Question

I need to send a file_get_contents() to an API endpoint with the client’s cookies that are set by WordPress to show that the user is logged into the wordpress site. I know I need to use stream_context_create() roughly as follows:

$cookies = ??? //THIS IS THE QUESTION (see answer below)!

// Create a stream
$opts = array(
  'http'=>array(
    'method'=>"GET",
    'header'=>"Accept-language: en\r\n" .
              "Cookie: {$cookies}\r\n"
  )
);

$context = stream_context_create($opts);

// Open the file using the HTTP headers set above
$file = file_get_contents('http://example.dev/api/autho/', false, $context);

As you can see from the comment on the first line, I’m stuck on how to send this request so that the correct cookies are sent. I know the correct cookies are sent because I can print out $_COOKIES and see them there. But if I try to insert that same array into the headers, it doesn’t work.

Thanks in advance!

ps: I’ve read that I should use cURL for this, but I’m not sure why and I don’t know how to use it… but I’m open to the idea.

UPDATE:
I got this to work. It’s basically the same thing I was doing, with another important cookie . See my answer below.

Answer 1

It turns out I was doing it correctly, but I didn’t know that WP needs a second cookie sent in order for the request to work properly.

Here’s the code that works for me:

$cookies = $_COOKIE;
$name;
$value;
foreach ($_COOKIE as $key => $cookie ) {
    if ( strpos( $key, 'wordpress_logged_in') !== FALSE ) {
        $name = $key;
        $value = $cookie;
    } 
}

// Create a stream
$opts = array(
  'http'=>array(
    'method'=>"GET",
    'header'=>"Accept-language: en\r\n" .
              "Cookie: {$key}={$cookie}; wordpress_test_cookie=WP Cookie check \r\n"
  )
);
$context = stream_context_create($opts);
// Open the file using the HTTP headers set above
$file = file_get_contents('http://mydomain.dev/api/autho/', false, $context);

var_dump($file);

It’s basically the same thing as you see in my question, but with an important addition: wordpress_test_cookie=WP Cookie check. I haven’t seen it documented anywhere, but WP needs this cookie as well as the actual wordpress_logged_in cookie in order for the call to happen as an logged in user.