HTTP Client protocol: HTTP Options tab

HTTP pane

This tables shows the HTTP configuration parameters:

Parameter Description
URL Specify the URL with which the engine is to interact. This can be the address of a resource on the web, such as a remote document or CGI script.
Headers Specify a Tcl keyed list of valid HTTP client headers. This list is made up of name-value pairs, consistent with the HTTP Client protocol. For example:
{Accept text/*} {Cookie id=141} 
{User-Agent CL6.2}   
Method Click the arrow to select the HTTP method from the menu:
  • GET is mainly used for retrieving documents, but is also used with scripts if parameters are passed in the URL itself.
  • POST is used for CGI scripts and forms, passing data within the body of the HTTP transmission.
  • PUT is used for sending local data to a remote web server, if permissions permit.
Timeout Specify the time-out value in seconds. This is the time for the libcurl transfer operation to take. If no time-out is defined, then there is no time-out limit for the data transfer.
Local Binding Address Specify the IP address or a resolvable host name, or click List to make a selection. This field can be left blank in non-load balanced environments.
HTTPS Select this to enable the security feature, which uses HTTPS for connecting to secure sites. Click ConfigureHTTPS dialog box, where HTTPS settings such as certificates and keys are made. to open the
Authorization HTTP authorization is used when connecting to a web server that does not use HTTPS, but instead uses a user name/password access requirement.

Select this to use authorization information such as user name and password. Click Configure to open the Authorization dialog box.

Proxy Select this to enable the HTTPS Proxy server. Click Configure to open the Proxy Configuration dialog box, where the host, port, user ID, and password are configured.

HTTPS configuration

Select HTTPS on the HTTP Protocol Properties dialog box and click Configure. See Protocol GUI security settings.

This tables shows the HTTPS parameters:
Parameter Description
Mode Select the mode from the menu.
SSL Protocol This is used to select the openSSL version from the menu.. When you select an SSL protocol, a description of the selected protocol is shown in the comment field together with the Mode description.
SSL Cipher Suites Set ciphers in this field. If no cipher is set, then the default cipher suites are used. If this field is not set, then the default cipher suites are used.
  • Anonymous mode:

    server: !DEFAULT:HIGH:ADH

  • Client: ALL
  • Non-anonymous mode:

    HIGH:RC4+RSA:+MD5:!DHE:!3DES:!EXP:!ADH:!AES256-SHA:!AES128-SHA:!EDH:!aNULL:!eNULL:!NULL

Driver Control Procedures pane

This tables shows the driver control procedures parameters:

Parameter Description
Driver Mode Select the mode from the menu:
  • Message Driven enables the Query TPS similar to an Outbound Data TPS. Each message arriving on the outbound data queue enables the Query TPS in RUN mode. There is no query interval involved in Message Driven mode.
  • Time Driven repeatedly enables the Query TPS according to the given query interval. Use this option to perform repeated web queries on a static location over a certain interval. For example, this can be used to periodically query a remote web server for documents that have been modified from the last query, and then retrieve any newly published content.

    The Query TPS is called with a TPS Mode of RUN in Message Driven mode, and TIME in Time Driven mode.

    Use advanced scheduling is available only in Time Driven mode.

Query TPS Click Edit to open the TPS Editor, from which you can specify one or more Tcl procedures to invoke by the HTTP Client driver. You can also configure custom arguments.

For a POST, httpQuery is required, as it is the system-provided Tcl procedure to use. When POST is the Method, you must use the {MSGUSE DATA} argument. This tells the httpQuery proc to use the message content as the DATA to be POSTed, instead of the URL to use (the default).

Query Interval Specify the time interval in which to invoke the TPS specified in the Query TPS option. This option is available only in Time Driven mode.
Use advanced scheduling Select this to define when a selected TPS should be run, according to an event-based schedule, instead of a query interval. Then, click Setup to open the Scheduling dialog box.

These settings control the interaction between the HTTP Client driver and its custom UPoCs.

Start-Up Procedures pane

Click Edit to open the TPS Editor. Use this dialog box to select the procedures to run when the thread starts. This is a TPS (Tcl Procedure Stream). Use it to trade messages with the remote end.