Question sending an HTTP request/POST to a website

[nofu1]

I am still a beginner in c#. I have a console application. In javascript, we can do the following document.getElementById("myText").value = "Mary; which is used to set an HTML element. Is this possible in a console application that sending an HTTP requests to a website or should the application be using a post method. Please see code so far below. There is a textbox with the tag name testmedownelement at the website(www.~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~.com).

This is the javascript code: document.getElementsByName('testmedownelement').value = "XXXXXX", I am looking for a C# equivalent since I can't use java script in my console application

            WebRequest request = WebRequest.Create("www.~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~.com");
        

           request.Method = "GET";
            request.ContentType = "application/html";
            
          

            // Get the response.

            HttpWebResponse response = (HttpWebResponse)request.GetResponse();

            //Display Status

            Console.WriteLine(response.StatusDescription);

            // Get the stream containing content returned by the server.

            Stream dataStream = response.GetResponseStream();

            // Open the stream using a StreamReader for easy access.

            StreamReader reader = new StreamReader(dataStream);

            // Read the content.

            string responseFromServer = reader.ReadToEnd();

            // Display the content.

            Console.WriteLine(responseFromServer);

            // Cleanup the streams and the response.

            reader.Close();

            dataStream.Close();

            response.Close();

            Console.ReadKey();

 

[jmcilhinney]

In JavaScript you are manipulating the DOM of an HTML page loaded in your browser. That has no effect at all on the server. It is only when you post the form in that page to the server that the form data, including the value you set, gets processed. If you're using a console application then there is no HTML page so there's no DOM to manipulate. It is up to you to construct and send a post to the server that contains the same data as would be sent by submitting the web page form. There is no document so there is no element. You just have to send the appropriate data in the same format as that form on that HTML page would.

 

[nofu1]

Thanks Jmcilhinney, I suspected so, are there any good tutorials on how to construct and send a post to the server, For instance, How does one know the format, how many parameters to pass and the order of parameters.


For example, I tried the following modification using a post method to the code but i got the error message, the underlying connection was closed: An unexpected error occurred on a send

WebRequest request = WebRequest.Create("www.~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~.com");
request.Method = "POST";
request.ContentType = "application/html";

string thinginfo = "XXXXXX";
request.Headers.Add("testmedownelement", thinginfo);
         
// Get the response.
HttpWebResponse response = (HttpWebResponse)request.GetResponse();

//Display Status
Console.WriteLine(response.StatusDescription);

// Get the stream containing content returned by the server.
Stream dataStream = response.GetResponseStream();

// Open the stream using a StreamReader for easy access.
StreamReader reader = new StreamReader(dataStream);

// Read the content.
string responseFromServer = reader.ReadToEnd();

// Display the content.
Console.WriteLine(responseFromServer);

// Cleanup the streams and the response.
reader.Close();
dataStream.Close();
response.Close();
Console.ReadKey();

 

[NoUserHere]

Sounds like you might be dealing with a TLS issue. If so, this would also suggest that you are using an older version of .net than 4.6. On your WebRequest.Create(", specify the http/https protocol. You also need to know the exact address of your forms post uri. Every form has an action uri that a form is submitted too :
<form role="form" id="myform" action="/somefile.ext" method="post">
And even still, this is not the appropriate way to do it. If its your server, then create an API for your server.

See the web request example and documentation here : How to: Send data by using the WebRequest class

How does one know the format, how many parameters to pass

It's not much different than knowing how the action uri knows what values the form will send. You should too. If its not your server, I would suggest something like Selenium.

You might also find the answers over here useful : How to submit http form using C#

 

[nofu1]

Sounds like you might be dealing with a TLS issue. If so, this would also suggest that you are using an older version of .net than 4.6. On your WebRequest.Create(", specify the http/https protocol. You also need to know the exact address of your forms post uri. Every form has an action uri that a form is submitted too :
<form role="form" id="myform" action="/somefile.ext" method="post">
And even still, this is not the appropriate way to do it. If its your server, then create an API for your server.

See the web request example and documentation here : How to: Send data by using the WebRequest class

It's not much different than knowing how the action uri knows what values the form will send. You should too. If its not your server, I would suggest something like Selenium.

You might also find the answers over here useful : How to submit http form using C#

Hi I was able to modify the code but I am now getting 401 authorization error. Please see modified code below

   private static CredentialCache GetCredential()
        {
            ServicePointManager.SecurityProtocol = SecurityProtocolType.Ssl3 | SecurityProtocolType.Tls | (SecurityProtocolType)3072;
            string url = @"https://~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~.com/~~~~~";
            CredentialCache credentialCache = new CredentialCache();
            credentialCache.Add(new System.Uri(url), "Basic", new NetworkCredential(~~~~, ~~~~~~~~~~~~));
            return credentialCache;
        }

public static void testcall (string url)
        {
     
            WebRequest request = WebRequest.Create(url);
            request.PreAuthenticate = true;
            request.Credentials = GetCredential();
       
            ((System.Net.HttpWebRequest)request).Referer = url;
            ((System.Net.HttpWebRequest)request).Accept = "text/html,application/xhtml+xml,application/xml;q=0.9,image/webp,image/apng,*/*;q=0.8";
          ((System.Net.HttpWebRequest)request).UserAgent = "Mozilla/5.0 (Windows NT 6.1; Win64; x64; rv:83.0) Gecko/20100101 Firefox/83.0";

            // Set the Method property of the request to POST.
            request.Method = "POST";
            // Create POST data and convert it to a byte array.
            string postData = "param1=XXXXXX";
            ASCIIEncoding encoding = new ASCIIEncoding();

            byte[] byteArray = encoding.GetBytes(postData);
            // Set the ContentType property of the WebRequest.
            request.ContentType = "application/x-www-form-urlencoded";
            // Set the ContentLength property of the WebRequest.
            request.ContentLength = byteArray.Length;
            // Get the request stream.
            Stream dataStream = request.GetRequestStream();
            // Write the data to the request stream.
            dataStream.Write(byteArray, 0, byteArray.Length);
            // Close the Stream object.
            dataStream.Close();
   

         
            // Get the response.
            WebResponse response = request.GetResponse();
            // Display the status.
            Console.WriteLine(((HttpWebResponse)response).StatusDescription);
            // Get the stream containing content returned by the server.
            dataStream = response.GetResponseStream();
            // Open the stream using a StreamReader for easy access.
            StreamReader reader = new StreamReader(dataStream);
            // Read the content.
            string responseFromServer = reader.ReadToEnd();
            // Display the content.
            Console.WriteLine(responseFromServer);
            // Clean up the streams.
            reader.Close();
            dataStream.Close();
            response.Close();
        }

 

[NoUserHere]

ServicePointManager.SecurityProtocol = SecurityProtocolType.Ssl3 | SecurityProtocolType.Tls | (SecurityProtocolType)3072;

You don't need to do this if you are running the latest version of dotnet frameworks. The latest versions take care of this for you.

What version are you running?

You need to send a WWW-Authenticate header that contains information on how to authorise your action. 401 means that you are not using the correct credentials for whatever resource you are trying to access.

At this stage, I would suggest debugging your code, and make sure everything is operating as expected. Sorry I don't have much more time to help you further, as I am busy at present. Perhaps one of the other guys can step in and help. You can read a little more about your error here : 401 Unauthorized — httpstatuses.com

 

[nofu1]

You don't need to do this if you are running the latest version of dotnet frameworks. The latest versions take care of this for you.

What version are you running?

You need to send a WWW-Authenticate header that contains information on how to authorise your action. 401 means that you are not using the correct credentials for whatever resource you are trying to access.

At this stage, I would suggest debugging your code, and make sure everything is operating as expected. Sorry I don't have much more time to help you further, as I am busy at present. Perhaps one of the other guys can step in and help. You can read a little more about your error here : 401 Unauthorized — httpstatuses.com

I am running asp.net 3.5. All help is appreciated

 

[NoUserHere]

But why are you running under 3.5? Complete your windows updates. Install the latest dotnet frameworks...

In your project settings. Change your framework :
In your project, change the target framework to 4.8 and tell me if it has any affect on the 401 error. It it doesn't, you may need to consider how the server authenticates requests.

 

[NoUserHere]

I am running asp.net 3.5. All help is appreciated

I thought you said you was running this as a console app?

If you are running this as .net mvc3 razor app. Make this change in your web.config.
<system.web>
<compilation debug="true" targetFramework="4.8" />
<httpRuntime targetFramework="4.8" />

 

[Skydiver]

If you are running that old version, then yes, masking in that value for TLS 1.2 support would be your only choice.

Unless you are running on Windows Server 2019, beware that .NET Framework 3.5 hit end of life back in July 2011.

https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/lifecycle/search/548

 

[NoUserHere]

Regarding what @Skydiver said, see p/1#6 regarding requirements. The TLS requirement mentioned by Skydiver above is not required in later versions of Dotnet frameworks.

 

[nofu1]

But why are you running under 3.5? Complete your windows updates. Install the latest dotnet frameworks...

In your project settings. Change your framework :
In your project, change the target framework to 4.8 and tell me if it has any affect on the 401 error. It it doesn't, you may need to consider how the server authenticates request

It is a console application and the max .net target framework I see, is 3.5. Sorry I might have misunderstood this point and suggestion,
masking in that value for TLS 1.2 support would be your only choice.

Can you please help clarify the solution

 

[NoUserHere]

Sorry I might have misunderstood this point and suggestion,

Ok This :

ServicePointManager.SecurityProtocol = SecurityProtocolType.Ssl3 | SecurityProtocolType.Tls | (SecurityProtocolType)3072;

Well...

You don't need to do this if you are running the latest version of dotnet frameworks. The latest versions take care of this for you.

If you run the latest dot net frameworks, you don't need to put that line in there.

Then there is this :

I am running asp.net 3.5. All help is appreciated

And :

It is a console application and the max .net target framework I see, is 3.5.

Which is it?

 

[nofu1]

Ok This :

Well...

If you run the latest dot net frameworks, you don't need to put that line in there.

Then there is this :

And :

Which is it?

It is a console applicatin. In visual studio, if i right-click on the .csproj file, and go to the application tab, it shows

target framework: .net framework 3.5
and output type: Console Application

 

[NoUserHere]

I have a console app and I can use 4.8.

There is an option to install other versions.

Move up to 4.8, and remove the line I told you to remove. Then tell us if you get a new error or not?
ServicePointManager.SecurityProtocol = SecurityProtocolType.Ssl3 | SecurityProtocolType.Tls | (SecurityProtocolType)3072; is not required in 4.8.
And your problem is indicative of a problem with either TLS or your credentials.

You will need someone else to help from here. I have server deployments to attend to.