| # Form-Data [](https://travis-ci.org/felixge/node-form-data) [](https://gemnasium.com/felixge/node-form-data) | |
| A module to create readable ```"multipart/form-data"``` streams. Can be used to submit forms and file uploads to other web applications. | |
| The API of this module is inspired by the [XMLHttpRequest-2 FormData Interface][xhr2-fd]. | |
| [xhr2-fd]: http://dev.w3.org/2006/webapi/XMLHttpRequest-2/Overview.html#the-formdata-interface | |
| [streams2-thing]: http://nodejs.org/api/stream.html#stream_compatibility_with_older_node_versions | |
| ## Install | |
| ``` | |
| npm install form-data | |
| ``` | |
| ## Usage | |
| In this example we are constructing a form with 3 fields that contain a string, | |
| a buffer and a file stream. | |
| ``` javascript | |
| var FormData = require('form-data'); | |
| var fs = require('fs'); | |
| var form = new FormData(); | |
| form.append('my_field', 'my value'); | |
| form.append('my_buffer', new Buffer(10)); | |
| form.append('my_file', fs.createReadStream('/foo/bar.jpg')); | |
| ``` | |
| Also you can use http-response stream: | |
| ``` javascript | |
| var FormData = require('form-data'); | |
| var http = require('http'); | |
| var form = new FormData(); | |
| http.request('http://nodejs.org/images/logo.png', function(response) { | |
| form.append('my_field', 'my value'); | |
| form.append('my_buffer', new Buffer(10)); | |
| form.append('my_logo', response); | |
| }); | |
| ``` | |
| Or @mikeal's request stream: | |
| ``` javascript | |
| var FormData = require('form-data'); | |
| var request = require('request'); | |
| var form = new FormData(); | |
| form.append('my_field', 'my value'); | |
| form.append('my_buffer', new Buffer(10)); | |
| form.append('my_logo', request('http://nodejs.org/images/logo.png')); | |
| ``` | |
| In order to submit this form to a web application, call ```submit(url, [callback])``` method: | |
| ``` javascript | |
| form.submit('http://example.org/', function(err, res) { | |
| // res – response object (http.IncomingMessage) // | |
| res.resume(); // for node-0.10.x | |
| }); | |
| ``` | |
| For more advanced request manipulations ```submit()``` method returns ```http.ClientRequest``` object, or you can choose from one of the alternative submission methods. | |
| ### Alternative submission methods | |
| You can use node's http client interface: | |
| ``` javascript | |
| var http = require('http'); | |
| var request = http.request({ | |
| method: 'post', | |
| host: 'example.org', | |
| path: '/upload', | |
| headers: form.getHeaders() | |
| }); | |
| form.pipe(request); | |
| request.on('response', function(res) { | |
| console.log(res.statusCode); | |
| }); | |
| ``` | |
| Or if you would prefer the `'Content-Length'` header to be set for you: | |
| ``` javascript | |
| form.submit('example.org/upload', function(err, res) { | |
| console.log(res.statusCode); | |
| }); | |
| ``` | |
| To use custom headers and pre-known length in parts: | |
| ``` javascript | |
| var CRLF = '\r\n'; | |
| var form = new FormData(); | |
| var options = { | |
| header: CRLF + '--' + form.getBoundary() + CRLF + 'X-Custom-Header: 123' + CRLF + CRLF, | |
| knownLength: 1 | |
| }; | |
| form.append('my_buffer', buffer, options); | |
| form.submit('http://example.com/', function(err, res) { | |
| if (err) throw err; | |
| console.log('Done'); | |
| }); | |
| ``` | |
| Form-Data can recognize and fetch all the required information from common types of streams (```fs.readStream```, ```http.response``` and ```mikeal's request```), for some other types of streams you'd need to provide "file"-related information manually: | |
| ``` javascript | |
| someModule.stream(function(err, stdout, stderr) { | |
| if (err) throw err; | |
| var form = new FormData(); | |
| form.append('file', stdout, { | |
| filename: 'unicycle.jpg', | |
| contentType: 'image/jpg', | |
| knownLength: 19806 | |
| }); | |
| form.submit('http://example.com/', function(err, res) { | |
| if (err) throw err; | |
| console.log('Done'); | |
| }); | |
| }); | |
| ``` | |
| For edge cases, like POST request to URL with query string or to pass HTTP auth credentials, object can be passed to `form.submit()` as first parameter: | |
| ``` javascript | |
| form.submit({ | |
| host: 'example.com', | |
| path: '/probably.php?extra=params', | |
| auth: 'username:password' | |
| }, function(err, res) { | |
| console.log(res.statusCode); | |
| }); | |
| ``` | |
| In case you need to also send custom HTTP headers with the POST request, you can use the `headers` key in first parameter of `form.submit()`: | |
| ``` javascript | |
| form.submit({ | |
| host: 'example.com', | |
| path: '/surelynot.php', | |
| headers: {'x-test-header': 'test-header-value'} | |
| }, function(err, res) { | |
| console.log(res.statusCode); | |
| }); | |
| ``` | |
| ## Notes | |
| - ```getLengthSync()``` method DOESN'T calculate length for streams, use ```knownLength``` options as workaround. | |
| - If it feels like FormData hangs after submit and you're on ```node-0.10```, please check [Compatibility with Older Node Versions][streams2-thing] | |
| ## TODO | |
| - Add new streams (0.10) support and try really hard not to break it for 0.8.x. | |
| ## License | |
| Form-Data is licensed under the MIT license. | |