Inserting Input data into a HTTP post.

G

Geoff

I have been asked to add postal rates to a web page shopping cart checkout
procedure. After contacting the post office I discovered that they used XML
to receive postal rate requests and send back the rate for a certain size,
"from:" address, "To:" address and delivery service speed. The examples
they showed used a HTML "Text Area" and a HTTP post statement to send the
request however I need to use input from an input box and then insert this
information into the HTTP post. I have tried using variables but they are
sent literally rather than being substituted with the information from the
input statements. Is there a way to include the variable information as
part of the post? I am new to XML and would have thought that variable
substitution should be easy however I had no luck. I have included a
stripped version of the sample code below:

<HTML>

<BODY>
<script>
function go()

{
document.MyForm.action =
"http://"+document.Config.IP.value+":"+document.Config.PORT.value
document.MyForm.submit();

}
</script>

<CENTER><H3>Sample HTTP Request to eParcel</H3></CENTER>
<FORM name=Config>
<CENTER>
Server IP Address <INPUT size = 15 name=IP value="206.191.4.228">
and port (TCP) <INPUT size=5 name=PORT value="30000">
</CENTER>
<CENTER>
Postal Code: <INPUT size = 6 name=fpc value=""> <!--
Variable assigned value here -->

</CENTER>
<CENTER>
</FORM>

<FORM METHOD=POST name="MyForm">
<CENTER>
<TEXTAREA NAME=XMLRequest ROWS=20 COLS=80>

<?xml version="1.0" ?>
<eparcel>
<ratesAndServicesRequest>
<!--**********************************-->
<!-- Merchant Identification assigned -->
<!-- by Canada Post -->
<!-- -->
<!-- Note: Use 'CPC_DEMO_HTML' or ask -->
<!-- our Help Desk to change your -->
<!-- profile if you want HTML to be -->
<!-- returned to you -->
<!--**********************************-->
<merchantCPCID> 1234 </merchantCPCID>

<!--*********************************-->
<!--Origin Postal Code -->
<!--This parameter is optional -->
<!--*********************************-->
<fromPostalCode> t6a0h9 </fromPostalCode>

<postalCode> VARIABLE NEEDS TO GO HERE(fpc) </postalCode>
</ratesAndServicesRequest>
</eparcel>
</TEXTAREA>

<BR><BR>
<INPUT TYPE=SUBMIT VALUE="Submit XML request to eParcel via HTTP/POST"
onClick="go()">
</CENTER>

</FORM>

<BR><BR><BR>

</BODY>
</HTML>
 
M

Martin Honnen

Geoff said:
I have been asked to add postal rates to a web page shopping cart checkout
procedure. After contacting the post office I discovered that they used XML
to receive postal rate requests and send back the rate for a certain size,
"from:" address, "To:" address and delivery service speed. The examples
they showed used a HTML "Text Area" and a HTTP post statement to send the
request however I need to use input from an input box and then insert this
information into the HTTP post.
Click to expand...

As long as you use a HTML page and want to post data to a server you
simply need to learn HTML and how use forms to post data:
<form action="whatever"
method="post">
<input type="text" name="from">
<input type="text" name="to">
...
<input type="submit">
</form>

Your code that you had below seems to rely on JavaScript to simply
submit a form which doesn't make sense as HTML can do that without any
need for script being supported and enabled in a browser.

As for the XML in that textarea could you provide a URL of that postal
service that clearly describes the input format and response format?
From your email address I guess it is a Canadian postal service, I have
had some look around on http://www.canadapost.ca/ but all I have found
is some instructions to apply for a shipping profile account.
It is also not clear to me whether a client side solution is really
helpful to you, I would rather expect that you would build a form to
send data to your own web server and there with some server side
processing like PHP or ASP you would then request shipping information
from that postal service server.

Thus if you provide more information someone here in this group can help
even if he is not familiar with that particular Candadian postal
service. But consider to also try a Canadian group, maybe that postal
service even runs an online forum for customers making HTTP shipment
requests.
 
G

Geoff

Thanks so much for your reply Martin.

Here is a link to Canada Post - Sell Online Developer's Site :

http://206.191.4.228/DevelopersResources/protocolV3/index.html

Here is a sample page of my shopping cart:

http://www.hflags.com/demostore/html 2/souvenirs/02.htm

Although I have built a handful of java based shopping carts and html
forms generally, this is the first time I've been asked to integrate
this shipping module from Canada Post into a java based cart.

There is an asp option which is quite easy. Unfortunately this cart
resides on a unix based server.

Of Note:

"If you use Java: Sun's XML parser"

http://java.sun.com/xml/ Is this of any help?

Thanks, Geoff



*** Sent via Devdex http://www.devdex.com ***
Don't just participate in USENET...get rewarded for it!
 
M

Martin Honnen

Geoff wrote:

Here is a link to Canada Post - Sell Online Developer's Site :

http://206.191.4.228/DevelopersResources/protocolV3/index.html

Here is a sample page of my shopping cart:

http://www.hflags.com/demostore/html 2/souvenirs/02.htm

Although I have built a handful of java based shopping carts and html
forms generally, this is the first time I've been asked to integrate
this shipping module from Canada Post into a java based cart.

There is an asp option which is quite easy. Unfortunately this cart
resides on a unix based server.
Click to expand...

Well, you have to decide what you want and look at what is possible, you
have much of that shopping cart code in client side JavaScript but
somehow I think you also have server-side processing. I don't know what
language you use on the server, whether that is PHP or Perl or Java
(servlets or JSP). Normally you would build a HTML form for the user to
enter the shipping details you need and let the user submit that data to
your server where you process it with the language of your choice and
built the HTTP request to post to the XML to the postal server which
gives you a choice as I understand whether to answer with XML or HTML.
They have provided that form at
http://206.191.4.228/DevelopersResources/protocolV3/HTTPInterface.html
as an example to outline the XML to be sent but it clearly says

Normally, when you integrate eParcel into your website, this XML request
has to be sent by YOUR server (not by the consumer's browser)

so you do not need to worry on XML in a textarea or text input, your
clients should only see a form to enter the shipping details you need,
submit them with a normal HTML form to your server where you then have
to build the XML to post it to the Canada postal server.
 

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