This is a simple guide on how to detect the request type with PHP. i.e. Is the user making a POST request or a GET request – or are they using one of the other HTTP Methods, such as PUT and DELETE.
Here is a simple example:
<?php //Get the request method from the $_SERVER $requestType = $_SERVER['REQUEST_METHOD']; //Print the request method out on to the page. echo $requestType;
As you can see, the request method is accessible via the $_SERVER array.
Obviously, knowing the request type is handy, as it allows you to:
- Restrict HTTP requests to certain request types. i.e. If you have a page that allows a user to submit a comment, you might want to restrict that script to POST requests or PUT requests.
- It allows you to implement REST, which is a popular software architectural style that allows you to organize interactions between independent systems.
An example of handling different request methods in PHP:
//Get the request method. $requestType = $_SERVER['REQUEST_METHOD']; //Switch statement switch ($requestType) { case 'POST': handle_post_request(); break; case 'GET': handle_get_request(); break; case 'DELETE': handle_delete_request(); break; default: //request type that isn't being handled. break; }
Pretty simple stuff!