Table of Contents

Http Contact Step Descriptions

The steps in the Http Contact palette of the Cisco Customer Response Applications (CRA) Editor provide script designers with a way to enable scripts to receive HTTP requests and send HTTP responses in web-enabled server applications.

Note   Use steps in the Document palette to compose the server response. For more information, see "Document Step Descriptions."

The Http Contact palette contains the following steps:

Figure 6-1 shows the steps in the Http Contact palette as they appear in the Palette pane of the Cisco CRA Editor.

Note   If you apply any of these Http Contact steps to a contact that is not an HTTP contact, a ChannelUnsupportedException results.

Get Http Contact Info

Use the Get Http Contact Info step to map parameters from an HTTP request to locally defined variables.

The Get Http Contact Info step gets URL parameters, HTTP headers, cookies, or Common Gateway Interface (CGI) environment variables. This information is stored in variables you define using the Edit Variables window.

The Get Http Contact Info customizer window contains the following five tabs:

The following sections describe these tabs.

General

Use the General tab of the Get Http Contact Info customizer window to get trigger contact information.

Figure 6-2 shows the General tab of the Get Http Contact Info customizer window.

Table 6-1 describes the property of the General tab of the Get Http Contact Info customizer window.

To use the General tab of the Get Http Contact Info customizer window to get trigger contact information, perform the following procedure:

Procedure

The General tab of the Get Http Contact Info customizer window appears.

Step 2   From the Http Contact drop-down menu, choose the Contact variable you want to trigger the execution of the step.

Step 3   Click Apply.

You are now ready to configure the Headers tab of the Get Http Contact Info customizer window.

Headers

Use the Headers tab of the Get Http Contact Info customizer window to display the HTTP headers that you have mapped to local variables.

HTTP headers contain general information such as the type of browser or the version of HTTP used. Each header provides one value, which is identified by the header name.

As an example, you may use information from HTTP headers in advanced scripts to customize the behavior of your script for different HTTP versions or for different browser types.

HTTP provides four types of headers:

Table 6-2 lists some common HTTP Request headers.

Note   For detailed information about these or other headers, refer to any HTTP reference guide.

Figure 6-3 shows the Headers tab of the Get Http Contact Info customizer window.

Table 6-3 describes the properties of the Headers tab of the Get Http Contact Info customizer window.

To use the Headers tab of the Get Http Contact Info customizer window to map a local variable to a specific HTTP header, perform the following procedure:

Procedure

The Headers tab of the Get Http Contact Info customizer window appears.

Step 2   Click Add.

The Header dialog box appears. (See Figure 6-3 .)

Step 3   In the Header field, enter the value of the HTTP header.

Step 4   From the Variable drop-down menu, choose a String variable to be mapped to the HTTP header.

Step 5   Click OK.

The Header dialog box closes, and the values for the header and variable appear in the Header and Variable columns of the Headers tab of the Get Http Contact Info customizer window.

(If you want to modify the mapping of an existing header, select a header displayed in the Header/Variable list of the Header tab of the Get Http Contact Info customizer window, and then click Modify. The Header dialog box appears again. Follow the same procedure you used to add header and variable information.)

Step 6   Click Apply.

You are now ready to configure the Parameters tab of the Get Http Contact Info customizer window.

Parameters

Use the Parameters tab of the Get Http Contact Info customizer window to map the parameters for your script to variables you have defined in the Cisco CRA Editor.

When you fill in an HTML form, the values are typically passed as parameters to the web server. The Get Http Contact Info step reads the values of these parameters from the HTTP request and updates the current values of the local variables in your application.

The Get Http Contact Info step reads values from both the GET and POST methods.

Figure 6-5 shows the Parameters tab of the Get Http Contact Info customizer window.

To use the Parameters tab of the Get Http Contact Info customizer window to map a local variable to a specific parameter, perform the following procedure:

Procedure

The Parameters tab of the Get Http Contact Info customizer window appears.

Step 2   Click Add.

The Parameter dialog box appears. (See Figure 6-6 .)

Step 3   In the Parameter text field, enter the parameter name.

Step 4   From the Variable drop-down menu, choose the variable you want to map to the parameter.

Step 5   Click OK.

The Parameter dialog box closes, and the parameter and variable names appear in the Parameter and Variable columns of the Parameter tab of the Get Http Contact Info customizer window.

(If you want to modify the mapping of an existing parameter, select a parameter displayed in the Parameter/Variable list box of the Parameter tab of the Get Http Contact Info customizer window, and then click Modify. The Parameter dialog box appears. Follow the same procedure you used to add parameter and variable information.)

Step 6   Click Apply.

You are now ready to configure the Cookies tab of the Get Http Contact Info customizer window.

Cookies

Use the Cookies tab of the Get Http Contact Info customizer window to map information from a local variable to a cookie.

A cookie is information maintained by the browser that is typically sent by an HTTP server.

The information in cookies can improve performance and convenience when a user repeatedly accesses the same web page. Most cookies store authentication or identifying information. Once the server authenticates a browser, it can send authentication credentials or other user identifiers to the browser cookie. The user can then access the web page without further authentication or identification.

Another use for cookies is to store a mapping identifier to a Session object so you can, on subsequent requests, retrieve the original Session object associated with the previous HTTP request and re-associate it to the new Http Contact.

Note   The use of cookies for authentication may present a security risk if a user leaves an authenticated browser unattended.

Figure 6-7 shows the Cookies tab of the Get Http Contact Info customizer window.

Table 6-4 describes the property of the Cookies tab of the Get Http Contact Info customizer window.

To use the Cookies tab of the Get Http Contact Info customizer window to map a local variable to a specific parameter, perform the following procedure:

Procedure

The Cookies tab of the Get Http Contact Info customizer window appears.

Step 2   Click Add.

The Cookie dialog box appears. (See Figure 6-8 .)

Step 3   In the Name text field, enter the Cookie name.

Step 4   From the Variable drop-down menu, choose the variable you want to map to the Cookie.

Step 5   Click OK.

The Cookie dialog box closes, and the cookie name appears in the Cookie(s) column of the Cookie tab of the Get Http Contact Info customizer window.

(If you want to modify the mapping of an existing cookie, select a cookie displayed in the Cookie(s) list box of the Cookie tab of the Get Http Contact Info customizer window, and then click Modify. The Cookie dialog box appears. Follow the same procedure you used to add cookie and variable information.)

Step 6   Click Apply.

You are now ready to configure the Environment tab of the Get Http Contact Info customizer window.

Environment

Use the Environment tab of the Get Http Contact Info customizer window to map information from CGI environment variables to local variables.

Figure 6-9 shows the Environment tab of the Get Http Contact Info customizer window.

Table 6-5 describes the properties of the Environment tab of the Get Http Contact Info customizer.

Table 6-6 describes the purpose of each environment variable.

To use the Environment tab of the Get Http Contact Info customizer window to map an environment variable to a local variable, perform the following procedure:

Procedure

The Environment tab of the Get Http Contact Info customizer window appears.

Step 2   Click Set.

The Environment dialog box appears. (See Figure 6-10.)

Step 3   From the Variable drop-down menu, choose the variable you want to map to the environment variable and click OK.

The Environment dialog box closes, and the name of the variable appears in the Variable column of the Environment tab of the Get Http Contact Info customizer window, next to the selected environment variable.

Step 4   Click OK.

The Get Http Contact Info customizer window closes, and the name of the Http Contact variable appears next to the Get Http Contact Info step icon in the Design pane of the CRA Editor.

Http Redirect

Use the Http Redirect step to redirect the browser to go to a specified URL instead of responding directly to an HTTP request.

You can, for example, use this step to redirect the browser to a different server.

A script should use only one of the following steps from the Http Contact palette to respond to an HTTP request:

If you use the Http Redirect step, you should not use either a Send JSP or Send Response step in the same sequence within a script, because using any one of these three steps moves the Http Contact into a final state when the response is returned back to the browser. The script cannot attempt to send another response back because one has already been sent. If, however, a script has some conditional logic, you can use one of these three steps in one condition and another in another condition.

Note   You can also use the Reject and Terminate steps from the Contact palette as responses to an HTTP request. For more information, see "Contact Step Descriptions."

Figure 6-11 shows the customizer window for the Http Redirect step.

Table 6-7 describes the properties of the Http Redirect customizer window.

To use the Http Redirect customizer window to redirect the browser, perform the following procedure:

Procedure

Step 2   From the URL drop-down menu, choose a variable containing the URL, or click the Expression Editor (...) button to enter an absolute or relative URL.

Step 3   Click OK.

The Http Redirect customizer window closes, and the name of the triggering contact appears next to the Http Redirect step icon in the Design pane of the CRA Editor.

Send JSP

Use the Send JSP step to use Java Server Pages to generate dynamic output to a browser.

The Send JSP step lets you define local variables that you can pass to the JSP. When the Send JSP step executes, these variables are passed as parameters to the JSP. The JSP uses these parameters to format the output that is sent to the user.

You can use the Send JSP step instead of the Text Substitution for Keywords step (see the "Text Substitution for Keywords" section) if you are already using JSP or if you need the full capabilities of the Java programming language.

A script should use only one of the following steps from the Http Contact palette to respond to an HTTP request:

If you use the Send JSP step, you should not use either a Http Redirect or Send Response step in the same sequence within a script, because using any one of these three steps moves the Http Contact into a final state when the response is returned back to the browser. The script cannot attempt to send another response back because one has already been sent. If, however, a script has some conditional logic, you can use one of these three steps in one condition and another in another condition.

Note   You can also use the Reject and Terminate steps from the Contact palette as responses to an HTTP request. For more information, see "Contact Step Descriptions."

With JSP, you can access the parameter value by creating a parameter bean and by retrieving the parameter passed by the Send JSP step. The following example, which you create using a text editor, shows how to access and retrieve the parameter name.

Figure 6-12 shows the customizer window for the Send JSP step.

Table 6-8 describes the properties of the Send JSP customizer window.

To use the Send JSP customizer window to generate dynamic output to a browser, perform the following procedure:

Procedure

Step 2   In the JSP Template text field, enter the URL that contains the Java Server Pages.

Step 3   To map a variable to a parameter that will be passed to the JSP, click Add.

The Parameter dialog box appears. (See Figure 6-13 .)

Step 4   In the Keyword text field, enter the name of the keyword that identifies the parameter.

Step 5   From the Variable drop-down menu, choose the variable that will supply the value of the keyword.

Step 6   Click OK.

The Parameter dialog box closes, and the keyword and variable appear under their respective columns in the Keyword/Local Variable list box in the Send JSP customizer window.

Step 7   Click OK.

The Send JSP customizer window closes, and the name of the triggering contact and the URL of the JSP template appear next to the Send JSP step icon in the Design pane of the CRA Editor.

Send Response

Use the Send Response step to send a document to a browser.

The document, which is stored in a document variable, must be ready to be sent. You may, for example, place the Text Substitution for Keywords step before this step in your script to update the document with dynamic information before it is sent to a user.

A script should use only one of the following steps from the Http Contact palette to respond to an HTTP request:

If you use the Send Response step, you should not use either a Http Redirect or Send JSP step in the same sequence within a script, because using any one of these three steps moves the Http Contact into a final state when the response is returned back to the browser. The script cannot attempt to send another response back because one has already been sent. If, however, a script has some conditional logic, you can use one of these three steps in one condition and another in another condition.

Note   You can also use the Reject and Terminate steps from the Contact palette as responses to an HTTP request. For more information, see "Contact Step Descriptions."

Figure 6-14 shows the customizer window for the Send Response step.

Table 6-9 describes the properties of the Send Response customizer window.

To use the Send Response customizer window to specify a document to be sent, perform the following procedure:

Procedure

Step 2   From the Document drop-down menu, choose the variable that stores the document to be sent, or click the Expression Editor (...) button to enter the document expression containing the completed document.

Step 3   Click OK.

The Send Response customizer window closes, and the name of the triggering contact and the document variable appear next to the Send Response step icon in the Design pane of the CRA Editor.

Set Http Contact Info

Use the Set Http Contact Info step to set the values of HTTP headers and cookies in an HTTP response.

Note   Use this step in advanced scripts. You need specialized knowledge of HTTP to make this step useful.

The Set Http Contact Info customizer window contains the following three tabs:

The following sections describe these tabs.

General

Use the General tab of the Set Http Contact Step customizer window to specify the Contact variable that triggers the execution of the step.

Figure 6-16 shows the General tab of the Set Http Contact Step customizer window.

Table 6-10 describes the property of the General tab of the Set Http Contact Info customizer window.

To use the General tab of the Set Http Contact Info customizer window to specify the contact variable that triggers the execution of the step, perform the following procedure:

Procedure

The General tab of the Set Http Contact Info customizer window appears.

Step 2   From the Http Contact drop-down menu, choose the Contact variable you want to trigger the execution of the step.

Step 3   Click Apply.

You are now ready to configure the Headers tab of the Set Http Contact Info customizer window.

Headers

Use the Headers tab of the Set Http Contact Info step to map each HTTP header to a local variable or a valid expression from which the header value will be obtained when the step executes.

HTTP headers contain general information such as the type of browser or the version of HTTP used. When you design a browser script, you can add information to the HTTP header to identify the HTTP version or browser type you are using.

You can also, for example, use this tab to control how long the browser maintains a cached copy of a document, by setting a value for the Expires header.

Figure 6-16 shows the Headers tab of the Set Http Contact customizer window.

Table 6-11 describes the properties of the Headers tab of the Set Http Contact Info customizer window.

To use the Headers tab of the Set Http Contact Info customizer window to map a local variable to a specific HTTP header, perform the following procedure:

Procedure

The Headers tab of the Set Http Contact Info customizer window appears.

Step 2   Click Add.

The Header dialog box appears. (See Figure 6-17 .)

Step 3   In the Header text field, enter the value of the HTTP header.

Step 4   From the Variable drop-down menu, choose the variable to map to the HTTP header, or click the Expression Editor (...) button to enter an expression specifying the HTTP header.

Step 5   Click OK.

The Header dialog box closes, and the name of the variable appears in the Variable column of the Headers tab of the Set Http Contact Info customizer window, next to the selected header variable.

Step 6   Click Apply.

You are now ready to configure the Cookies tab of the Set Http Contact Info customizer window.

Cookies

Use the Cookies tab of the Set Http Contact Info customizer window to map each cookie to a local variable from which the cookie value will be obtained when the step executes.

A cookie is information maintained by the browser that is sent by the HTTP server in response to an HTTP request.

Figure 6-18 shows the Cookies tab of the Set Http Contact customizer window.

Table 6-12 describes the property of the Cookies tab of the Set Http Contact Info customizer window.

To use the Cookies tab of the Set Http Contact Info customizer window to map variables to cookies, perform the following procedure:

Procedure

The Cookies tab of the Set Http Contact Info customizer window appears.

Step 2   Click Add.

The Cookie Dialog Box appears. (See Figure 6-19 .)

Table 6-13 describes the properties of the Cookie window.

Step 3   In the Name text field, enter the alphanumeric string that identifies the cookie.

Step 4   From the Variable drop-down menu, choose the variable that you want to map to the cookie.

Step 5   From the Comment drop-down menu, choose the variable that stores the purpose of the cookie to the user.

Step 6   From the Domain drop-down menu, choose the variable that stores the domain of hosts that can set a cookie.

Step 7   From the Max Age drop-down menu, choose the variable that stores the number of seconds before the cookie expires.

Step 8   From the Path drop-down menu, choose the variable that specifies the subset of URLs in a domain for which the cookie is valid.

Step 9   From the Secure drop-down menu, choose the variable that specifies the secure cookie.

Step 10   From the Version drop-down menu, choose the variable that identifies the version of the state management specification to which the cookie conforms.

Step 11   Click OK.

The Cookie dialog box closes, and the name of the cookie appears in the Cookie(s) column of the Cookies tab of the Set Http Contact Info customizer window.

Step 12   Click OK.

The Set Http Contact Info customizer window closes, and the name of the triggering contact appears next to the Set Http Contact Info step icon in the Design pane of the CRA Editor.