Cannot download and print html

frank_2k4 has asked for the wisdom of the Perl Monks concerning the following question:

Here is the code -

    print $cgi->header(                           
                         -meta => {
                                     'HTTP-EQUIV' => 'refresh',
                                     'CONTENT'    => '5',
                                     'URL'        => 'http://url/file.
+xls'
                                     });
    print $cgi->start_html();
    print "<h1>HTML Body</h1>";
    print $cgi->end_html();
[download]

I am trying to print some html, and 5 seconds later download a file. Instead of downloading the file, it prints out the file in html. My feeling is this has to do with the default header content-type that specifies html. So what I end up seeing is binary data printed out in my browser, plus the html I am trying to print. What I want is to print out the html, and then have a popup screen that allows me to download the file. Problem is I need to specify two content-types it seems. Can this be done as a multipart document? Does anyone have any code examples? Help is greatly appreciated... ;0)

Comment on Cannot download and print html Download Code

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Re: Cannot download and print html by hardburn (Abbot) on Jul 14, 2004 at 19:06 UTC
Sounds like your server isn't sending the correct MIME type for the file you're redirecting to. There's nothing magic about the request of a meta redirect as far as HTTP is concerned. ---- send money to your kernel via the boot loader.. This and more wisdom available from Markov Hardburn.	[reply]
Re: Cannot download and print html by rjbs (Pilgrim) on Jul 14, 2004 at 19:09 UTC
I'm not big on CGI.pm, but I don't know of a way to put those values in the HTTP headers. Instead, you can put them in the HTML head. I assume that's what you meant, anyway, since you said "http-equiv", which is for the META element. Search the CGI.pm perldoc for -head. `use CGI qw(:all); my $cgi = CGI->new; print $cgi->header; print $cgi->start_html( -head => meta( { 'http-equiv' => 'refresh', 'content' => '5', 'url' => 'http://url/file.xls' })); print "<h1>HTML Body</h1>"; print $cgi->end_html();` [download] rjbs	[reply] [d/l]
Re^2: Cannot download and print html by jeffa (Bishop) on Jul 14, 2004 at 19:47 UTC
You covered yourself by stating that you are not big on CGI.pm, but i really feel like i should nitpick as this is a very common mistake: `use CGI qw(:all); my $cgi = CGI->new;` [download] That is mixing the two styles you use CGI as: procedural versus OO. Always use one, but never use both. That is, you either use this: `# import CGI's functions into my namespace use CGI qw(:all); print header, start_html( ... ), h1('HTML Body'), end_html;` [download] or you use this: `use CGI; # access CGI's functions as object methods my $cgi = CGI->new; print $cgi->header ... (yadda yadda)` [download] Cheers. :) jeffa L-LL-L--L-LL-L--L-LL-L-- -R--R-RR-R--R-RR-R--R-RR B--B--B--B--B--B--B--B-- H---H---H---H---H---H--- (the triplet paradiddle with high-hat)	[reply] [d/l] [select]
Re^3: Cannot download and print html by rjbs (Pilgrim) on Jul 14, 2004 at 20:42 UTC
You're quite right -- I just added that in annoyance when I realized that CGI wasn't exporting the meta sub, which provides the proper value for the -head parameter. I should have used CGI::meta, since I'm not sure how to get at it OO-ly. Or perhaps there is a subset export to just get things that are not available as methods? Enlighten me, frater! rjbs	[reply]
Re^4: Cannot download and print html by jeffa (Bishop) on Jul 14, 2004 at 21:42 UTC
Re^2: Cannot download and print html by iburrell (Chaplain) on Jul 14, 2004 at 20:28 UTC
Refresh can be passed as an HTTP header. META HTTP-EQUIV is a way to set HTTP header equivalents in the HTML code. With CGI, the Refresh HTTP header can be set directly. `print $cgi->header(-refresh => '5; http://url/file.xls');` [download]	[reply] [d/l]