Making HTTP post request (with an input type="file") from within Maven, using command line parameters if possible

Question

I would like to convert this bash script:

#!/bin/bash
if ! [ $# == 2 ]; then
   echo Usage: update-module admin-password module-file
   exit 1
fi
if ! [ -f $2 ]; then
   echo Error: module file $2 does not exist
   exit 1
fi
curl -c /tmp/cookie.txt -d uname=admin -d pw=${1} http://localhost:8080/openmrs/loginServlet
curl -b /tmp/cookie.txt -F action=upload -F update=true -F moduleFile=\@$2 http://localhost:8080/openmrs/admin/modules/module.list
rm -rf /tmp/cookie.txt > /dev/null 2>&1

into something that could be placed into a maven pom.xml file.

Note that module-file is a jar file (renamed .omod), admin-password would ideally be specified on the command line, similar to command line parameters to maven archetype:create http://maven.apache.org/guides/mini/guide-creating-archetypes.html#Alternative_way_to_start_creating_your_Archetype

(the hostname should ideally be specified on the command line too).

Thank you

Yours Misha

Answer 1

Use GMaven to embed an inline Groovy Script, and use apache httpclient to implement the post request. Something like this:

<plugin>
    <groupId>org.codehaus.groovy.maven</groupId>
    <artifactId>gmaven-plugin</artifactId>
    <dependencies>
        <dependency>
            <groupId>org.apache.httpcomponents</groupId>
            <artifactId>httpclient</artifactId>
            <version>4.0.2</version>
        </dependency>
    </dependencies>
    <executions>
        <execution>
            <phase>generate-resources</phase>
            <goals>
                <goal>execute</goal>
            </goals>
            <configuration>
                <source><![CDATA[

                    import org.apache.http.HttpResponse;
                    import org.apache.http.client.HttpClient;
                    import org.apache.http.client.methods.HttpPost;
                    import org.apache.http.entity.InputStreamEntity;
                    import org.apache.http.impl.client.DefaultHttpClient;

                    String url = pom.properties['http.url'];
                    File file = new File(pom.properties['http.attachmentFile'])
                    HttpClient client = new DefaultHttpClient();
                    HttpPost post = new HttpPost(url);
                    InputStreamEntity entity = new InputStreamEntity(file.newInputStream());
                    post.setEntity entity;
                    HttpResponse response = client.execute(post);

                ]]></source>
            </configuration>
        </execution>
    </executions>
</plugin>

This uses the maven properties http.url and http.attachmentFile that you can specify on the command line using the -D syntax or in a pom.xml file in a <properties> block. Obviously, you'd need to extend the functionality to what else your shell script is doing, but this should get you started.