Post JSON encoded and normal string data using CURL in PHP

Question

I typically send an array of strings using CURL in PHP, something like this:

$data = array(
"key1" => $value,
"key2" => $value,
"key3" => $value,
"key4" => $value

);

Then, among other curl_setop settings, post using:

curl_setopt($curl, CURLOPT_POSTFIELDS, $data);

This all works fine. But now in addition to those strings, I have 1 dataset that is JSON encoded and I want to post it at the same time. JSON looks like this:

Array ( [ad_info] => {"MoPubAdUnitInteractions":"a","MoPubAdUnitConversations":"b","MoPubAdUnitGroups":"c"} )

I think I figured out how to do it by setting a header saying I'm going to be passing in JSON like this:

curl_setopt($curl, CURLOPT_HTTPHEADER, array('Content-Type: application/json'));

But then, can I simply add another line for the post, but in this case the JSON encoded value like this:

curl_setopt($curl, CURLOPT_POSTFIELDS, $json_data);

I'm kinda shooting in the dark, any suggestions on how I should be thinking about this?

Ok, here is the full example:

From Processing The Form Post:

$community_id = $_POST["communityid"];
$community_name = $_POST["communityname"];
$community_apns_name = $_POST["communityapnsname"];
$community_download_url = $_POST["communitydownloadurl"];
$community_open_tagging = $_POST["communityopentagging"];
$community_pull_content = $_POST["communitypullcontent"];
$community_push_content = $_POST["communitypushcontent"];
$community_ad_info = json_encode($_POST["ad_info"]);    

$data = array(
  "name" => $community_name,
  "apns_name" => $community_apns_name,
  "download_url" => $community_download_url,
  "open_tagging" => $community_open_tagging, 
  "pull_content" => $community_pull_content,
  "push_content" => $community_push_content,                  
);

$json_data = array("ad_info" => $community_ad_info);
$api_querystring = $gl_app_api_url . "communities";

$response = CallAPI('PATCH', $api_querystring, $data, $device_id = null, $community_id = null, $json_data);

And the Function in PHP I'm calling to do the CURL:

function CallAPI($method, $url, $data = false, $device_id = false, $community_id = false, $json_data = false) {

    if (!$community_id) { // IF NO COMMUNITY ID IS PROVIDED
        global $gl_community_id;
        $community_id = $gl_community_id;
    }
    $curl = curl_init();

    switch ($method)
    {
        case "POST":
            curl_setopt($curl, CURLOPT_CUSTOMREQUEST, 'POST');

            if ($data)
                curl_setopt($curl, CURLOPT_POSTFIELDS, $data);
            break;
        case "PUT":
            curl_setopt($curl, CURLOPT_CUSTOMREQUEST, 'PUT');

            if ($data)
                curl_setopt($curl, CURLOPT_POSTFIELDS, $data);
            break;
        case "PATCH":
            curl_setopt($curl, CURLOPT_CUSTOMREQUEST, 'PATCH');

            if ($data)
                curl_setopt($curl, CURLOPT_POSTFIELDS, $data);
            break;
        default:
            if ($data)
                $url = sprintf("%s?%s", $url, http_build_query($data));
    }

    // Optional Authentication:
    curl_setopt($curl, CURLOPT_HTTPAUTH, CURLAUTH_BASIC);
    curl_setopt($curl, CURLOPT_USERPWD, "XXXX:XXXXX");

    curl_setopt($curl, CURLOPT_URL, $url);
    curl_setopt($curl, CURLOPT_RETURNTRANSFER, 1);

    // Disable the SSL verificaiton process
    curl_setopt($curl, CURLOPT_SSL_VERIFYPEER, false);

    if ($device_id)
        curl_setopt($curl, CURLOPT_HTTPHEADER, array("device_id:" . $device_id));

    if ($community_id)
        curl_setopt($curl, CURLOPT_HTTPHEADER, array("X-Afty-Community:" . $community_id));         

    if ($json_data)
        curl_setopt($curl, CURLOPT_HTTPHEADER, array('Content-Type: application/json'));
        curl_setopt($curl, CURLOPT_POSTFIELDS, $json_data);

    // Confirm cURL gave a result, if not, write the error
    $response = curl_exec($curl);

    if ($response === FALSE) {
        die("Curl Failed: " . curl_error($curl));
    } else {
        return $response;
    }
}

Any help is greatly appreciated.

Well, I try to post only as a last resort, and after futzing with it for 2 hours I figured I'd ask for some help. Thanks @KanishkaPanamaldeniya — Jeff Solomon
– Jeff Solomon, Commented Oct 18, 2014 at 8:45
Updated the question with full code example @hindmost thanks. — Jeff Solomon
– Jeff Solomon, Commented Oct 18, 2014 at 8:54
Will that mean only my $json_data gets posted and my other $data is gone? I need to post both. Do I need to process the function twice then @hindmost — Jeff Solomon
– Jeff Solomon, Commented Oct 18, 2014 at 9:09

hindmost · Accepted Answer · 2014-10-19 07:59:59Z

1

You use wrong approach. Setting CURLOPT_POSTFIELDS option twice doesn't lead to result you expected since each setting call discards effect of previous one.

Instead of this, you have to append extra data ($community_ad_info) to the main POST data ($data) before passing it to CURLOPT_POSTFIELDS option.

...
$community_ad_info = json_encode($_POST["ad_info"]);    

$data = array(
  "name" => $community_name,
  "apns_name" => $community_apns_name,
  "download_url" => $community_download_url,
  "open_tagging" => $community_open_tagging, 
  "pull_content" => $community_pull_content,
  "push_content" => $community_push_content,
  "ad_info" => $community_ad_info
);

$response = CallAPI('PATCH', $api_querystring, $data, $device_id = null, $community_id = null);
...

edited Oct 19, 2014 at 7:59

answered Oct 18, 2014 at 9:25

hindmost

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2 Comments

Jeff Solomon Over a year ago

this makes sense, but would you mind providing a bit more around the syntax/formatting for the CURLOPT_POSTFIELDS line in the function?

Jeff Solomon Over a year ago

Figured out how to post it in addition to the string content, but it's still going in as a string. I end up with this in the JSON response. It adds the slashes between the dictionary elements @hindmost "ad_info": "{\"MoPubAdUnitInteractions\":\"AAA\",\"MoPubAdUnitConversations\":\"BBB\",\"MoPubAdUnitGroups\":\"CCC\"}",

Ben Edmunds · Accepted Answer · 2014-10-19 20:47:38Z

This is untested of course but it should do what you need.

function CallAPI($method, $url, $data = false, $device_id = false, $community_id = false, $json_data = false) {

if (!$community_id) { // IF NO COMMUNITY ID IS PROVIDED
    global $gl_community_id;
    $community_id = $gl_community_id;
}
$curl = curl_init();

switch ($method)
{
    case "POST":
        curl_setopt($curl, CURLOPT_CUSTOMREQUEST, 'POST');
        curl_setopt($curl, CURLOPT_HTTPHEADER, array('Content-Type: application/x-www-form-urlencoded'));

        if ($data)
            curl_setopt($curl, CURLOPT_POSTFIELDS, $data);
        break;
    case "PUT":
        curl_setopt($curl, CURLOPT_CUSTOMREQUEST, 'PUT');

        if ($data)
            curl_setopt($curl, CURLOPT_POSTFIELDS, $data);
        break;
    case "PATCH":
        curl_setopt($curl, CURLOPT_CUSTOMREQUEST, 'PATCH');

        if ($data)
            curl_setopt($curl, CURLOPT_POSTFIELDS, $data);
        break;
    default:
        if ($data)
            $url = sprintf("%s?%s", $url, http_build_query($data));
}

// Optional Authentication:
curl_setopt($curl, CURLOPT_HTTPAUTH, CURLAUTH_BASIC);
curl_setopt($curl, CURLOPT_USERPWD, "XXXX:XXXXX");

curl_setopt($curl, CURLOPT_URL, $url);
curl_setopt($curl, CURLOPT_RETURNTRANSFER, 1);

// Disable the SSL verificaiton process
curl_setopt($curl, CURLOPT_SSL_VERIFYPEER, false);

if ($device_id)
    curl_setopt($curl, CURLOPT_HTTPHEADER, array("device_id:" . $device_id));

if ($community_id)
    curl_setopt($curl, CURLOPT_HTTPHEADER, array("X-Afty-Community:" . $community_id));         



// Confirm cURL gave a result, if not, write the error
$response = curl_exec($curl);

if ($response === FALSE) {
    die("Curl Failed: " . curl_error($curl));
} else {
    return $response;
}

}

And now the actualy logic

$community_id = $_POST["communityid"];
$community_name = $_POST["communityname"];
$community_apns_name = $_POST["communityapnsname"];
$community_download_url = $_POST["communitydownloadurl"];
$community_open_tagging = $_POST["communityopentagging"];
$community_pull_content = $_POST["communitypullcontent"];
$community_push_content = $_POST["communitypushcontent"];
$community_ad_info = json_encode($_POST["ad_info"]);    

$data = array(
  "name" => $community_name,
  "apns_name" => $community_apns_name,
  "download_url" => $community_download_url,
  "open_tagging" => $community_open_tagging, 
  "pull_content" => $community_pull_content,
  "push_content" => $community_push_content,                  
  "ad_info"      => $community_ad_info
);

$api_querystring = $gl_app_api_url . "communities";

$response = CallAPI('PATCH', $api_querystring, $data, $device_id = null, $community_id = null);

The things to note here are,

the new content tyoe header tells it to be processed as a form post.

removal of the $json_data array, the "ad_info" key is not just added into the $data array

When you process this on the other side you can access the ad_info like this

$ad_info = json_decode($_POST['ad_info']);

You can access the other fields with

$apns_name = $_POST['apns_name'];

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