net_openurlconnection

#Net.OpenURLConnection

##Syntax Net.OpenURLConnection (urlAddr : string) : int

##Description Attempts to open a http connection to pthe URL (Universal Resource Locator) specified by the urlAddr.

If successful, Net.OpenURLConnection returns a network stream descriptor which can be used with the get statement and eof function to read the web page located at the URL.

The program will wait for an indeterminate amount of time to make the connection. If it fails, it will return a non-positive value.

##Details The Net module requires a TCP/IP stack to be installed and operating in order to function. It does not communicate using any other protocols

It is possible for Firewalls to interfere with the actions of the Net module, preventing connections from taking place.

##Example The following program prints out the contents of the file specified by the user.

    var url : string
    put "Enter the URL to load: " ..
    get url 
    
    var netStream : int
    var line : string
    
    netStream := Net.OpenURLConnection (url)
    if netStream <= 0 then
        put "Unable to connect to ", url
        return
    end if
    loop
        exit when eof (netStream)
        get : netStream, line
        put line
    end loop
    Net.CloseConnection (netStream)

##Status Exported qualified.

This means that you can only call the function by calling Net.OpenURLConnection, not by calling OpenURLConnection.

##See also net_closeconnection.html.