The Wapapi API

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This page contains the complete Wapapi API as well as function declarations for PowerBuilder and Delphi. To plug Wapapi into your application, there are three areas that you will need to address: listening for web requests, getting information about the request, and constructing and returning a web page.

These topics are covered below:
  • 1) Server Setup
  • 2) Web Page Information
  • 3) Returning Web Pages

    • 1) Server Setup

    The first step in using Wapapi is to start listening for web requests. Wapapi uses Windows' messaging system to inform a window in your application that a web request has been received. The function calls in this section are for setting up this messaging as well as for logging any received requests (useful in profiling the use of your web/application server), and to stop listening for web requests. The StartServing and StopServing calls should be used in all applications. The EnableLogging and DisableLogging should be used only if you are interested in profiling the usage of your web/application server.

    StartServing
    Description:
    This function is used to start Wapapi, start accepting web requests, and tells Wapapi what window and event you will be using to handle web requests. All web requests will trigger this event on the window. The port number should be 80, or higher than 80 if you are using Wapapi with another server. The IP address is used only on NT servers that have multiple IP addresses, otherwise pass '0.0.0.0' for this parameter.
    Usage:
    This function should be called from the open event of the window that you want to receive web requests.
    Delphi Declaration:
    function StartServing(winhandle :word; imessage :integer; pipaddress :pchar; iport :integer) :integer; stdcall; external 'wapapi.dll';
    PB Declaration:
    function int StartServing(uint winhandle, int imessage, string sipaddress, int iport) LIBRARY 'Wapapi';


    StopServing
    Description:
    This function will stop Wapapi from responding to web requests and closes the Wapapi DLL.
    Usage:
    This function should be called when your window is about to close.
    Delphi Declaration:
    function StopServing :integer; far; stdcall; external 'wapapi.dll';
    PB Declaration
    function int StopServing() LIBRARY 'Wapapi'


    EnableLogging
    Description:
    Starts logging the pages hit, client addresses, and date/times of hits. Data from logging can be accessed by hitting the page: www/admin on the running server.
    Usage:
    This function should be called right after the StartServing call.
    Delphi Declaration:
    procedure EnableLogging(pFile :pchar; bKeepHistory :boolean; ilogSize :integer); far; stdcall; external 'wapapi.dll';
    PB Declaration
    subroutine EnableLogging(string sFile, boolean bKeepHistory, int ilogSize) LIBRARY 'Wapapi'


    DisableLogging
    Description:
    Stops logging the hit informationand writes all current data to the log file.
    Usage:
    This function should be called right before the StopServing call, but is optional. If it is not called, all log information will still be saved.
    Delphi Declaration:
    procedure DisableLogging(); far; stdcall; external 'wapapi.dll';
    PB Declaration
    subroutine DisableLogging() LIBRARY 'Wapapi'


    2) Web Page Information

    When your application receives a web request, you must get some information about the request so that you can build a response. The functions in this section let you get this information. GetDocName should be called first to determine what the name of the requested document is. GetParm and GetParmString can be used if your application is receiving HTML form information from a GET or POST.

    These calls should all be used in the window event that you have specified to receive web requests.

    GetDocName
    Description:
    This function returns the name of the document that is currently being requested.
    Usage:
    This function should be called from the event on your window that is responding to web requests. The string: sDoc must be allocated before calling this function. user StrAlloc in Delphi or assign it as Space(255) in Powerbuilder. The iParms parameter returns the number of parameters that were passed with the document (used with HTML forms). Use the GetParm function to return the values of these parameters.
    Delphi Declaration:
    function GetDocName(pDoc :pchar; var iParms :integer) :integer; stdcall; external 'wapapi.dll';
    PB Declaration:
    function int GetDocName(string sDoc,int iParms) LIBRARY "Wapapi";


    GetParm
    Description:
    This function is used to get parameters that were passed with a document as part of an HTML form being submitted. Pass it the parameter number to retrieve, and the name of the parameter and the parameter's value will be returned.
    Usage:
    Call this function after a GetDocName function call that indicates that parameters have been passed. Pre-allocate the parm name and parm value strings before making the call.
    Delphi Declaration:
    function GetParm(liParmNumber :integer; lpParmName, lpParmValue :pchar) :integer; far; stdcall; external 'wapapi.dll';
    PB Declaration:
    function int GetParm(int iParmNumber, ref string sParmName, ref string sParmValue) LIBRARY 'Wapapi';


    GetParmString
    Description:
    This function is used to get parameters from a submitted HTML form by using the name of the parameter. Pass it the parameter's name to retrieve, and the parameter's value will be returned.
    Usage:
    Call this function after a GetDocName function call that indicates that parameters have been passed. Pre-allocate the parm value string before making the call.
    Delphi Declaration:
    function GetParmString(lpParmName, lpParmValue :pchar) :integer; far; stdcall; external 'wapapi.dll';
    PB Declaration:
    function int GetParmString(ref string sParmName, ref string sParmValue) LIBRARY 'Wapapi';


    3) Returning Web Pages

    After you have gotten information about the requested document, you need to either build a web page and send it to the requestor or designate that a file should be sent to the requestor. Use SendDocument to send a file from your disk drive, or use BufferText and then SendText to build a web page dynamically.

    These function calls can be located either in the window event that you have specified to receive all web requests, or in a function that is called from this event.

    SendDocument
    Description:
    This function is used to send an HTML document or a graphics file from your local disk to the web requestor. It sends the file and then closes the request.
    Usage:
    Just call this function with the desired file. Wapapi will search for the file in the directory designated in the Wapapi.INI file.
    Delphi Declaration:
    function SendDocument(pDocName :pchar) :integer; far; stdcall; external 'wapapi.dll';
    PB Declaration:
    function int SendDocument(ref string sDocName) LIBRARY 'Wapapi';


    BufferText
    Description:
    This function is used to add text to a buffer in Wapapi. This buffer will later be sent as a complete document when the SendText function is called.
    Usage:
    Use this function to build a document in Wapapi's buffer space. You can buffer as much text as your computer has memory, but keep each string passed to 64k or below.
    Delphi Declaration:
    function BufferText(pText :pchar) :integer; far; stdcall; external 'wapapi.dll';
    PB Declaration:
    function int BufferText(ref string sText) LIBRARY 'Wapapi';


    SendText
    Description:
    This function sends whatever is in Wapapi's buffer space to the web requestor and closes the request.
    Usage:
    Use this call as the last line in your window that processes web requests, after you have built the document using the BufferText function.
    Delphi Declaration:
    function SendText :integer; far; stdcall; external 'wapapi.dll';
    PB Declaration:
    function int SendText() LIBRARY 'Wapapi';