Question

I’m using Indy TIdHTTP along with TIdCookieManager. I would like to check the current cookies for the request I’m about to send and identify the likelyhood that it will be valid (I know I can’t be 100% sure the server will accept my request). If there are no cookies, or if they’re expired, I will want to login first and acquire new cookies. Otherwise, just send the request.

How would I go about doing such a check? I believe I have to check the cookie manager before I send a request, but don’t know what to check.

Answer 1

Try something like this:

function CheckCookies(Cookies: TIdCookieManager; const TargetURL: String): Boolean; 
var 
  URL: TIdURI;
  Headers: TIdHeaderList;  
begin 
  Result := False; 

  URL := TIdURI.Create(TargetURL);
  try
    Headers := TIdHeaderList.Create(QuoteHTTP);
    try  
      Cookies.GenerateClientCookies(URL, False, Headers);
      Result := Headers.Count > 0;
    finally
      Headers.Free;
    end;
  finally
    URL.Free;
  end;
end; 

.

if not CheckCookies(IdHTTP1.CookieManager, 'http://www.someurl.com/') then
begin
  // login and get new cookies ...
end;