# Setting HTTP Headers **URL:** \ **Category:** Ruby\ **Created:** [June 7, 2006, 8:29pm UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/setting-http-headers/62748 "2006-06-07T20:29:36Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 5\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![ashiro](https://www.ruby-forum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/a/e5b9ba/32.png) [@ashiro](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/ashiro)\ **Post date:** [June 7, 2006, 8:29pm UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/setting-http-headers/62748/1 "2006-06-07T20:29:36Z")
Hi All I’ve read the Pickaxe and the Ruby Docs but for the life of me I can’t figure out an easy way of setting the headers of my HTTP request/connection. I see a class called HTTPHeader and I see some methods have an “initheader” parameter but I was expecting there to be a simple way of ‘adding’ headers at any point in the script. Possible switching them and replacing with other values. Does anyone know of a way? Many thanks for your help. Doug ---
**Author:** ![ashiro](https://www.ruby-forum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/a/e5b9ba/32.png) [@ashiro](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/ashiro)\ **Post date:** [June 7, 2006, 9:22pm UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/setting-http-headers/62748/2 "2006-06-07T21:22:43Z")
- Doug B. (removed\_email\_address@domain.invalid) wrote: > Hi All > > I’ve read the Pickaxe and the Ruby Docs but for the life of me I can’t > figure out an easy way of setting the headers of my HTTP > request/connection. I see a class called HTTPHeader and I see some methods > have an “initheader” parameter but I was expecting there to be a simple way > of ‘adding’ headers at any point in the script. Possible switching them and > replacing with other values. “By adding headers at any point in the script?” Just to be sure, we talk about http? I think its not that problem to hack somethink like you want. But if in pure ruby, just do it yourself 🙂 > Many thanks for your help. > > Doug ## So far Michael Trommer [http://ackro.com](http://ackro.com) [http://polis.ackro.org](http://polis.ackro.org) ~ The reason ESP, for example, is not considered a viable topic in contemoprary psychology is simply that its investigation has not proven fruitful…After more than 70 years of study, there still does not exist one example of an ESP phenomenon that is replicable under controlled conditions. This simple but basic scientific criterion has not been met despite dozens of studies conducted over many decades…It is for this reason alone that the topic is now of little interest to psychology…In short, there is no demonstrated phenomenon that needs explanation. – Keith E. Stanovich, “How to Think Straight About Psychology”, pp. 160-161 ---
**Author:** ![ashiro](https://www.ruby-forum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/a/e5b9ba/32.png) [@ashiro](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/ashiro)\ **Post date:** [June 7, 2006, 9:29pm UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/setting-http-headers/62748/3 "2006-06-07T21:29:01Z")
On Wednesday 07 June 2006 19:27, Doug B. wrote: > Hi All > > I’ve read the Pickaxe and the Ruby Docs but for the life of me I can’t > figure out an easy way of setting the headers of my HTTP > request/connection. I see a class called HTTPHeader and I see some methods > have an “initheader” parameter but I was expecting there to be a simple way > of ‘adding’ headers at any point in the script. Possible switching them > and replacing with other values. > There’s an example for setting headers using open-uri in the ruby docs: > [http://ruby.outertrack.com/file/ruby-1.8.4%2Flib%2Fopen-uri.rb](http://ruby.outertrack.com/file/ruby-1.8.4%2Flib%2Fopen-uri.rb) open(“[Ruby Programming Language](http://www.ruby-lang.org/en/)”, “User-Agent” =\> “Ruby/#{RUBY\_VERSION}”, “From” =\> “removed\_email\_address@domain.invalid”, “Referer” =\> “[http://www.ruby-lang.org/](http://www.ruby-lang.org/)”) {|f| … } If you’re using Net:HTTP directly, initheader is a hash of header values. It’s really not documented too well there. Unless you feel you need to use Net:HTTP, I recommend you use open-uri instead, it does a lot more work for you. I’m not sure what you mean by the last part of your question, but you can certainly store your hash in a variable and modify it during your script’s execution as necessary. > Many thanks for your help. > I hope I’ve gone some way to answering your question. > Doug > Alex ---
**Author:** ![ashiro](https://www.ruby-forum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/a/e5b9ba/32.png) [@ashiro](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/ashiro)\ **Post date:** [June 7, 2006, 9:54pm UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/setting-http-headers/62748/4 "2006-06-07T21:54:55Z")
On Wednesday 07 June 2006 20:37, Dan D. wrote: > > … It’s really not documented too well there. > > Can open-uri do POSTs? I am pretty sure the answer is no but I would like a > definitive answer from someone who is very familiar with open-uri. > [http://www.ruby-doc.org/stdlib/libdoc/open-uri/rdoc/](http://www.ruby-doc.org/stdlib/libdoc/open-uri/rdoc/) > Documentation may be lacking in some areas, but you can rely on RDoc to > at > least generate a list of all public methods. I’m afraid OpenURI is > read-only “for the moment” > [http://www.ruby-doc.org/stdlib/libdoc/open-uri/rdoc/classes/OpenURI/OpenRead.html#M000783](http://www.ruby-doc.org/stdlib/libdoc/open-uri/rdoc/classes/OpenURI/OpenRead.html#M000783) Wanting to do POST requests might be a good reason to use Net:HTTP open open-uri 🙂 Alex ---
**Author:** ![ashiro](https://www.ruby-forum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/a/e5b9ba/32.png) [@ashiro](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/ashiro)\ **Post date:** [June 7, 2006, 9:38pm UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/setting-http-headers/62748/5 "2006-06-07T21:38:40Z")
> … It’s really not documented too well there. Can open-uri do POSTs? I am pretty sure the answer is no but I would like a definitive answer from someone who is very familiar with open-uri.