IWebBrowserApp.Navigate() How to send Post Data

Fábio Antunes picture Fábio Antunes · Jul 28, 2010 · Viewed 12.6k times · Source

I would be very glad if someone could show me a good example of how to send POST data with the Navigate Method, available through SHDocVw.IWebBrowserApp.

Considering for example.

That the page were we should go is: http://example.com/check.php

And should send the values of two input fields named: username and password.

EDIT

I'm attempting with my C# App to use the native Internet Explorer version 7 or higher, available on Windows OS, to send a HTTP Request to a specific URL, passing using the POST method the username and password of an user to a server side page that would handle the HTTP Response.

With IWebBrowserApp and the Navigate method I'm able to open a new window/instance of Internet Explorer and send it to a specific page (local or in the web), and if specified also send POST data and custom headers.

But the main problem its that i don't know how to write my data into a POST request to be carried by the browser.

I would appreciate help.

Answer

Fábio Antunes picture Fábio Antunes · Jul 28, 2010

I've found how to order IE to open a webpage and send some POST data.

  • Add a COM Reference named Microsoft Internet Explorer Controls to the project.

  • Then create the post string with the field and its value separated by &, and then convert that string into a byte array.

  • And in the end just had to request IE to Navigate to the url, and also send the Post Data converted into a byte array, and then add the same Header that its added when we submit a form.

Here goes:

using SHDocVw; // Don't forget

InternetExplorer IEControl = new InternetExplorer();
IWebBrowserApp IE = (IWebBrowserApp)IEControl;
IE.Visible = true;

// Convert the string into a byte array
ASCIIEncoding Encode = new ASCIIEncoding();
byte[] post = Encode.GetBytes("username=fabio&password=123");

// The destination url
string url = "http://example.com/check.php";

// The same Header that its sent when you submit a form.
string PostHeaders = "Content-Type: application/x-www-form-urlencoded";

IE.Navigate(url, null, null, post, PostHeaders);

NOTE:

To try if this works. Don't forget that your server side page would have to write/echo the Post fields named: username and password.

PHP Code Example:

<?php
echo $_POST['username'];
echo " ";
echo $_POST['password'];
?>

ASP Code Example:

<%
response.write(Request.Form("username"))
response.write(" " & Request.Form("password"))
%>

And the page would display something like this:

fabio 123