Stream: implementers
Topic: POST search, queryString vs formData
Muhammad Abubakar Ikram (May 17 2018 at 11:07):
In the following sections described that there is also a search endpoint using POST HTTP method.
1. https://www.hl7.org/fhir/http.html#search
2. https://www.hl7.org/fhir/search.html#2.21.1.2
the URL pattern for the POST search from the spec is
POST [base]/[type]/_search{?[parameters]{&_format=[mime-type]}}
In the detail, to this URL pattern, the following statements are written in the spec respective to the above-referred sections from the spec
1. "This has exactly the same semantics as the equivalent GET command. All these search interactions take a series of parameters that are a series of name=value pairs encoded in the URL (or as an application/x-www-form-urlencoded submission for a POST). (See W3C HTML forms )."
2. "For this RESTful search (see definition in RESTful API), the parameters are a series of name=[value] pairs encoded in the URL or as an application/x-www-form-urlencoded submission for a POST:"
In both the sections in URL pattern, we can see that there is a placeholder "[parameters]" for the query strings
And
Also in the detail of this endpoint, it is mentioned that parameters will be encoded in the URL or as an application/x-www-form-urlencoded submission for a POST.
My question is if we will define parameters in the querystring and also application/x-www-form-urlencoded parameters would be there then WHAT SHOULD HAPPEN?
should server merge both the parameters? (also handle duplication)
should server take only application/x-www-form-urlencoded parameters?
Michel Rutten (May 17 2018 at 11:43):
@Christiaan Knaap?
Christiaan Knaap (May 17 2018 at 11:47):
As it is not specified to exclude either of them, I think the server should accept all. And that is what Vonk does.
Lloyd McKenzie (May 17 2018 at 11:52):
@Muhammad Abubakar Can you raise a change request for us to clarify expectations on this?
Muhammad Abubakar Ikram (May 17 2018 at 11:54):
@Lloyd McKenzie sure.
Muhammad Abubakar Ikram (May 17 2018 at 12:01):
@Lloyd McKenzie here you go, https://gforge.hl7.org/gf/project/fhir/tracker/?action=TrackerItemEdit&tracker_item_id=17226
Lloyd McKenzie (May 17 2018 at 12:09):
Thanks
Muhammad Abubakar Ikram (May 17 2018 at 12:36):
What I would recommend and suggest that, as query strings are permitted in GET method and in POST method we can add form-urlencoded parameters then there is no point to have query strings parameter too on POST method.
Michael Donnelly (May 18 2018 at 07:48):
I agree strongly with @Muhammad Abubakar . The whole point of POST searches is not to have query parameters in the URL.
Grahame Grieve (May 18 2018 at 18:47):
there's forms that mix both. I always detest them.
Muhammad Abubakar Ikram (Nov 13 2018 at 09:07):
Which value should a server consider if there is an identical parameter but with different values in the URL and in the post body? what I could guess it would be better to consider the parameter in the post body.
Lloyd McKenzie (Nov 13 2018 at 10:17):
You're free to treat it as an error. If you pick one, be sure to declare what you actually used in the self link.
Yunwei Wang (Nov 13 2018 at 15:14):
I pick the POST body and ignores URL parameters
Brian Postlethwaite (Nov 13 2018 at 21:58):
You could just 'and' them as though they were repeated, which they are.
Observation?component-code=a&component-code=trial
Last updated: Apr 12 2022 at 19:14 UTC
