Post JSON encoded and normal string data using CURL in PHP - 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.

Answer 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);
...

Answer 2

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'];