VBA POST formatting issue

Question

I am trying to use VBA to Post to an API. I have code that I've used in the past (with other APIs) whose structure and formatting has worked. But it didn't this time, it seems to be the Send command that is the culprit. So I searched the web and found a few different samples of how to format the Send and I've tried all of them, but none of them work.

The attached code sample includes several of the ways I've tried to format. I've commented out all but one but left the others in comments to show what I've tried. As you take a look at the code, know that I've tried every combination of commented out code that I could.

Each time, I get a server response that "No file uploaded or URL or base 64 provided."

However, if I put the same variables into Postman and send it from there, it works fine, so I know it is not an error on the API side, it's the way I'm formatting the VBA. I've checked the data many times to make sure there are no typos.

I would appreciate any suggestions.

    Sub macroPOST()
      Set objHTTP = CreateObject("MSXML2.ServerXMLHTTP")
      Url = "https://api.ocr.space/parse/image"

       objHTTP.Open "POST", Url, False

      'objHTTP.setRequestHeader "Content-Type", "application/x-www-form-urlencoded"
      objHTTP.setRequestHeader "apikey", "helloworld"
      objHTTP.setRequestHeader "Content-Type", "multipart/form-data"
      'objHTTP.setRequestHeader "Content-Type", "image/png"

      objHTTP.Send ("url=http://dl.a9t9.com/ocrbenchmark/eng.png&filetype=PNG&language=eng&isOverlayRequired=false&iscreatesearchablepdf=false&issearchablepdfhidetextlayer=false")
      'objHTTP.Send ("url=http://dl.a9t9.com/ocrbenchmark/eng.png")
      'objHTTP.Send ("url%3Dhttp%3A%2F%2Fdl%2Ea9t9%2Ecom%2Focrbenchmark%2Feng%2Epng")
      BodyContent = "{" & Chr(34) & "url" & Chr(34) & ":" & Chr(34) & "http://dl.a9t9.com/ocrbenchmark/eng.png" & Chr(34) & "}"
      'objHTTP.Send (BodyContent)

      replyTXT = objHTTP.responseText

      If objHTTP.Status = "200" Then 'success
        MsgBox replyTXT
      Else
        MsgBox ("Problem")
      End If
    End Sub

Answer 1

You are very very close. It was just a matter of combining the correct headers and the correct format of the request's body.

It should look like that:

Option Explicit

Sub test()
Dim req As New WinHttpRequest 'add a reference to Microsoft WinHTTP Services version 5.1
Dim url As String
url = "https://api.ocr.space/parse/image"

With req
    .Open "POST", url, False
    .setRequestHeader "apikey", "helloworld"
    .setRequestHeader "Content-Type", "application/x-www-form-urlencoded"
    .send "url=http://dl.a9t9.com/ocrbenchmark/eng.png"
    Debug.Print .responseText
    Debug.Print .Status
End With
End Sub

And the response in JSON as follows:

{"ParsedResults":[{"TextOverlay":{"Lines":[],"HasOverlay":false,"Message":"Text overlay is not provided as it is not requested"},"TextOrientation":"0","FileParseExitCode":1,"ParsedText":"ELLIOT\r\n29 Comments f Facebook Twitter G* Google O Pinterest in LinkedIn 6 Reddit\r\nLockheed's I-J-2S spy planes are famously difficult to launch and land. Their extremely poor field of\r\nvision requires a chase car on the ground that can keep up with them.\r\nThey use some powerful vehicles and now we learn that the Air Force has turned to the all-electric\r\nTesla Model S to launch its own spy planes.\r\nWhile it is still being used today, the Lockheed IJ-2S\r\nwas designed in 1950S. It has always been an\r\nextremely difficult plane to operate and Mythbusters\r\neven suggested that it could be \"the most difficul\r\nplane to fly\" in the world.\r\nThey need a whole ground team to put i in the air and\r\nback on the ground.\r\nThe US Air Force used a Camaro Z/28, which\r\nJalopnik featured in an article 4 years ago:\r\ nbaaa.fun\r\nmemes, quizzes, inspiration\r\nHave fun now!\r\nbaaa.fun\r\n","ErrorMessage":"","ErrorDetails":""}],"OCRExitCode":1,"IsErroredOnProcessing":false,"ProcessingTimeInMilliseconds":"621","SearchablePDFURL":"Searchable PDF not generated as it was not requested."}

Now, if you need to include more of the optional parameters in your request you can structure its body like so:

.send "url=http://dl.a9t9.com/ocrbenchmark/eng.png&language=eng&isOverlayRequired=false&filetype=jpg&iscreatesearchablepdf=false&issearchablepdfhidetextlayer=false"

The parentheses issue that was referred in the comments, will not make a difference in this case, but nevertheless it is a valid point.