Running another URL automatically without displaying that URL from the user's page

[unlucky17]

After working on an issue for the past few days, we have been trying to get XML streams from another server for specific data, but it appears we cannot get those streams unless that call originates from a specific URL, and we can't change that. It has to come from one specific URL or else the connections will fail.

So, what we want to do is run some kind of command that automatically runs that URL and does what we want it to do, without showing that URL on the user's page, considering it's admin protected.

Alternatively, I think we could run a cron job? But that URL that would need to be run changes depending on a database value (page.php?id=240, for example, instead of just page.php).

Any help would be very much appreciated. This has been giving me a ton of trouble lately! As soon as I think I have a solution, we run into another roadblock.

Thanks in advance.

[dagon]

if you used file_get_contents() no one would know the url

[unlucky17]

We're interacting with an API and that's the only reason I can think that it'd fail. I call the same function from a different location (with the same information being passed in as the other area where I know it works), and that's the only reason I could think of as to why it'd be failing.

[dagon]

no idea what you just posted, actully real examples would be a help.