I need to have my Apache/PHP 4.3.0 server act as a client browser and navigate to a restricted site that uses session cookies. The PHP script needs to:

1. Login:
    $url_login = 'https://www.secure.com/scripts/cgi.exe/uv.w?request=login&login=myaccount&password=mypass word';
    copy($url_login,$response_file);

2. Gather data and process:
    $url_data = 'https://www.secure.com/scripts/cgi.exe/uv.w?request=getdata&index=3';
    copy($url_data,$data_file);
    process_data($data_file);

3. Logout:
    $url_logout = 'http://www.secure.com/bye.asp?request=logout';
    copy($url_logout, $response_file);

Steps 1 and 3 work fine since they don't require session cookies. Step 2 fails since session cookie info is not stored by step 1 and subsequently sent in the HTTP header of the 'copy' function in step 2.

Questions:

1. How can step 1 get the HTTP header cookie information from the 'copy' request? (or suggested equivalent functionality).

2. How can step 2 supply the HTTP header cookie information in the 'copy' request? (or suggested equivalent functionality).

TNX for your help.

Philibuster

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Philibuster

The best solution to this requirement appears to be LibCurl. It will handle most of the HTTP functionality including cookies.

Philibuster