Re: use a gambas web cgi in a phpBB forum

[Bruce Steers <bsteers4@xxxxxxxxx>]

On Thu, 27 Nov 2025, 20:37 Lee, <t.lee.davidson@xxxxxxxxx> wrote:

> On 11/27/25 12:50 PM, Bruce Steers wrote:
> > Hi all. I am trying to make a gambas highlighter in a web cgi script.
> >
> > I am having problems with loosing the line feeds when using
> Request.Query in a phpBB custom bbcode so i need to use POST method
> > instead.
> >
> > on the forum side i can use javascript (and possibly php) in custom
> bbcode.
> >
> > the cgi simply reads the Query string or Request.ContentLength and runs
> it through gb.highlight.
> > looks like this...
> >
> > Public Sub MakeHtml() As String
> >
> >    Dim iPos, iPos2 As Integer
> >    Dim sMode As String = "gambas"
> >    Dim s As String = FromUrl(Request.Query)
> >
> >    If s Begins "mode=" Then ' check for mode= in Query string
> >      iPos = InStr(s, "=")
> >      iPos2 = InStr(s, "&")
> >      If Not iPos2 Then iPos2 = s.Len
> >      sMode = Mid(s, iPos + 1, iPos2 - iPos - 1)
> >      s = Mid(s, iPos2 + 1)
> >    Endif
> >
> > ' if string was not passed as Query then read POST
> >    If Not s And If Request.ContentLength Then s = Read
> Request.ContentLength
> >
> > ' write a table with gambas highlighted html.
> >    Print "<table width=100% height=100% border=1 cellpadding=10><tr
> height=3em><th height=3em align=left>" & sMode & " code</
> > th></tr><tr><td>"
> >    Print TextHighlighter[sMode].ToHTML(s)
> >    Print "</td></tt></table>"
> >
> > End
> >
> > I cannot get it to work though :(
> > My LFs are getting stripped :(
> > i can only add the text in the url and i think it needs to be a POST
> method instead but i can't figure it out.
> >
> > My phpBB custom code is this..
> > <iframe width=100% height=200px% src="
> http://138.68.116.47/cgi-bin/GambasHighlight.gambas?{TEXT} <
> http://138.68.116.47/cgi-bin/
> > GambasHighlight.gambas?{TEXT}>">
> > </iframe>
> > that gives what the attached picture shows.
> >
> > but it needs to be something like.
> > <script>
> > open "http://138.68.116.47/cgi-bin/GambasHighlight.gambas <
> http://138.68.116.47/cgi-bin/GambasHighlight.gambas>"
> > HTTP POST {TEXT}
> > Write response to page
> > </script>
> >
> > Any advice on how to POST text to a cgi from javascript or php and write
> the data would be appreciated?
> >
> > Thanks all
> > BruceS
>
> The text you POST should be encoded so that LFs are represented as "%0A".
> You should be able to use Javascript's encodeURI()
> function for that. Then, you should also be able to use the Request.Post
> properties to read the data if the text as been
> assigned to a query parameter or you set Request.Debug to True and simply
> read Request.Post.Contents.
>
> To post the data, you can use Fetch or XMLHttpRequest in JS:
>
> https://www.freecodecamp.org/news/javascript-post-request-how-to-send-an-http-post-request-in-js/
>
>
> --
> Lee
>

Cheers Lee
The main issue is with phpBB the token {TEXT} is used to insert the text
but it has line feeds and can't be formatted another way. It is the text as
it is written.

So code like 'var txt = "{TEXT)";
Inputs exactly like..
var txt = "line 1
Line 2
Line 3";

That would work in a bash script but JavaScript can't do multiline strings
like that.

I've tried putting the text in a <label id="lbl">text here</label> and
getting it with document.getElementById("lbl").innerText then writing the
text back but still no joy.
Yet

I tried a hundred things yesterday.
I'll try another bunch of things today.

Respects
BruceS

>