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Making post from another tomcat application RSS feed
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jforumrookie


Joined: 2011/9/30
Messages: 5
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Hi,

Does anyone know how I can make a post from another webapp application? We have an existing web application that when a user submit a form, we would like it to make a new topic on the jforum. I have tried following the saveMessage method in InstallAction class and have successfully added the post into the database, but somehow I don't see the new post in the jforum.

Any help or suggestion would be appreciated.

Thanks.
andowson


Joined: 2011/6/30
Messages: 252
Offline
You can use Apache HttpComponents HttpClient to do this. However, JForum needs to have a new API postApi to be called by your application.

The scenario is as follows:
[Your AP] ---HTTP POST--->[JForum postApi]

Your AP makes an HTTP POST to the JForum postApi URL with 5 parameters:
1. api_key: used as a trust key between Your AP and JForum
2. email: poster's email address (should be a user of JForum first)
3. forum_id: the target forum's id
4. subject: subject of the post
5. message: content of the post

For security, you need to add an api_key into the jforum_api table. (api_validity should be a longer future date)
insert into jforum_api(api_key, api_validity) values('yourAp', '2012/12/22');


The postApi pattern looks like the following:
http://localhsot:8080/jforum/postApi/insert/yourAp/somebody@yourcompany.com/1.page

You need to add this pattern into jforum's /WEB-INF/config/urlPattern.properties

# postApi
postApi.insert.3 = api_key, email, forum_id


Finally, I have added a new API in JForum 2.3.2 to help this need. I add this into jforum's /WEB-INF/config/modulesMapping.properties
postApi = net.jforum.api.rest.PostREST


The PostREST.java is as follows:


/*
* Copyright (c) JForum Team
* All rights reserved.
*
* Redistribution and use in source and binary forms,
* with or without modification, are permitted provided
* that the following conditions are met:
*
* 1) Redistributions of source code must retain the above
* copyright notice, this list of conditions and the
* following disclaimer.
* 2) Redistributions in binary form must reproduce the
* above copyright notice, this list of conditions and
* the following disclaimer in the documentation and/or
* other materials provided with the distribution.
* 3) Neither the name of "Rafael Steil" nor
* the names of its contributors may be used to endorse
* or promote products derived from this software without
* specific prior written permission.
*
* THIS SOFTWARE IS PROVIDED BY THE COPYRIGHT
* HOLDERS AND CONTRIBUTORS "AS IS" AND ANY
* EXPRESS OR IMPLIED WARRANTIES, INCLUDING,
* BUT NOT LIMITED TO, THE IMPLIED WARRANTIES OF
* MERCHANTABILITY AND FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR
* PURPOSE ARE DISCLAIMED. IN NO EVENT SHALL
* THE COPYRIGHT OWNER OR CONTRIBUTORS BE LIABLE
* FOR ANY DIRECT, INDIRECT, INCIDENTAL, SPECIAL,
* EXEMPLARY, OR CONSEQUENTIAL DAMAGES
* (INCLUDING, BUT NOT LIMITED TO, PROCUREMENT OF
* SUBSTITUTE GOODS OR SERVICES; LOSS OF USE, DATA,
* OR PROFITS; OR BUSINESS INTERRUPTION) HOWEVER
* CAUSED AND ON ANY THEORY OF LIABILITY, WHETHER
* IN CONTRACT, STRICT LIABILITY, OR TORT
* (INCLUDING NEGLIGENCE OR OTHERWISE) ARISING IN
* ANY WAY OUT OF THE USE OF THIS SOFTWARE, EVEN IF
* ADVISED OF THE POSSIBILITY OF SUCH DAMAGE
*
* Created on 01/10/2011 14:32:22
* The JForum Project
* http://www.jforum.net
*/
package net.jforum.api.rest;

import java.util.Date;

import net.jforum.Command;
import net.jforum.JForumExecutionContext;
import net.jforum.SessionFacade;
import net.jforum.context.RequestContext;
import net.jforum.context.ResponseContext;
import net.jforum.dao.DataAccessDriver;
import net.jforum.dao.UserDAO;
import net.jforum.entities.Post;
import net.jforum.entities.Topic;
import net.jforum.entities.User;
import net.jforum.entities.UserSession;
import net.jforum.exceptions.APIException;
import net.jforum.util.I18n;
import net.jforum.util.preferences.ConfigKeys;
import net.jforum.util.preferences.SystemGlobals;
import net.jforum.util.preferences.TemplateKeys;
import net.jforum.view.forum.PostAction;

import org.apache.commons.lang3.StringUtils;

import freemarker.template.SimpleHash;
import freemarker.template.Template;

/**
* @author Andowson Chang
*
*/
public class PostREST extends Command {

/* (non-Javadoc)
* @see net.jforum.Command#list()
*/
@Override
public void list() {
try {
this.authenticate();
// do nothing here
// TODO: add implementation
}
catch (Exception e) {
this.setTemplateName(TemplateKeys.API_ERROR);
this.context.put("exception", e);
}
}

/**
* Creates a new post.
* Required parameters are "email", "forum_id", "subject" and "message".
*/
public void insert()
{
try {
this.authenticate();

final String email = this.requiredRequestParameter("email");
final String forumId = this.requiredRequestParameter("forum_id");
final String subject = this.requiredRequestParameter("subject");
final String message = this.requiredRequestParameter("message");

final UserDAO dao = DataAccessDriver.getInstance().newUserDAO();
User user = dao.findByEmail(email);
// If user's email not exists, use anonymous instead
if (user == null) {
user = new User();
user.setId(SystemGlobals.getIntValue(ConfigKeys.ANONYMOUS_USER_ID));
user.setUsername(I18n.getMessage("Guest"));
}
// OK, time to insert the post
final UserSession userSession = SessionFacade.getUserSession();
userSession.setUserId(user.getId());
userSession.setUsername(user.getUsername());
String sessionId = userSession.getSessionId();
userSession.setStartTime(new Date(System.currentTimeMillis()));
SessionFacade.makeLogged();

SessionFacade.removeAttribute(ConfigKeys.LAST_POST_TIME);
SessionFacade.setAttribute(ConfigKeys.REQUEST_IGNORE_CAPTCHA, "1");

final Post post = new Post();
post.setForumId(Integer.valueOf(forumId));
post.setSubject(subject);
post.setText(message);
this.insertMessage(user, post);
SessionFacade.makeUnlogged();
SessionFacade.remove(sessionId);
}
catch (Exception e) {
this.setTemplateName(TemplateKeys.API_ERROR);
this.context.put("exception", e);
}
}

/**
* Calls {@link PostAction#insertSave()}
* @param post the post
* @param user the user who's doing the post
*/
private void insertMessage(final User user, final Post post)
{
this.addDataToRequest(user, post);

final PostAction postAction = new PostAction(JForumExecutionContext.getRequest(), new SimpleHash());
postAction.insertSave();
}

/**
* Extracts information from a mail message and adds it to the request context
* @param post the post
* @param user the user who's doing the post
*/
private void addDataToRequest(final User user, final Post post)
{
final RequestContext request = JForumExecutionContext.getRequest();

request.addParameter("topic_type", Integer.toString(Topic.TYPE_NORMAL));
request.addParameter("quick", "1");

final int topicId = post.getTopicId();
if (topicId > 0) {
request.addParameter("topic_id", Integer.toString(topicId));
}

if (!user.isBbCodeEnabled()) {
request.addParameter("disable_bbcode", "on");
}

if (!user.isSmiliesEnabled()) {
request.addParameter("disable_smilies", "on");
}

if (!user.isHtmlEnabled()) {
request.addParameter("disable_html", "on");
}
}

/**
* Retrieves a parameter from the request and ensures it exists
* @param paramName the parameter name to retrieve its value
* @return the parameter value
* @throws APIException if the parameter is not found or its value is empty
*/
private String requiredRequestParameter(final String paramName)
{
final String value = this.request.getParameter(paramName);

if (StringUtils.isBlank(value)) {
throw new APIException("The parameter '" + paramName + "' was not found");
}

return value;
}

/**
* Tries to authenticate the user accessing the API
* @throws APIException if the authentication fails
*/
private void authenticate()
{
final String apiKey = this.requiredRequestParameter("api_key");

final RESTAuthentication auth = new RESTAuthentication();

if (!auth.validateApiKey(apiKey)) {
throw new APIException("The provided API authentication information is not valid");
}
}

public Template process(final RequestContext request, final ResponseContext response, final SimpleHash context)
{
JForumExecutionContext.setContentType("text/xml");
return super.process(request, response, context);
}
}


And you can use the following example to do the test:


package com.andowson.integration;

import java.util.ArrayList;
import java.util.List;

import org.apache.http.HttpEntity;
import org.apache.http.HttpResponse;
import org.apache.http.NameValuePair;
import org.apache.http.client.entity.UrlEncodedFormEntity;
import org.apache.http.client.methods.HttpPost;
import org.apache.http.impl.client.DefaultHttpClient;
import org.apache.http.message.BasicNameValuePair;
import org.apache.http.protocol.HTTP;
import org.apache.http.util.EntityUtils;

/**
* A example that demonstrates how HttpClient APIs can be used to perform
* adding a post outside JForum.
*/
public class AddPostOutsideJForum {

public static void main(String[] args) throws Exception {

DefaultHttpClient httpclient = new DefaultHttpClient();
try {
String apiKey = "yourAp";
String email = "somebody@yourcompany.com";
int forumId = 1;
String subject = "postApi test";
String message = "This is a test post outside JForum.\nBBCode test :)";
String baseURL = "http://localhost:8080/jforum/";

HttpPost httppost = new HttpPost(baseURL + "postApi/insert/" +
apiKey + "/" + email + "/" + forumId + ".page");

List <NameValuePair> nvps = new ArrayList <NameValuePair>();
nvps.add(new BasicNameValuePair("subject", subject));
nvps.add(new BasicNameValuePair("message", message));

httppost.setEntity(new UrlEncodedFormEntity(nvps, HTTP.UTF_8));

System.out.println("executing request " + httppost.getURI());

HttpResponse response = httpclient.execute(httppost);
HttpEntity entity = response.getEntity();
System.out.println("status: " + response.getStatusLine());
System.out.println(EntityUtils.toString(entity));
} finally {
// When HttpClient instance is no longer needed,
// shut down the connection manager to ensure
// immediate deallocation of all system resources
httpclient.getConnectionManager().shutdown();
}
}
}
 Filename PostREST.java [Disk] Download
 Description PostREST.java
 Filesize 7 Kbytes
 Downloaded:  65762 time(s)

 Filename AddPostOutsideJForum.java [Disk] Download
 Description example for add post outside JForum
 Filesize 2 Kbytes
 Downloaded:  65541 time(s)

jforumrookie


Joined: 2011/9/30
Messages: 5
Offline
Thanks! I will give this a try.
jforumrookie


Joined: 2011/9/30
Messages: 5
Offline
Thanks andowson for this added feature. It works beautifully. One more request if possible. Is it possible for the PostREST to return the post id or a link to the post after the insert?

I tried to mod it like UserREST, but no success. I keep getting a response of 302 Move Temporary.

Thanks,
andowson


Joined: 2011/6/30
Messages: 252
Offline
I've tried to do the same thing as you said during the implementation. And keep getting a response of 302 Move Temporary, too.
So finally I decide to make it works as only support adding a post outside but no post id returned.

You may tried to modify the PostAction.java's insertSave() method's return type from void to int and get the postId returned.
jforumrookie


Joined: 2011/9/30
Messages: 5
Offline
Thanks. I'll give it a try.
jforumrookie


Joined: 2011/9/30
Messages: 5
Offline
Thanks andowson. After some debugging, it looks like PostAction.insertSave is redirecting the path. So I didn't change any of its code. What I ended up doing was in the PostREST, I retrieve the post link from JForumExecutionContext.getRedirectTo() and then set it to null with JForumExecutionContext.setRedirect(null). That seem to do the trick.

Here's a sample snipplet of my modified PostREST.java

public void insert()
{
...
final Post post = new Post();
post.setForumId(Integer.valueOf(forumId));
post.setSubject(subject);
post.setText(message);
this.insertMessage(user, post);

// new start
String postLink = JForumExecutionContext.getRedirectTo();
JForumExecutionContext.setRedirect(null);
this.setTemplateName(TemplateKeys.API_POST_INSERT);
this.context.put("postLink", postLink);
// new end

SessionFacade.makeUnlogged();
SessionFacade.remove(sessionId);
...
}

Thanks!
andowson


Joined: 2011/6/30
Messages: 252
Offline
Nice! I'll add this to the next release.
Thank you, jforumrookie.
 
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