C, CURL: simple tutorial: libcurl with C

coding libcurl in C

homepage: http://curl.haxx.se/

download: http://curl.haxx.se/download.html
latest version: latest:curl-7.19.5

libcurl: http://curl.haxx.se/libcurl/
all about libcurl with C: http://curl.haxx.se/libcurl/c/


You must include:

<curl/curl.h>

compile
gcc libcurl1.c -o libcurl1 -lcurl


important structures:

CURL *curl;
CURLcode curl_res;
CURLINFO info;



Start a libcurl easy session
curl = curl_easy_init();
see more info: http://curl.haxx.se/libcurl/c/curl_easy_init.html

set options for a curl easy handle
curl_easy_setopt(CURL *handle, CURLoption option, parameter);

CURLOPT_WRITEDATA Data pointer to pass to the file write function
curl_easy_setopt(curl, CURLOPT_WRITEDATA, tmp);
tmp: FILE handle

set proxy
curl_easy_setopt(curl, CURLOPT_PROXY, pxy);


Perform a file transfer
curl_easy_perform(CURL * handle );


End a libcurl easy session
curl_easy_cleanup(curl);

set an url
curl_easy_setopt(curl, CURLOPT_URL, url);

set file handle, where the data get writed
curl_easy_setopt(curl, CURLOPT_WRITEDATA, tmp);

download the page
curl_res = curl_easy_perform(curl);

get http status code
curl_easy_getinfo(curl, CURLINFO_RESPONSE_CODE, &http_code);

get size of downloaded page
curl_easy_getinfo(curl, CURLINFO_SIZE_DOWNLOAD, &c_length);



sample: libcurl1.c
##########################################

#include <stdio.h>
#include <string.h>
#include <sys/types.h>
#include <fcntl.h>
#include <stdlib.h>
#include <curl/curl.h>

int main() {
  CURL *curl;
  CURLcode curl_res;
  CURLINFO info;
  long http_code;
  double c_length;  
  FILE *tmp;

  tmp=fopen("/tmp/google_index.html", "w");
  if(tmp==NULL) {
    printf("ERROR to open file /tmp/google_index.html\n");
    exit(2);
  }

  printf("init curl session\n");
  curl = curl_easy_init();
  printf("set url to download\n");
  curl_easy_setopt(curl, CURLOPT_URL, "http://www.google.de/index.html");

  printf("set file handler to write\n");
  curl_easy_setopt(curl, CURLOPT_WRITEDATA,  tmp);

  printf("download the file\n");
  curl_res = curl_easy_perform(curl);
  if(curl_res==0) {
    printf("file downloaded\n");
  } else {
    printf("ERROR in dowloading file\n");
    fclose(tmp);
    curl_easy_cleanup(curl);
  }

  printf("get http return code\n");
  curl_easy_getinfo(curl, CURLINFO_RESPONSE_CODE, &http_code);
  printf("http code: %lu\n", http_code);

  printf("get size of download page\n");
  curl_easy_getinfo(curl, CURLINFO_SIZE_DOWNLOAD, &c_length);
  printf("length: %g\n", c_length);

  printf("END: close all files and sessions\n");
  fclose(tmp);
  curl_easy_cleanup(curl);

  return 0;
}

##########################################

./libcurl1
init curl session
set url to download
set file handler to write
download the file
file downloaded
get http return code
http code: 200
get size of download page
length: 6969
END: close all files and sessions