redirected urls

basd

I am working on a project that intends to download documents for which a link is provided in email.

I have parsed the email and triggered the subject link. I have also successfully downloaded a document via a static link. But I can't figure out the redirect.

The website gives me a link at which I can access a document ONE TIME ONLY. (This makes testing quite difficult). If I code to display a clickable url of the target document, I get a clickable link, which I can then click and download the document.

However, I can't seem to come up with code that will automate the process.

Instead, my code contacts the link, which then resets on the assumption I have had my "1 free look". But, I did not actually see or download the document. How do I get php to follow the link and download the document. [This has to do with court notices and commercial packages that will do this include "I Got Notices" and "Notice Me." It's very tedious to download all these documents by hand. Any one experienced with attempting to download the target of a URL?]

Thx.

bradgrafelman

You say this:

basd wrote:
I did not actually see or download the document.

and yet you also said this:

basd wrote:
my code contacts the link

Although the phrase "contacts the link" doesn't really make any sense, why are you doing the latter if the former is true? What are you doing when your script "contacts the link" if you aren't downloading the response?

basd

Yes, I know that my terminology is not correct. In any event, I wrote a php script that will download and save a pdf file from a known static link. But, it apparently does not follow redirected links.

The links I am trying to download from redirect and the initial link is only valid once -- after there has been a hit on the link it expires. I'm uncertain where the link to which I am redirected also expires, but I think it is a temporary link and may actually be generated at the time I attempt to follow the initial link.

So, my existing script will expire the initial link but not follow the redirect.

Further research suggests I can use curl with an -L option to follow the redirections. I haven't had time to check this yet.

Thank you for your input.