2019.2

browser.
l The HTTP service accepts both POST and GET requests. Other than the presence of file
attachments, there is little difference in how these are handled. This means that visiting
/myaction?id=12345&q=test would be the same as having a form with two <input>
fields named, respectively, id and q, and submitting them with the information "12345"
and "test". In both cases, this information is located in the XML envelope that is the
original input file of a process that starts with a Server Input task.
l When doing POST requests and uploading files, always make sure to include the
"multipart" option in the <form> tag:
<form action="http://127.0.0.1:8080/myaction" method="POST"
enctype="multipart/form-data">
Otherwise, file attachments will not be received, only their file names.
l The Mime Type option is better left at Auto-Detect unless the process requires it to be
forced to a specific type. This means that if a process can either return a PDF when
successful or an HTML page with an error message, it will not attempt to send an HTML
with a PDF mime type (which, obviously, would cause confusion).
l
There is no HTTP Server Output task (see below on how to end your process)
Request/process/response cycle
Once a process using the HTTP Server Input task is created, it is important to understand the
cycle that is triggered when such a process runs. Note that this is the process when the default
HTTP Server Input task options are used (more on how that behavior changes later):
1. A request is received by the HTTP service.
2. This request is converted into an XML request file along with one or more attachments
when present.
3. The XML request file and attachments are saved in a local folder, if the HTTP Action is a
valid one (otherwise, the files are deleted).
4. The HTTP service keeps the request from the client open (it does not yet respond to it),
and waits.
5. The HTTP process corresponding to the HTTP Action captures the XML file and
attachments and the process begins.
6. The process runs its course just like any other process would (including subprocesses,
send to process, etc).
7. The very last job file that is active when the process finishes is then returned to the HTTP
service.
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