Internet service – PB Docs 2022

Note

Inet object is considered to be obsolete.
Obsolete features are still available to use, but are no
longer eligible for technical support and will no longer be enhanced.
You can replace it by using the WebBrowser control or the HTTPClient
object.

• Display a Web page in the default browser (HyperLinkToURL
  function, which starts the default browser with the specified
  URL)

• Access the HTML for a specified page (GetURL function, which
  performs an HTTP Get)

• Send data to a CGI, ISAPI, or NSAPI program (PostURL function,
  which performs an HTTP Post)

To hyperlink to a URL:

1. Declare an instance or global variable of type inet:

   PowerBuilder

   inet iinet_base

   1	inet  iinet_base

2. Create the Internet service by calling the GetContextService
   function:

   PowerBuilder

   THIS.GetContextService("inet", iinet_base)

   1	THIS.GetContextService("inet", iinet_base)

3. Call the HyperLinkToURL function, passing the URL of the page
   to display when the browser starts:

   PowerBuilder

   iinet_base.HyperlinkToURL & ("https://www.appeon.com")

   1 2	iinet_base.HyperlinkToURL  &    ("https://www.appeon.com")

To perform an HTTP Get:

1. Declare an instance or global variable of type Inet. Also
   declare an instance or global variable using the descendant
   InternetResult object as the datatype (n_ir_msgbox in this
   example):

   PowerBuilder

   Inet iinet_base n_ir_msgbox iir_msgbox

   1 2	Inet iinet_base n_ir_msgbox  iir_msgbox

2. Create the Internet service by calling the GetContextService
   function:

   PowerBuilder

   THIS.GetContextService("Internet", iinet_base)

   1	THIS.GetContextService("Internet", iinet_base)

3. Create an instance of the descendant InternetResult
   object:

   PowerBuilder

   iir_msgbox = CREATE n_ir_msgbox

   1	iir_msgbox = CREATE n_ir_msgbox

4. Call the GetURL function, passing the URL of the page to be
   returned and a reference to the instance of the descendant
   InternetResult object:

   PowerBuilder

   iinet_base.GetURL & ("http://www.appeon.com", iir_msgbox)

   1 2	iinet_base.GetURL  &    ("http://www.appeon.com", iir_msgbox)

   When the GetURL function completes, it calls the InternetData
   function defined in the descendant InternetResult object, passing
   the HTML for the specified URL.

To perform an HTTP Post:

1. Declare an instance or global variable of type Inet. Also
   declare an instance or global variable using the descendant
   InternetResult object as the datatype (n_ir_msgbox in this
   example):

   PowerBuilder

   Inet iinet_base n_ir_msgbox iir_msgbox

   1 2	Inet  iinet_base n_ir_msgbox  iir_msgbox

2. Create the Internet service by calling the GetContextService
   function:

   PowerBuilder

   THIS.GetContextService("Internet", iinet_base)

   1	THIS.GetContextService("Internet", iinet_base)

3. Create an instance of the descendant InternetResult
   object:

   PowerBuilder

   iir_msgbox = CREATE n_ir_msgbox

   1	iir_msgbox = CREATE n_ir_msgbox

4. Establish the arguments to the PostURL function:

   PowerBuilder

   Blob lblb_args String ls_headers String ls_url Long ll_length ls_url = "http://coltrane.appeon.com/" ls_url += "cgi-bin/pbcgi80.exe/" ls_url += "myapp/n_cst_html/f_test?" lblb_args = Blob("") ll_length = Len(lblb_args) ls_headers = "Content-Length: " & + String(ll_length) + "~n~n"

   1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11

   Blob    lblb_args String  ls_headers String  ls_url Long    ll_length ls_url = "http://coltrane.appeon.com/" ls_url += "cgi-bin/pbcgi80.exe/" ls_url += "myapp/n_cst_html/f_test?" lblb_args = Blob("") ll_length = Len(lblb_args) ls_headers = "Content-Length: "  &    + String(ll_length) + "~n~n"

5. Call the PostURL function, passing the URL of the routine to
   be executed, the arguments, the header, an optional server port
   specification, and a reference to the instance of the descendant
   InternetResult object:

   PowerBuilder

   iinet_base.PostURL & (ls_url, lblb_args, ls_headers, 8080, iir_msgbox)

   1 2	iinet_base.PostURL  &    (ls_url, lblb_args, ls_headers, 8080, iir_msgbox)

   When the PostURL function completes, it calls the InternetData
   function defined in the descendant InternetResult object, passing
   the HTML returned by the specified routine.

Implement in descendants of InternetResult

You implement this feature by creating standard class user
objects of type InternetResult. In each of these descendant user
objects, define an InternetData function to process the passed HTML as
appropriate.

To implement a descendant InternetResult object:

1. Create a standard class user object of type
   InternetResult.

2. Declare a new user object function as follows:

   • Name

     InternetData

   • Access

     Public

   • Returns

     Integer

   • Argument name

     Data, passed by value

   • Argument datatype

     Blob

3. Add code to the InternetData function that processes the
   returned HTML as appropriate. This example simply displays the HTML
   in a MessageBox:

   PowerBuilder

   MessageBox("Returned HTML", & String(data, EncodingANSI!)) Return 1

   1 2 3

   MessageBox("Returned HTML", &    String(data, EncodingANSI!)) Return 1