pre
+sent, the module will write to standard output. If a string reference
+ is passed, it will capture the generated XML (as a string; to get by
+tes use the Encode module).

Looks fine to me.

I wonder what version of perl is on the web-server.

-David