curl/docs/libcurl/curl_formadd.3

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.TH curl_formadd 3 "24 June 2002" "libcurl 7.9.8" "libcurl Manual"
.SH NAME
curl_formadd - add a section to a multipart/formdata HTTP POST
.SH SYNOPSIS
.B #include <curl/curl.h>
.sp
.BI "CURLFORMcode curl_formadd(struct HttpPost ** " firstitem,
.BI "struct HttpPost ** " lastitem, " ...);"
.ad
.SH DESCRIPTION
curl_formadd() is used to append sections when building a multipart/formdata
HTTP POST (sometimes refered to as rfc1867-style posts). Append one section at
a time until you've added all the sections you want included and then you pass
the \fIfirstitem\fP pointer as parameter to \fBCURLOPT_HTTPPOST\fP.
\fIlastitem\fP is set after each call and on repeated invokes it should be
left as set to allow repeated invokes to find the end of the list faster.

After the \fIlastitem\fP pointer follow the real arguments.

The pointers \fI*firstitem\fP and \fI*lastitem\fP should both be pointing to
NULL in the first call to this function. All list-data will be allocated by
the function itself. You must call \fIcurl_formfree\fP after the form post has
been done to free the resources again.

First, there are some basics you need to understand about multipart/formdata
posts. Each part consists of at least a NAME and a CONTENTS part. If the part
is made for file upload, there are also a stored CONTENT-TYPE and a
FILENAME. Below here, we'll discuss on what options you use to set these
properties in the parts you want to add to your post.
.SH OPTIONS
.B CURLFORM_COPYNAME
followed by string is used to set the name of this part. libcurl copies the
given data, so your application doesn't need to keep it around after this
function call. If the name isn't zero terminated properly, or if you'd like it
to contain zero bytes, you need to set the length of the name with
\fBCURLFORM_NAMELENGTH\fP.

.B CURLFORM_PTRNAME
followed by a string is used for the name of this part. libcurl will use the
pointer and refer to the data in your application, you must make sure it
remains until curl no longer needs it. If the name isn't zero terminated
properly, or if you'd like it to contain zero bytes, you need to set the
length of the name with \fBCURLFORM_NAMELENGTH\fP.

.B CURLFORM_COPYCONTENTS
followed by a string is used for the contents of this part, the actual data to
send away. libcurl copies the given data, so your application doesn't need to
keep it around after this function call (\f). If the data isn't zero terminated
properly, or if you'd like it to contain zero bytes, you need to set the
length of the name with \fBCURLFORM_CONTENTSLENGTH\fP.

.B CURLFORM_PTRCONTENTS
followed by a string is used for the contents of this part, the actual data to
send away. libcurl will use the pointer and refer to the data in your
application, you must make sure it remains until curl no longer needs it. If
the data isn't zero terminated properly, or if you'd like it to contain zero
bytes, you need to set the length of the name with
\fBCURLFORM_CONTENTSLENGTH\fP.

.B CURLFORM_FILECONTENT
followed by a file name, makes that file read and the contents will be used in
as data in this part.

.B CURLFORM_FILE
followed by a file name, makes this part a file upload part. It sets the file
name field to the actual file name used here, it gets the contents of the file
and passes as data and sets the content-type if the given file match one of
the new internally known file extension.  For \fBCURLFORM_FILE\fP the user may
send one or more files in one part by providing multiple \fBCURLFORM_FILE\fP
arguments each followed by the filename (and each CURLFORM_FILE is allowed to
have a CURLFORM_CONTENTTYPE).

.B CURLFORM_CONTENTTYPE
followed by a pointer to a string with a content-type will make curl use this
given content-type for this file upload part, possibly instead of an
internally chosen one.

.B CURLFORM_FILENAME
followed by a pointer to a string to a name, will make libcurl use the given
name in the file upload part, intead of the actual file name given to
\fICURLFORM_FILE\fP.

.B BCURLFORM_BUFFER
followed by a string, tells libcurl that a buffer is to be used to upload data
instead of using a file. The given string is used as the value of the file
name field in the content header.

.B CURLFORM_BUFFERPTR
followed by a pointer to a data area, tells libcurl the address of the buffer
containing data to upload (as indicated with \fICURLFORM_BUFFER\fP). The
buffer containing this data must not be freed until after curl_easy_cleanup is
called.

.B CURLFORM_BUFFERLENGTH
followed by a long with the size of the \fICURLFORM_BUFFERPTR\fP data area,
tells libcurl the length of the buffer to upload.

.B CURLFORM_ARRAY
Another possibility to send options to curl_formadd() is the
\fBCURLFORM_ARRAY\fP option, that passes a struct curl_forms array pointer as
its value. Each curl_forms structure element has a CURLformoption and a char
pointer. The final element in the array must be a CURLFORM_END. All available
options can be used in an array, except the CURLFORM_ARRAY option itself!  The
last argument in such an array must always be \fBCURLFORM_END\fP.

.B CURLFORM_CONTENTHEADER
specifies extra headers for the form POST section.  This takes a curl_slist
prepared in the usual way using \fBcurl_slist_append\fP and appends the list
of headers to those libcurl automatically generates. The list must exist while
the POST occurs, if you free it before the post completes you may experience
problems.

When you've passed the HttpPost pointer to \fIcurl_easy_setopt\fP (using the
\fICURLOPT_HTTPPOST\fP option), you must not free the list until after you've
called \fIcurl_easy_cleanup\fP for the curl handle.

See example below.
.SH RETURN VALUE
0 means everything was ok, non-zero means an error occurred as
.I <curl/curl.h>
defines.
.SH EXAMPLE
.nf

 struct HttpPost* post = NULL;
 struct HttpPost* last = NULL;
 char namebuffer[] = "name buffer";
 long namelength = strlen(namebuffer);
 char buffer[] = "test buffer";
 char htmlbuffer[] = "<HTML>test buffer</HTML>";
 long htmlbufferlength = strlen(htmlbuffer);
 struct curl_forms forms[3];
 char file1[] = "my-face.jpg";
 char file2[] = "your-face.jpg";
 /* add null character into htmlbuffer, to demonstrate that
    transfers of buffers containing null characters actually work
 */
 htmlbuffer[8] = '\\0';

 /* Add simple name/content section */
 curl_formadd(&post, &last, CURLFORM_COPYNAME, "name",
              CURLFORM_COPYCONTENTS, "content", CURLFORM_END); 

 /* Add simple name/content/contenttype section */
 curl_formadd(&post, &last, CURLFORM_COPYNAME, "htmlcode",
              CURLFORM_COPYCONTENTS, "<HTML></HTML>",
              CURLFORM_CONTENTTYPE, "text/html", CURLFORM_END);

 /* Add name/ptrcontent section */
 curl_formadd(&post, &last, CURLFORM_COPYNAME, "name_for_ptrcontent",
              CURLFORM_PTRCONTENTS, buffer, CURLFORM_END);

 /* Add ptrname/ptrcontent section */
 curl_formadd(&post, &last, CURLFORM_PTRNAME, namebuffer,
	      CURLFORM_PTRCONTENTS, buffer, CURLFORM_NAMELENGTH,
	      namelength, CURLFORM_END);

 /* Add name/ptrcontent/contenttype section */
 curl_formadd(&post, &last, CURLFORM_COPYNAME, "html_code_with_hole",
              CURLFORM_PTRCONTENTS, htmlbuffer,
              CURLFORM_CONTENTSLENGTH, htmlbufferlength,
              CURLFORM_CONTENTTYPE, "text/html", CURLFORM_END);

 /* Add simple file section */
 curl_formadd(&post, &last, CURLFORM_COPYNAME, "picture",
              CURLFORM_FILE, "my-face.jpg", CURLFORM_END);

 /* Add file/contenttype section */
 curl_formadd(&post, &last, CURLFORM_COPYNAME, "picture",
              CURLFORM_FILE, "my-face.jpg",
              CURLFORM_CONTENTTYPE, "image/jpeg", CURLFORM_END);

 /* Add two file section */
 curl_formadd(&post, &last, CURLFORM_COPYNAME, "pictures",
              CURLFORM_FILE, "my-face.jpg",
              CURLFORM_FILE, "your-face.jpg", CURLFORM_END);

 /* Add two file section using CURLFORM_ARRAY */
 forms[0].option = CURLFORM_FILE;
 forms[0].value  = file1;
 forms[1].option = CURLFORM_FILE;
 forms[1].value  = file2;
 forms[2].option  = CURLFORM_END;

 /* Add a buffer to upload */
 curl_formadd(&post, &last,
              CURLFORM_COPYNAME, "name",
              CURLFORM_BUFFER, "data",
              CURLFORM_BUFFERPTR, record,
              CURLFORM_BUFFERLENGTH, record_length,
              CURLFORM_END);

 /* no option needed for the end marker */
 curl_formadd(&post, &last, CURLFORM_COPYNAME, "pictures",
              CURLFORM_ARRAY, forms, CURLFORM_END);
 /* Add the content of a file as a normal post text value */
 curl_formadd(&post, &last, CURLFORM_COPYNAME, "filecontent",
              CURLFORM_FILECONTENT, ".bashrc", CURLFORM_END);
 /* Set the form info */
 curl_easy_setopt(curl, CURLOPT_HTTPPOST, post);

.SH "SEE ALSO"
.BR curl_easy_setopt "(3), "
.BR curl_formparse "(3) [deprecated], "
.BR curl_formfree "(3)"
.SH BUGS
Surely there are some, you tell me!