[Lib/InnerBrowser] Send raw content in post body

[krukru]

What are you trying to achieve?

I am trying to call sendAjaxPostRequest and I would like to pass raw, unformatted parameters to the server.
For example

$I->sendAjaxPostRequest('/some-endpoint', '{"foo": "bar"}');
// or even
$I->sendAjaxPostRequest('/some-endpoint', 'hello, how do you do?')

What do you get instead?

I get an error saying that the second parameter of sendAjaxPostRequest must be of type array. This array then gets converted using http_build_query and there is no way to pass raw data. See https://github.com/Codeception/Codeception/blob/3.1/src/Codeception/Lib/InnerBrowser.php#L189

When passing an array, the array always gets converted to http query params format of foo=bar&example=codeception

I think an alternative approach could be to use REST Module, which I think can accept raw content (or at least properly json_encode body).

Is there something I am missing? How would you suggest to test this endpoint?

[Naktibalda]

REST methods are more flexible in that regard, they send $parameters parameter as-is if it isn't an array.

[krukru]

Thanks @Naktibalda, does this mean there are no plans for adding this feature in the InnerBrowser module? I could help out with writing a PR if you could just push me in the right direction. Would it be acceptable to refactor the inner browser method to behave exactly like in the REST module (send as-if if isn't array and keep current behaviour if param is array)

[Naktibalda]

You are welcome to make a pull request, though now isn't the best time for it.
Unless you want to make it straight to https://github.com/Codeception/lib-innerbrowser/ which will be released with Codeception 4, probably next month.

[reinholdfuereder]

I was just about to file a new issue "Support sendPOST with raw body content AND query parameters [REST module]", but am hesitating now...

Cf. comment by @davidjeddy in Codeception/Codeception#375 (comment)

I too ran into something like this. In order to pass content-Body I could not use the send parameter of sendPUT as the query string. We had to create the entire URL in the first param with the second param acting as the body content.

@krukru Therefore I think "refactor the inner browser method to behave exactly like in the REST module (send as-if if isn't array and keep current behaviour if param is array)" is not a good idea -- unless I misunderstand you and your goal is support for sending requests with raw body content AND query parameters at the same time...

Related issues:

• Ability to send body content with POST/PUT requests for REST module Codeception#375
• (#1928)
• [InnerBrowser] set request body for POST requests Codeception#2342
• Could we send Raw HTTP body using sendPost? [REST module] Codeception#2433

@Naktibalda (Unrelated to this issue, but...) Because you just mentioned Codeception 4 to be released soon: Would it please be possible to merge my recent little PRs (Codeception/phpunit-wrapper#62 + Codeception/Codeception#5690; Codeception/Codeception#5688) for 2 IMHO rather bad Codeception bugs before and soon release them in a (last?) 3.1.x version; and of course also merge them into new Codeception 4 codebase? (This would be very motivating and also promising with respect to the future usage of Codeception...) Thanks!