Sample code for 30+ languages & platforms
PHP Extension

Send HTTP POST using non-UTF8 such as Windows-1250

See more HTTP Examples

Demonstrates how to specify the character encoding (charset) to be used for the body of an HTTP POST.

Chilkat PHP Extension Downloads

PHP Extension
<?php

include("chilkat.php");

$success = false;

// This example requires the Chilkat API to have been previously unlocked.
// See Global Unlock Sample for sample code.

$http = new CkHttp();

$req = new CkHttpRequest();

// Load a JSON file containing strings with Polish chars.
$json = new CkJsonObject();
$success = $json->LoadFile('qa_data/json/has_polish_chars.json');
if ($success == false) {
    print $json->lastErrorText() . "\n";
    exit;
}

// Add the request params expected by the server-side:
$req->AddParam('tytul',$json->stringOf('tytul'));
$req->AddParam('tresc',$json->stringOf('tresc'));

// Indicate we wish to explicitly send the charset attribute in the HTTP request header.
$req->put_SendCharset(true);

// Send the POST
// You can send the POST to the URL below.  It will respond with the request body in quoted-printable format.
// Using quoted-printable, we can easily see the binary bytes for the accented chars.

$req->put_HttpVerb('POST');
$req->put_ContentType('application/x-www-form-urlencoded');

$resp = new CkHttpResponse();
$success = $http->HttpReq('https://www.chilkatsoft.com/echoPost.cshtml',$req,$resp);
if ($success == false) {
    print $http->lastErrorText() . "\n";
    exit;
}

print $http->lastHeader() . "\n";
print $resp->bodyStr() . "\n";

// Sample output:

// --------------------------------------------------
// POST /echoPost.cshtml HTTP/1.1
// Host: www.chilkatsoft.com
// Content-Type: application/x-www-form-urlencoded; charset=utf-8
// Content-Length: 79
// 
// <pre>tytul=3DPrzyk%C5%82ad&amp;tresc=3DPrzyk%C5%82ad
// %82oszenie</pre>
// --------------------------------------------------

// We can see by the %C5%82 that utf-8 was sent, because %C5%82 is the 2-byte representation of a particular Polish char.

// -----------------------
// However.. we can change the charset used for the HTTP request by specifying the request object's charset.

$req->put_SendCharset(true);
$req->put_Charset('windows-1250');
$req->put_HttpVerb('POST');
$req->put_ContentType('application/x-www-form-urlencoded');

$success = $http->HttpReq('https://www.chilkatsoft.com/echoPost.cshtml',$req,$resp);
if ($success == false) {
    print $http->lastErrorText() . "\n";
    exit;
}

print $http->lastHeader() . "\n";
print $resp->bodyStr() . "\n";

// Sample output...
// You can see how the bytes used for the Polish chars are now 1-byte per char (i.e. using Windows-1250) 

// --------------------------------------------------
// POST /echoPost.cshtml HTTP/1.1
// Host: www.chilkatsoft.com
// Content-Type: application/x-www-form-urlencoded; charset=windows-1250
// Content-Length: 70
// 
// <pre>tytul=3DPrzyk%B3ad&amp;tresc=3DPrzyk%B3ad
// e</pre>
// --------------------------------------------------

?>