Resubmitting POST[]

Kold

Hello :-)

At the moment, some data is submitted to my script from a form using the POST method. The data is then added to a database.

What i would like to do is find a way of re-submitting this data elsewhere via my script.

I dont really know what to search for. I think i may need to use sockets and send a custom header containing 'POST' data.

Where should i start?

Any ideas??
Thanks!

chucklarge

Why don't you just process the form data right after you insert it to the database? Or you can store the data in session variables and hold on to it till you need it. Another option is to just pull it out of the database when you need it, since you have already inserted it.

Chuck

Kold

The system i have in place at the moment already processes the data, what i need is to send the data (using POST) to another of my sites on a different server.

Installer

If your sending server has curl enabled, you could do it this way:

$arr = array('a', 'b');
// Serialize arrays and objects
$ser_arr = serialize($arr);
$var = 'hello';
$ch = curl_init();
curl_setopt($ch, CURLOPT_URL,'http://example/test.php');
curl_setopt($ch, CURLOPT_RETURNTRANSFER, 1);
curl_setopt($ch, CURLOPT_POST, 1);
curl_setopt($ch, CURLOPT_POSTFIELDS, 'ser_arr=' . $ser_arr . '&var=' . $var);
$curl_return = curl_exec ($ch);
curl_close ($ch);
echo $curl_return;

Process like a normal post (after unserializing):
test.php

echo '<pre>';
print_r($_POST);
print_r(unserialize($_POST['ser_arr']));
echo '<pre>';

Kold

There is no curl support :bemused:

It is a shared server, so they wont add it either...

Any other ideas?
Thanks.

ZibingsCoder

Here:

http://www.zend.com/zend/spotlight/mimocsumissions.php

Installer

There's also a script for fsockopen() on PHPBuilder here.

P.S. If it was me I'd find a new hosting provider today.

Kold

I tried the reply on Zend.

It works great on my test server, and i added it into my existing script. I tested it with the new configuration, but it doesnt connect to an IP address, only domain.

There is a function to strip bits off of a domain to get it to 'www.phpbuilder.com' for example (i.e. [url]http://[/url] and path chopped off) before it gets put into the fsockopen() function.

Domains work, including 'http://localhost'

I also tried submitting to my test server via IP;

Warning: fsockopen(): unable to connect to 80.13.63.4:80

I tried adding 'http://' to the beginning of the IP (bypassing the chopping function) but it didnt work.

When i put the IP in internet explorer with the port on the end (presumed :80) without the [url]http://,[/url] the page does not load. It i take off the :80, IE adds 'http' and it loads fine. If i have 'http' and ':80' then IE cuts off the port and the page loads fine.

Both 'IP' sites are running windows (my test server XP, the 'real' server Win2k) if that would make a difference?

Does anyone know a way round this problem??
Thanks!

Installer

Here's how I got it to work:

$remote_ip = '000.000.000.000';
$remote_name = gethostbyaddr($remote_ip); 
//$remote_name = 'www.example.com';
//$remote_ip  = gethostbyname($remote_url);
$data = array('a' => 'b',
              'true' => 'false');
$request = '';
foreach ($data as $key => $each) {
    $request .= urlencode(trim($key)) .
                '=' .
                urlencode(trim($each)) . '&';
}
$request = trim($request, '&');
$header  = 'POST /test.php HTTP/1.1' . "\r\n"; 
$header .= 'Host: ' . $remote_name . "\r\n";
$header .= 'Content-type: application/x-www-form-urlencoded' . "\r\n"; 
$header .= 'Content-length: ' . strlen($request) . "\r\n";
$header .= 'Connection: Close' . "\r\n\r\n";
$fp = @fsockopen($remote_ip, 80, $errno, $errstr);
if ($fp) { 
    fputs($fp, $header . $request); 
    $response = '';
    while (!feof($fp)) { 
        $response .= fgets($fp);
    } 
    fclose($fp);
    echo $response;
} else {
    echo 'Cannot connect.' . '<br />';
    echo '$errno = ' . $errno . '<br />';
    echo '$errstr = ' . $errstr;
}

Even when connecting to an IP address, the "Host:" header needed to have the domain name. That's where "gethostbyaddr()" comes in.

Kold

Cannot connect.
$errno = 111
$errstr = Connection refused

POST /form/submission.php HTTP/1.1
Host: 82-41-248-**3.cable.ubr07.gill.blueyonder.co.uk
Content-type: application/x-www-form-urlencoded
Content-length: 796
Connection: Close

a=b&true=false

What could be causing the error? I cant work it out.
Any ideas?
Thanks!

Installer

I take it that's your local machine. It could be your firewall refusing the connection (but I suspect you've already checked that), or, more likely, that your ISP is blocking access to port 80 (and probably a bunch of others). You could try setting your server to listen on a higher numbered port. Have fun with that. 🙂

You might also try putting the "ServerName" (so-called in Apache "httpd.conf") config setting for your server into the "Host:" header.

Kold

Thanks.

The firewall was the first thing i thought of, made sure everything was allowed out. After your resonse i got someone to try to view the page, but it seems i have to fully disable the firewall. It now works on my test PC 😃 1 step closer i suppose.

After this, i uploaded my test 'receiving' script to the receiving site. I sent the data from my PC and it got there fine.

I then integrated it all into my existing script - it didnt work. I uploaded my (working) test script, and that didnt work either :mad:

I assume that the webhost, easyspace, does not allow outgoing connections. Their phpinfo() is here; http://php.easyspace.com/ but i couldnt find anything usefull in it.

The problem has been narrowed down to easyspace, is there anything i can do, or should i just sit it out?

Any ideas?
Thanks for your help, it is much appreciated!

Installer

Just to be sure I get the geometry right; you want the script using "fsockopen()" to run on your domain located on an Easyspace machine, and for it to connect with a server located somewhere else. That somewhere else is not on your local "test" machine. Is that correct?

If "somewhere else" is your local machine, then I would say that the most probable problem is that your ISP blocks incoming connections to common server ports, such as HTTP (port 80), SMTP, etc. A lot of them do this, especially broadband providers. This would be done independent of your firewall, before anything even reaches it. Allowing outgoing connections to be initiated would not have an effect, as what you want is for your script on the foreign machine to initiate a connection to a server on your local machine. That is what the ISP likely blocks. It's unlikely that Easyspace blocks outgoing connections from your domain.

Let us know which of these setups (if either) applies. At any rate, whether we're able to help you or not, my advice is don't give up. A beauty of computer stuff is that it's entirely rational and therefore objectively explainable (or whatever).

Kold

My ISP doesnt block anything that i am aware of, and the 'new' webhost i am working with is a dedicated one. I have successfully been able to get the code you gave me working both ways between my test PC and the new hosting.

The problem occurs whenever easyspace is involved.

Here is what i have been able to do;

New host; send and receive post data from test PC
Test PC; send and receive data from new host
easyspace; unable to send or receive from either

For the moment i have made easyspace email the data which i can update the 'new' site with automatically. It would be possible to have easyspace do this, then open a page or redirect, a page on the new host which downloads and gets the info out of the email, but that seems like too much work for a problem that shouldnt be there :mad: :p

Thanks for the help.

Installer

Glad you got it workin'.

Kold

Yeah, got it all working, just not with the easyspace syste which is what i needed it for.

Oh well, I'll just put up with doing it manually untill we can switch to the new host.

Thanks again.