HTTP Request
🔗 Original page — Source of this material
Description
You can create any type of HTTP request: Put, Delete, Head, Options, Patch, Trace.
For POST and GET requests, there are separate actions - POST request and ❗→ GET request
How to Add the Action to Your Project
Through the context menu Add action → HTTP → HTTP Request
Or you can use the ❗→ smart search.
What Is It Used For?
- Running the project without a browser
- Sending data to a resource
- Uploading files to a server
- Getting data from a website
- Working with API services
How to Work with the Action: "Main" Tab
Request Type
Select the required request from the list:
Put Delete Head
Options Patch Trace
URL
The address of the site to which the request will be sent. You may use a ❗→ variable.
Referer
The request header *Referer contains the URL of the source page from which the link to the current page was followed. The *Referer header allows the server to know where the request to the current page came from.
You can use ❗→ variable macros.
Encoding
The encoding in which the request will be sent.
Timeout
The maximum waiting time for a response from the site, in seconds. If the specified time is reached, the action will end with an error and exit via the red branch.
You can use ❗→ variable macros.
Data
The content of the request.
Data Type
Here you need to select what kind of data will be sent by this request. The value selected here is passed as the Content-Type header.
urlencoded
Use this when sending text information to the server, where in the *Data field you specify info in the format parameterName1=value1¶meterName2=value2
Content-Type: application/x-www-form-urlencoded
multipart
This type should be chosen when you are sending binary data (files) to the server through the request.
Content-Type: multipart/form-data
Other
You can specify a different data type if the ones above don't fit.
For example, to interact with the CapMonster Cloud API, you need to send data in a POST request as JSON. To do this, select *Other from the dropdown and enter application/json in the field that appears.
Download
Only Content
Only the response body will be saved to the variable.
Only Headers
Only the response headers will be saved.
Headers and Content
Both the response headers and the body will be saved to the variable, separated by two empty lines.
As a File
The variable will store the path to the file.
By default, files are downloaded into the Trash folder in the ZennoPoster installation directory. The path may look like this:
C:\Program Files\ZennoLab\RU\ZennoPoster Pro V7\7.4.0.0\Progs\Trash\googlelogo\_color\_92x30dp.png.
You can change this path in the settings, globally for all projects, or using the action while running a template.
As a File + Headers
The variable will store both the response headers and the path to the downloaded file.
Save to Variable
Here, you need to select (or create a new) variable where the request result will be saved.
How to Work with the Action: "Advanced" Tab
Redirect
Enable redirection - if the response to the request contains a redirect code (e.g., 301, 302), ZennoPoster, using the *Location header, will follow to the next page. Use numbers to set the maximum number of redirects: 0 - stay on the original page, 5 - max number of hops to the final URL.
Use Original URL
Disables URL encoding from the "Main" tab to urlencode.
Example:
Original url: https://ru.wikipedia.org/wiki/Приветствие
By default: https://ru.wikipedia.org/wiki/%D0%9F%D1%80%D0%B8%D0%B2%D0%B5%D1%82%D1%81%D1%82%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B5
Headers
Use Default
Default headers will be inserted into the request.
Here's how they look (example for a request to https://httpbin.org/get, the Host header will change depending on the URL in the request):
Host: httpbin.org
User-Agent: Mozilla/5.0 (Windows NT 10.0; WOW64; rv:45.0) Gecko/20100101 Firefox/45.0
Accept: text/html,application/xhtml+xml,application/xml;q=0.9,/;q=0.8
Accept-Encoding: gzip, deflate
Accept-Language: en-US,en;q=0.5
Current Profile
Headers from the current ❗→ project profile will be inserted.
Load from Profile
You need to select a file or specify a ❗→ variable containing the path to a ❗→ profile from which headers for the request will be loaded.
Custom Settings
Allows you to specify each request header parameter manually.
Request Headers
The first line must always (⚠) be the User-Agent! Only after that list other headers.
- Each header starts on a new line.
- You can specify *static values, your own ❗→ *variables or ❗→ *profile variables.
Cookie
You can specify ready cookies or from a ❗→ variable.
Format: name=value , multiple separated by ; (semicolon). Example:
user=1992103;session=f79fcadd847b80f9df78ba4fb276c867;id=889
Starting from version 7.1.6.0 (5.45.0.0), this input field is visible only if the Use CookieContainer setting (described below) is disabled.
Use CookieContainer
CookieContainer allows you to sync cookies with the browser and between separate requests, without manual parsing and inserting.
Example
A project works with a website using requests, but needs to be logged in. Suppose the authentication process is so complex it's easier to log in using browser mode.
Then you ❗→ disable the browser and start working with the site via requests. If you enable Use CookieContainer, cookies will automatically be synchronized between the browser and requests — you do not have to do anything manually — cookies will be inserted automatically.
If the site returns a new value for any cookie in a request, that new value will be synced automatically. On subsequent requests (or when opening the site in the built-in browser), the updated value will be used.
Example of Custom Settings
Using profile variables for headers and manual insertion of cookies.
How to Work with the Action: "Proxy" Tab
No Proxy
The action works using the real IP of your computer/server.
Current Project Proxy
Uses the ❗→ proxy set in the project.
String Format
Indicate the proxy in the format (you can specify a ❗→ variable):
a) With authentication — socks5://login:password@ip:port or http://login:password@ip:port
b) Without authentication — socks5://ip:port or http://ip:port
c) No protocol specified (by default, http:// will be used) – login:password@ip:port or ip:port
Other
Choose if you need to specify detailed proxy settings: proxy type, authentication data, address, and port. Check these details with your service provider.
Variables can be used in all input fields.
If the protocol is not specified for the proxy, http:// will be used by default.
Creating Actions from Requests in the Traffic Monitor
Added in ZennoPoster 7.1.5.0 (5.44.0.0)
You can create a ready-to-use HTTP request directly from the ❗→ Traffic Window.
- Hover over the needed request and right-click to open the context menu.
- Click Create action from request.
A fully filled-in HTTP Request action will appear on the project canvas.
Change static values or replace with variables — the action is fully ready to use.
Disabling the Browser
If you are working exclusively via requests, you can disable the browser to save computer resources. You can do this in the ❗→ project settings or using the ❗→ Browser Settings action.
Request Sending Method
ZennoPoster has two methods of working with requests — external (standard method, using the Chilkat library) and built-in (alternative method). If something doesn't work as expected with HTTP requests using the standard method, try switching to the alternative method.
You can change the request sending method in the ❗→ program settings (globally for all projects) or in the ❗→ specific project settings.
Example Usage
Uploading a file to Mail Cloud
- Select a file.
- Add the HTTP Request action.
- Specify the Options transfer method.
- Fill in the fields and tabs of the block.
- Send the file to the server.