Contents

• Claim
• Description
• Examples
• Exact behavior
• Who we are and why we did this
• Shareware details
• Contacting us

Claim

The parse CGI OSAX will accelerate and simplify all your HTML form scripts. If you find that your scripts are faster and simpler with our OSAX, please send the $10 shareware fee.

Description

• It "decodes" the incoming data, just like the Decode URL OSAX
• It handles "nonstandard" representation of spaces, just like the DePlus OSAX
• It splits the arguments into individual chunks, like the Tokenize OSAX
• It looks up the value of particular form fields (new feature)
• It allows script-level handling of default values (new feature)

Example 1: Getting data from HTML forms into AppleScript variables

-- decode and parse all arguments
set formData to parse CGI arguments post_args

-- get specific fields
set first_name to CGI field "first_name" from formData
set last_name to CGI field "last_name" from formData
set processor to CGI field "processor" from formData default value "PowerPC"

Example 2: Updating Jon Wiederspan's "Level 5 Example"

Jon Wiederspan's original code:

-- this creates a list of "name=value" pairs
set postarglist to tokenize post_args with delimiters {"&"}
		
-- The section below converts the list to readable output, putting each item onto a separate line.
-- Uses DecodeURL to convert %XX encodings and Tokenize/JoinList to
-- convert "+" to spaces.
		
-- store the original AppleScript text item delimiters
set oldDelim to AppleScript's text item delimiters
-- use "=" to delimit the pairs
set AppleScript's text item delimiters to {"="}
-- initialize postargtext in case the item is empty
set postargtext to ""
-- traverse the list item by item
repeat with currpostarg in postarglist
  set postargtext to postargtext & -|
  (Decode URL (dePlus (last text item of currpostarg))) & return & return
end repeat
-- restore the old AppleScript text item delimiters settings
set AppleScript's text item delimiters to oldDelim

Updated using the parse CGI OSAX

-- initialize postargtext		
set postargtext to ""

-- decode and parse all arguments
set formData to parse CGI arguments post_args

-- traverse the list of records
repeat with currField in formData
  set postargtext to postargtext & value of currField & return & return
end repeat

Exact behavior

parse CGI arguments post_args

This OSAX does the hard part. It decodes the post arguments, including allowances for the use of "+" where "%20" would be more correct. It then creates a list of records from the POST arguments, where each record has a "field" and a "value" that are taken from the HTML form post data. So, input of "first_name=Alex%20C.&last_name=Powers" would produce:

{{field:"first_name", value:"Alex C."}, 
 {field:"last_name", value:"Powers"}}

CGI field field_name from form_data
CGI field field_name from form_data default value default_value

This OSAX performs high-speed lookups in the list of records returned by parse CGI arguments. The input is the field name to search for. If the requested field is not found, or if the field's value is empty, then an optional default value can be returned. If no default is specified, and the search fails, the empty string is returned.

The search for the field name is case sensitive, because HTML forms can have distinct fields whose names differ only in capitalization.

Who we are and why we did this

We have experience with Unix, Windows (NT and plain), and Macintosh platforms, building streamlined applications that provide powerful results. The parse CGI OSAX, we believe, is another good example of the leverage we provide to our clients, and now to the community at large.

Shareware details

• Single user: US$10
• Site license: US$200
• World-wide license: please contact us directly.
  We are interested in bundling/redistribution arrangements.

Make payable to

Document Directions, Inc.

Send to

Mark Kriegsman
Document Directions, Inc.
131 State Street
Boston, MA 02109
USA

Contacting us