httpUtils

Utility for handling http querystrings and other http related stuff such as:

1. Querystring parsing
2. Querystring to Json
3. Json to querystring
4. Percent encoding and decoding
5. Queristring nested bracket notation utils
6. Json value generic parsing from string

Table of contents

• httpUtils
• Table of contents
• Install
  • Using boss
• Usage
  • querystring
    • From querystring
    • From json
    • To querystring
    • To querystringList
    • To json
    • To jsonObject
  • httpUtils
    • percent encoding
    • querystring brackets
    • json value parsing
• Tests
• Error handling
• TODO

Install

Using boss

Just use the following command:

$ boss install github.com/Joao-Peterson/httputils

If asked for permission, you can login with your gitlab credentials. (must be done in powershell or cmd with administrator mode)

$ boss login
> Url to login (ex: github.com): github.com
> Use SSH(y or n):
> n
> Username: your_username
> Password: your_password

Note: ssh isn't supported, hence the 'n' for not using ssh. See this issue with boss: HashLoad/boss#52.

Usage

querystring

Start by including including querystringU.pas.

A querystring is a & delimited string with key/value pairs that is percent/url encoded and is usually present in the http URI:

http://site.com?key=value&key2=value2&encodedvalue=%20%3A%2F%

Or inside the body of a Content-Type: x-www-form-urlencoded http request:

http://site.com
Content-Type: x-www-form-urlencoded

Body:
key=value&key2=value2&encodedvalue=+%3A%2F%

With the queristringT class you can easly parse this kind of data to multiple formats, including JSON!.

From querystring

var qs: querystringT := querystringT.Create();
qs.parseQuerystring('key=value&key2=value2&encodedvalue=+%3A%2F%');

From json

var qs: querystringT := querystringT.Create();
qs.parseJson('{"key":"value","key2":"value2","encodedvalue":" :/"', true);

Or from a JsonObject:

var json := TJSONObject.ParseJSONValue('{"key":"value","key2":"value2","encodedvalue":" :/"') as TJSONObject;
var qs: querystringT := querystringT.Create();
qs.parseJson(json, true);

The last argument refeers to as how the json null should be interpeted. If true then value: "null" If false then value: ""

To querystring

var qs: string := qs.toQuerystring(true);

Where the true sets the output to be percent/url encoded.

To querystringList

Can be used to access key/values pair.

var qs: TStringList := qs.toQuerystringList(true);

WriteLN(qs.Keys[0]);
WriteLN(qs.Values['key1']);
WriteLN(qs.ValuesByIndex['0']);

Where the true sets the output to be percent/url encoded.

To json

Notes:

1. Nested values in querystring form are of the form value[child][grandchild]=42.
2. Nested values are converted to nested json objects. {"value":{"child":{"grandchild": 42}}}.
3. Nested values with numbers are converted to arrays. value[1][grandchild]=42 -> {"value":["grandchild": 42]}.
4. Sometimes the conversion from querystring to json to querystring again can be not equal, that's because compromisses are made in order to achieved a more natural json, no value will be lost, but if a name contains illegal characters it may be parsed as a separator, so the json will be generated differently and consequentially the new querystring.

var json: string := qs.toJson(true, true, true, true);

Where the 4 arguments are:

parseBool: Boolean = true      // define if 'true' and 'false' should be parsed from string to Boolean if true
parseNull: Boolean = true      // define if 'null' should be parsed from '' to 'null' if true
parseFloats: Boolean = true    // define if a float should be parsed from a string to Extended if true
parseIntegers: Boolean = true  // define if a integer should be parsed from a string to Integer if true

To jsonObject

var json: TJSONObject := qs.toJsonObject(true, true, true, true);

Where the 4 arguments are:

parseBool: Boolean = true      // define if 'true' and 'false' should be parsed from string to Boolean if true
parseNull: Boolean = true      // define if 'null' should be parsed from '' to 'null' if true
parseFloats: Boolean = true    // define if a float should be parsed from a string to Extended if true
parseIntegers: Boolean = true  // define if a integer should be parsed from a string to Integer if true

httpUtils

Start by including including httpUtilsU.pas.

This utils are for handling miscellaneous http related tasks, feel free to read about them, they might be useful for your use case.

All methods are class ones.

percent encoding

var encoded: string := httpUtilsT.percentEncode(input, true);

The second boolean is for switching the URI/x-www-form-urlencoded type, the difference is:

uri:        ' ' = '%20'
urlencoded: ' ' = '+'

Decoded is of the same form:

var decoded: string := httpUtilsT.percentDecode(encoded, true);

querystring brackets

substitute points on a string for '[' and ']'. Ex: 'a.b.c' -> 'a[b][c]'

class function pointsToBrackets(input: string): string;

substitute brackets on a string for '.'. Ex: 'a[b][c]' -> 'a.b.c'

class function bracketsToPoints(input: string): string;

split a string by brackets. Ex: 'a[b][c]' -> '(a, b, c)'

class function bracketsSplit(input: string): TArray<String>;

json value parsing

Given a string that may contain a json standard value, such as true, null or -23.45E+5, this function can parse the value from a string to the correct type using a record with case:

var parsed: jsonValueT := httpUtilsT.parseJsonValue(valueString, true, true, true, true);

case parsed.jsonType of 
    jsonNull: 													// indicates a null value;        
    jsonBoolean:	var num: boolean 	:= parsed.booleanValue; // access boolean value      
    jsonInteger:	var num: integer 	:= parsed.integerValue; // access integer value      
    jsonFloat:  	var num: extended 	:= parsed.floatValue;   // access extended value       
    jsonString: 	var num: string 	:= parsed.stringValue;  // access string value  
end;     

Tests

Tests are done by the testsU.pas file using DunitX, or rather, a fork i made that uses boss to be installed.

Error handling

Just use try-exception blocks.

TODO

1. URIBuilder()