HTTP Post a file and params to PHP page using VB.net - vb.net

Question

I found this code in order to do a PHP Post in VB.NET with params, however I don't really understand how to also send a file with it as well?
My PHP page watches for $_POST["file"] and I just need to be able to send foo=bar & foo2=bar to my PHP page, and also upload "file" as well.
Here is the method I been using so far and seems to be working OK with posting the foo and foo2
Public Function PHP(ByVal url As String, ByVal method As String, ByVal data As String)
Try
Dim request As System.Net.WebRequest = System.Net.WebRequest.Create(url)
request.Method = method
Dim postData = data
Dim byteArray As Byte() = System.Text.Encoding.UTF8.GetBytes(postData)
request.ContentType = "application/x-www-form-urlencoded"
request.ContentLength = byteArray.Length
Dim dataStream As Stream = request.GetRequestStream()
dataStream.Write(byteArray, 0, byteArray.Length)
dataStream.Close()
Dim response As WebResponse = request.GetResponse()
dataStream = response.GetResponseStream()
Dim reader As New StreamReader(dataStream)
Dim responseFromServer As String = reader.ReadToEnd()
reader.Close()
dataStream.Close()
response.Close()
Return (responseFromServer)
Catch ex As Exception
Dim error1 As String = ErrorToString()
If error1 = "Invalid URI: The format of the URI could not be determined." Then
MsgBox("ERROR! Must have HTTP:// before the URL.")
Else
MsgBox(error1)
End If
Return ("ERROR")
End Try
End Function

Answer 1

I found an awesome class a guy named Greg wrote originally in C# that I had gotten converted to VB.NET and it works beautifully. It was found on: http://www.c-sharpcorner.com/UploadFile/gregoryprentice/DotNetBugs12062005230632PM/DotNetBugs.aspx
To use code below..
Dim form As New MultipartForm(URL)
form.setField("param1", "foo")
form.setField("param2", "bar")
form.sendFile("C:\test.PDF")
Dim Response as String = form.ResponseText.ToString
Below is the actual in case the URL ever breaks because its such a great piece of code which is now in VB.NET
Imports System.Net
Imports System.Text
Imports System.IO
Imports System.Collections
Namespace norvanco.http
''' <summary>
''' Allow the transfer of data files using the W3C's specification
''' for HTTP multipart form data. Microsoft's version has a bug
''' where it does not format the ending boundary correctly.
''' Written by: gregoryp#norvanco.com
''' </summary>
Public Class MultipartForm
''' <summary>
''' Holds any form fields and values that you
''' wish to transfer with your data.
''' </summary>
Private coFormFields As Hashtable
''' <summary>
''' Used mainly to avoid passing parameters to other routines.
''' Could have been local to sendFile().
''' </summary>
Protected coRequest As HttpWebRequest
''' <summary>
''' Used if we are testing and want to output the raw
''' request, minus http headers, out to a file.
''' </summary>
Private coFileStream As System.IO.Stream
''' <summary>
''' Difined to build the form field data that is being
''' passed along with the request.
''' </summary>
Shared CONTENT_DISP As String = "Content-Disposition: form-data; name="
''' <summary>
''' Allows you to specify the specific version of HTTP to use for uploads.
''' The dot NET stuff currently does not allow you to remove the continue-100 header
''' from 1.1 and 1.0 currently has a bug in it where it adds the continue-100. MS
''' has sent a patch to remove the continue-100 in HTTP 1.0.
''' </summary>
Public Property TransferHttpVersion() As Version
Get
Return coHttpVersion
End Get
Set(ByVal value As Version)
coHttpVersion = value
End Set
End Property
Private coHttpVersion As Version
''' <summary>
''' Used to change the content type of the file being sent.
''' Currently defaults to: text/xml. Other options are
''' text/plain or binary
''' </summary>
Public Property FileContentType() As String
Get
Return coFileContentType
End Get
Set(ByVal value As String)
coFileContentType = value
End Set
End Property
Private coFileContentType As String
''' <summary>
''' Initialize our class for use to send data files.
''' </summary>
''' <param name="url">The web address of the recipient of the data transfer.</param>
Public Sub New(ByVal url__1 As String)
URL = url__1
coFormFields = New Hashtable()
ResponseText = New StringBuilder()
BufferSize = 1024 * 10
BeginBoundary = "ou812--------------8c405ee4e38917c"
TransferHttpVersion = HttpVersion.Version11
FileContentType = "text/xml"
End Sub
'---------- BEGIN PROPERTIES SECTION ----------
Private _BeginBoundary As String
''' <summary>
''' The string that defines the begining boundary of
''' our multipart transfer as defined in the w3c specs.
''' This method also sets the Content and Ending
''' boundaries as defined by the w3c specs.
''' </summary>
Public Property BeginBoundary() As String
Get
Return _BeginBoundary
End Get
Set(ByVal value As String)
_BeginBoundary = value
ContentBoundary = Convert.ToString("--") & BeginBoundary
EndingBoundary = ContentBoundary & Convert.ToString("--")
End Set
End Property
''' <summary>
''' The string that defines the content boundary of
''' our multipart transfer as defined in the w3c specs.
''' </summary>
Protected Property ContentBoundary() As String
Get
Return _ContentBoundary
End Get
Set(ByVal value As String)
_ContentBoundary = value
End Set
End Property
Private _ContentBoundary As String
''' <summary>
''' The string that defines the ending boundary of
''' our multipart transfer as defined in the w3c specs.
''' </summary>
Protected Property EndingBoundary() As String
Get
Return _EndingBoundary
End Get
Set(ByVal value As String)
_EndingBoundary = value
End Set
End Property
Private _EndingBoundary As String
''' <summary>
''' The data returned to us after the transfer is completed.
''' </summary>
Public Property ResponseText() As StringBuilder
Get
Return _ResponseText
End Get
Set(ByVal value As StringBuilder)
_ResponseText = value
End Set
End Property
Private _ResponseText As StringBuilder
''' <summary>
''' The web address of the recipient of the transfer.
''' </summary>
Public Property URL() As String
Get
Return _URL
End Get
Set(ByVal value As String)
_URL = value
End Set
End Property
Private _URL As String
''' <summary>
''' Allows us to determine the size of the buffer used
''' to send a piece of the file at a time out the IO
''' stream. Defaults to 1024 * 10.
''' </summary>
Public Property BufferSize() As Integer
Get
Return _BufferSize
End Get
Set(ByVal value As Integer)
_BufferSize = value
End Set
End Property
Private _BufferSize As Integer
'---------- END PROPERTIES SECTION ----------
''' <summary>
''' Used to signal we want the output to go to a
''' text file verses being transfered to a URL.
''' </summary>
''' <param name="path"></param>
Public Sub setFilename(ByVal path As String)
coFileStream = New System.IO.FileStream(path, FileMode.Create, FileAccess.Write)
End Sub
''' <summary>
''' Allows you to add some additional field data to be
''' sent along with the transfer. This is usually used
''' for things like userid and password to validate the
''' transfer.
''' </summary>
''' <param name="key">The form field name</param>
''' <param name="str">The form field value</param>
Public Sub setField(ByVal key As String, ByVal str As String)
coFormFields(key) = str
End Sub
''' <summary>
''' Determines if we have a file stream set, and returns either
''' the HttpWebRequest stream of the file.
''' </summary>
''' <returns></returns>
Public Overridable Function getStream() As System.IO.Stream
Dim io As System.IO.Stream
If coFileStream Is Nothing Then
io = coRequest.GetRequestStream()
Else
io = coFileStream
End If
Return io
End Function
''' <summary>
''' Here we actually make the request to the web server and
''' retrieve it's response into a text buffer.
''' </summary>
Public Overridable Sub getResponse()
If coFileStream Is Nothing Then
Dim io As System.IO.Stream
Dim oResponse As WebResponse
Try
oResponse = coRequest.GetResponse()
Catch web As WebException
oResponse = web.Response
End Try
If oResponse IsNot Nothing Then
io = oResponse.GetResponseStream()
Dim sr As New StreamReader(io)
Dim str As String
ResponseText.Length = 0
While (InlineAssignHelper(str, sr.ReadLine())) IsNot Nothing
ResponseText.Append(str)
End While
oResponse.Close()
Console.Write(ResponseText)
Else
Throw New Exception("MultipartForm: Error retrieving server response")
End If
End If
End Sub
''' <summary>
''' Transmits a file to the web server stated in the
''' URL property. You may call this several times and it
''' will use the values previously set for fields and URL.
''' </summary>
''' <param name="aFilename">The full path of file being transfered.</param>
Public Sub sendFile(ByVal aFilename As String)
' The live of this object is only good during
' this function. Used mainly to avoid passing
' around parameters to other functions.
coRequest = DirectCast(WebRequest.Create(URL), HttpWebRequest)
' Set use HTTP 1.0 or 1.1.
coRequest.ProtocolVersion = TransferHttpVersion
coRequest.Method = "POST"
coRequest.ContentType = Convert.ToString("multipart/form-data; boundary=") & BeginBoundary
coRequest.Headers.Add("Cache-Control", "no-cache")
coRequest.KeepAlive = True
Dim strFields As String = getFormfields()
Dim strFileHdr As String = getFileheader(aFilename)
Dim strFileTlr As String = getFiletrailer()
Dim info As New FileInfo(aFilename)
coRequest.ContentLength = strFields.Length + strFileHdr.Length + strFileTlr.Length + info.Length
Dim io As System.IO.Stream
io = getStream()
writeString(io, strFields)
writeString(io, strFileHdr)
Me.writeFile(io, aFilename)
writeString(io, strFileTlr)
getResponse()
io.Close()
' End the life time of this request object.
coRequest = Nothing
End Sub
''' <summary>
''' Mainly used to turn the string into a byte buffer and then
''' write it to our IO stream.
''' </summary>
''' <param name="io">The io stream for output.</param>
''' <param name="str">The data to write.</param>
Public Sub writeString(ByVal io As System.IO.Stream, ByVal str As String)
Dim PostData As Byte() = System.Text.Encoding.ASCII.GetBytes(str)
io.Write(PostData, 0, PostData.Length)
End Sub
''' <summary>
''' Builds the proper format of the multipart data that
''' contains the form fields and their respective values.
''' </summary>
''' <returns>The data to send in the multipart upload.</returns>
Public Function getFormfields() As String
Dim str As String = ""
Dim myEnumerator As IDictionaryEnumerator = coFormFields.GetEnumerator()
While myEnumerator.MoveNext()
str += (Convert.ToString(ContentBoundary & Convert.ToString(vbCr & vbLf)) & CONTENT_DISP) + """"c + myEnumerator.Key + """" & vbCr & vbLf & vbCr & vbLf + myEnumerator.Value + vbCr & vbLf
End While
Return str
End Function
''' <summary>
''' Returns the proper content information for the
''' file we are sending.
''' </summary>
''' <remarks>
''' Hits Patel reported a bug when used with ActiveFile.
''' Added semicolon after sendfile to resolve that issue.
''' Tested for compatibility with IIS 5.0 and Java.
''' </remarks>
''' <param name="aFilename"></param>
''' <returns></returns>
Public Function getFileheader(ByVal aFilename As String) As String
Return (Convert.ToString((Convert.ToString(ContentBoundary & Convert.ToString(vbCr & vbLf)) & CONTENT_DISP) + """file1""; filename=""" + Path.GetFileName(aFilename) + """" & vbCr & vbLf + "Content-type: ") & FileContentType) + vbCr & vbLf & vbCr & vbLf
End Function
''' <summary>
''' Creates the proper ending boundary for the multipart upload.
''' </summary>
''' <returns>The ending boundary.</returns>
Public Function getFiletrailer() As String
Return Convert.ToString(vbCr & vbLf) & EndingBoundary
End Function
''' <summary>
''' Reads in the file a chunck at a time then sends it to the
''' output stream.
''' </summary>
''' <param name="io">The io stream to write the file to.</param>
''' <param name="aFilename">The name of the file to transfer.</param>
Public Sub writeFile(ByVal io As System.IO.Stream, ByVal aFilename As String)
Dim readIn As New FileStream(aFilename, FileMode.Open, FileAccess.Read)
readIn.Seek(0, SeekOrigin.Begin)
' move to the start of the file
Dim fileData As Byte() = New Byte(BufferSize - 1) {}
Dim bytes As Integer
While (InlineAssignHelper(bytes, readIn.Read(fileData, 0, BufferSize))) > 0
' read the file data and send a chunk at a time
io.Write(fileData, 0, bytes)
End While
readIn.Close()
End Sub
Private Shared Function InlineAssignHelper(Of T)(ByRef target As T, ByVal value As T) As T
target = value
Return value
End Function
End Class
End Namespace