HttpCurl Zig Reference Documentation

HttpCurl

Current Version: 11.6.1

curl-style HTTP requests with dependency resolution

Run curl commands and automatically resolve values needed by later requests

The Chilkat.HttpCurl class executes HTTP requests expressed as curl commands, with support for variable substitution, reusable curl functions, automatic dependency resolution, response extraction, and structured diagnostics.

Variables such as {{access_token}}, {{site_id}}, or {{drive_id}} can appear in URLs, headers, query parameters, or request bodies. If a variable is not yet known, HttpCurl can build an execution plan from previously defined curl functions, run the prerequisite requests, extract values from JSON responses, and then execute the final target request.

Define dependencies Use AddFunction with AddOutput or AddOutput2.
Manage variables Use SetVar, GetVar, ClearVar, and GetAllVars.
Preview execution Use ExaminePlan or ToRawRequest before sending.
Read responses Get text, binary, JSON, XML, or stream directly to a file.

After DoYourThing completes, check StatusCode and retrieve the response using the appropriate getter. If something fails, FailReason, FailedCurl, and LastErrorText help identify the failed step and the reason.

Note: Chilkat.HttpCurl is not derived from curl/libcurl and does not wrap libcurl. It accepts curl-style command text and executes the request using Chilkat’s own HTTP implementation.

Object Creation

// Add the package once:
//     zig fetch --save https://chilkatdownload.com/11.6.1/chilkat-zig-11.6.1.tar.gz
// and in build.zig:
//     const chilkat = b.dependency("chilkat", .{ .target = target, .optimize = optimize });
//     exe.root_module.addImport("chilkat", chilkat.module("chilkat"));
const chilkat = @import("chilkat");

// Once per process, before any other Chilkat call:
try chilkat.unlockBundle("Anything for 30-day trial");

const http_curl = try chilkat.HttpCurl.init();
defer http_curl.deinit();
pub fn init() Allocator.Error!HttpCurl

Creates the underlying native Chilkat object. HttpCurl is a one-pointer struct passed by value; copying it copies the handle (two names for one object). Returns error.OutOfMemory if the library could not allocate the object. Use an object from one thread at a time; it may be handed from one thread to another.

pub fn deinit(self: HttpCurl) void

Releases the native object. Call it exactly once per object (usually with defer); the handle is invalid afterwards. Objects returned by methods are owned by the caller too and are released the same way.

pub fn fromHandle(h: *chilkat.c.CkHttpCurl.HCkHttpCurl) HttpCurl

Wraps a handle obtained from the C API (chilkat.c.CkHttpCurl), taking ownership of it. The struct's handle field goes the other way, for anything the Zig API does not cover.

Errors and memory

Methods that can fail return an error union: a method whose only outcome is success or failure returns Error!void; a method producing a string returns (Error || Allocator.Error)![:0]u8; a method producing an object returns Error!T. chilkat.Error is error{ChilkatFailed}; the reason for a failure is in getLastErrorText, and the object remains usable. Properties never fail, and methods that answer a question (hasMember, isUnlocked, ...) return a plain bool.

String arguments are [:0]const u8 (UTF-8; string literals can be passed as is). String results are copies allocated with the allocator argument and owned by the caller, so they stay valid across later calls on the same object.

const text = http_curl.someMethod(allocator, ...) catch |err| {
    const why = try http_curl.getLastErrorText(allocator);
    defer allocator.free(why);
    std.debug.print("{s}\n", .{why});
    return err;
};
defer allocator.free(text);

Properties

DebugLogFilePath
// read/write
pub fn getDebugLogFilePath(self: HttpCurl, allocator: Allocator) Allocator.Error![:0]u8
pub fn setDebugLogFilePath(self: HttpCurl, value: [:0]const u8) void

If set to a file path, this property logs the LastErrorText of each Chilkat method or property call to the specified file. This logging helps identify the context and history of Chilkat calls leading up to any crash or hang, aiding in debugging.

Enabling the VerboseLogging property provides more detailed information. This property is mainly used for debugging rare instances where a Chilkat method call causes a hang or crash, which should generally not happen.

Possible causes of hangs include:

  • A timeout property set to 0, indicating an infinite timeout.
  • A hang occurring within an event callback in the application code.
  • An internal bug in the Chilkat code causing the hang.

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EnableBodyVars
// read/write
pub fn getEnableBodyVars(self: HttpCurl) bool
pub fn setEnableBodyVars(self: HttpCurl, value: bool) void
Introduced in version 11.5.0

Enables variable substitution in the body of the request. The default value is true.

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FailedCurl
// read-only
pub fn getFailedCurl(self: HttpCurl, allocator: Allocator) Allocator.Error![:0]u8
Introduced in version 11.5.0

Set to the specific curl command in the execution plan that failed.

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FailReason
// read-only
pub fn getFailReason(self: HttpCurl) i32
Introduced in version 11.5.0

Set to an integer value indicating the reason for failure for the methods DoYourThing and ExaminePlan

Possible values are:

  1. No error - the method succeeded or hasn't yet been called.
  2. curl command syntax error.
  3. HTTP response status code indidcates an authentication (401) or authorization (403) error.
  4. HTTP response status code indicates an error, but not an authentication or authorization error.
  5. HTTP communications failure.
  6. Impossible to derive an execution plan from defined outputs and inputs.
  7. A step in the execution plan did not resolve any dependency variables.
  8. Failed to get curl data from a local file source (see the note below).
  9. If we are within a Chilkat.Js context and don't have permission to read the local filesystem.
  10. Chilkat has not been successfully unlocked by previously and successfully calling UnlockBundle.
  11. Failed to open or create the local output file (if a curl option directed output to a file).

Note: curl can read data from a local file and send it in a request (usually POST/PUT) using special syntax:

  • -d @file.txt → reads the file and sends it as request body (form-style encoding).
  • --data-binary @file.bin → sends raw file contents exactly as-is.
  • -F "file=@file.txt" → uploads the file as multipart/form-data.

The @ tells curl to load the data from a local file instead of using a literal string.

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HeartbeatMs
// read/write
pub fn getHeartbeatMs(self: HttpCurl) i32
pub fn setHeartbeatMs(self: HttpCurl, value: i32) void
Introduced in version 11.5.0

Specifies the interval, in milliseconds, between AbortCheck event callbacks.

This allows an application to periodically decide whether a long-running operation should be aborted.

The default value is 0, which means no AbortCheck callbacks are generated.

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LastErrorHtml
// read-only
pub fn getLastErrorHtml(self: HttpCurl, allocator: Allocator) Allocator.Error![:0]u8

Provides HTML-formatted information about the last called method or property. If a method call fails or behaves unexpectedly, check this property for details. Note that information is available regardless of the method call's success.

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LastErrorText
// read-only
pub fn getLastErrorText(self: HttpCurl, allocator: Allocator) Allocator.Error![:0]u8

Provides plain text information about the last called method or property. If a method call fails or behaves unexpectedly, check this property for details. Note that information is available regardless of the method call's success.

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LastErrorXml
// read-only
pub fn getLastErrorXml(self: HttpCurl, allocator: Allocator) Allocator.Error![:0]u8

Provides XML-formatted information about the last called method or property. If a method call fails or behaves unexpectedly, check this property for details. Note that information is available regardless of the method call's success.

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LastMethodSuccess
// read/write
pub fn getLastMethodSuccess(self: HttpCurl) bool
pub fn setLastMethodSuccess(self: HttpCurl, value: bool) void

Indicates the success or failure of the most recent method call: true means success, false means failure. This property remains unchanged by property setters or getters. This method is present to address challenges in checking for null or Nothing returns in certain programming languages. Note: This property does not apply to methods that return integer values or to boolean-returning methods where the boolean does not indicate success or failure.

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ResponseBodyStr
// read-only
pub fn getResponseBodyStr(self: HttpCurl, allocator: Allocator) Allocator.Error![:0]u8
Introduced in version 11.5.0

Returns the HTTP response body from the last call to DoYourThing .

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ResponseFilePath
// read/write
pub fn getResponseFilePath(self: HttpCurl, allocator: Allocator) Allocator.Error![:0]u8
pub fn setResponseFilePath(self: HttpCurl, value: [:0]const u8) void
Introduced in version 11.5.0

Set this property to the path of a file to stream the response body to a file. If the response is streamed to a file, it will not be available in ResponseBodyStr , GetResponseSb , or GetResponseBd .

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StatusCode
// read-only
pub fn getStatusCode(self: HttpCurl) i32
Introduced in version 11.5.0

Returns the HTTP status code from the last call to DoYourThing. A value of 0 indicates no response header was received.

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UncommonOptions
// read/write
pub fn getUncommonOptions(self: HttpCurl, allocator: Allocator) Allocator.Error![:0]u8
pub fn setUncommonOptions(self: HttpCurl, value: [:0]const u8) void
Introduced in version 11.5.0

Provides a comma-separated list of uncommon option keywords.

This property defaults to an empty string and should normally remain empty.

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VerboseLogging
// read/write
pub fn getVerboseLogging(self: HttpCurl) bool
pub fn setVerboseLogging(self: HttpCurl, value: bool) void

If set to true, then the contents of LastErrorText (or LastErrorXml, or LastErrorHtml) may contain more verbose information. The default value is false. Verbose logging should only be used for debugging. The potentially large quantity of logged information may adversely affect peformance.

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Version
// read-only
pub fn getVersion(self: HttpCurl, allocator: Allocator) Allocator.Error![:0]u8

Version of the component/library, such as "10.1.0"

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Methods

AddFunction
pub fn addFunction(self: HttpCurl, func_name: [:0]const u8, curl: [:0]const u8) Error!void
Introduced in version 11.5.0

Adds a named curl function that can be used in dependency resolution. Inputs required by the curl function are indicated by the variable names enclosed in {{ and }}. Outputs are defined in one or more calls to AddOutput .

Returns error.ChilkatFailed on failure; getLastErrorText explains why.

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AddOutput
pub fn addOutput(self: HttpCurl, func_name: [:0]const u8, json_path: [:0]const u8, var_name: [:0]const u8) Error!void
Introduced in version 11.5.0

Adds or updates a defined output for a dependency resolution curl function previously defined by calling AddFunction. The json_path is the JSON path in the JSON response body where the var_name's value is located. If either the func_name or json_path already exist for the func_name, then the output is updated.

Returns error.ChilkatFailed on failure; getLastErrorText explains why.

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AddOutput2
pub fn addOutput2(self: HttpCurl, func_name: [:0]const u8, array_path: [:0]const u8, where_path: [:0]const u8, where_value: [:0]const u8, case_sensitive: bool, sub_path: [:0]const u8, var_name: [:0]const u8) Error!void
Introduced in version 11.5.0

Adds or updates an output variable definition for a dependency-resolution curl function previously created by calling AddFunction. Use this method when the curl response is JSON containing an array of objects, and a value needs to be extracted from one specific array element.

The method searches the array located at arrayPath, finds the array element where the value at wherePath matches whereValue, and then extracts the value at subPath. The extracted value is assigned to the variable named by varName.

The wherePath and subPath values are paths relative to each individual array element. The comparison between whereValue and the JSON value found at wherePath is either case-sensitive or case-insensitive depending on the value of caseSensitive.

Parameters

  • funcName — The name of the curl function previously added by calling AddFunction. The output definition is associated with this function.
  • arrayPath — The JSON path identifying the array of records within the JSON response.
  • wherePath — A relative JSON path within each array element used to locate the matching record.
  • whereValue — The value to match against the JSON value found at wherePath.
  • caseSensitive — If true, the comparison between whereValue and the JSON value is case-sensitive. If false, the comparison is case-insensitive.
  • subPath — A relative JSON path within the matched array element identifying the value to extract.
  • varName — The name of the variable that will receive the extracted value.

Example

Given the following JSON response:

{
  "drives": [
    {
      "name": "Documents",
      "id": "A123"
    },
    {
      "name": "Shared",
      "id": "B456"
    }
  ]
}

The following call:

AddOutput2("GetDrive","drives","name","shared",false,"id","drive_id")

searches the drives array for the element whose name matches "shared" using case-insensitive comparison. The matching element is:

{
  "name": "Shared",
  "id": "B456"
}

The value of id is extracted and assigned to the variable drive_id, resulting in:

drive_id = "B456"

Returns error.ChilkatFailed on failure; getLastErrorText explains why.

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AddTargetOutput
pub fn addTargetOutput(self: HttpCurl, json_path: [:0]const u8, var_name: [:0]const u8) void
Introduced in version 11.5.0

Adds an automatically mapped variable for the target curl command. When a JSON response is received from a curl request, the value at the JSON path specified by json_path is extracted (if present) and assigned to the variable named by var_name.

This is useful in common workflows where one request returns an identifier (such as an `id`) that must be reused in a subsequent curl request.

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ClearTargetOutput
pub fn clearTargetOutput(self: HttpCurl, var_name: [:0]const u8) void
Introduced in version 11.5.0

Clears (undefines) the target output for the specified var_name. If var_name equals "*", then all target outputs are cleared.

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ClearVar
pub fn clearVar(self: HttpCurl, var_name: [:0]const u8) void
Introduced in version 11.5.0

Undefines the variable with the specified name. If var_name equals "*", then all variables are cleared.

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DoYourThing
pub fn doYourThing(self: HttpCurl, target_curl: [:0]const u8) Error!void
Introduced in version 11.5.0

Runs a the targetCurl command specified in target_curl. If the targetCurl contains variable names enclosed in {{ and }}, then an execution plan is constructed from defined functions and outputs to resolve unknown variables, and the execution plan is run. The final step in the execution plan is always the targetCurl command.

Returns success (true) if a response was received, in which case the response status code will be available in StatusCode and the content of the response body will be available in one of two places:

Assuming the HTTP response is JSON, the target outputs (variables) specified by prior calls to AddTargetOutput will be populated by applying each variable's JSON path to the response JSON.

Returns error.ChilkatFailed on failure; getLastErrorText explains why.

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ExaminePlan
pub fn examinePlan(self: HttpCurl, curl: [:0]const u8, json: chilkat.JsonObject) Error!void
Introduced in version 11.5.0

Used for debugging. Returns in json the plan of execution that would occur for the curl based on the variables that are either unknown or already known. The plan of execution is what would occur if DoYourThing was called with the current state of knowledge.

If no execution plan is possible with the current known inputs and outputs, then json provides information about what is missing and the method returns false.

Returns error.ChilkatFailed on failure; getLastErrorText explains why.

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GetAllVars
pub fn getAllVars(self: HttpCurl, json: chilkat.JsonObject) void
Introduced in version 11.5.0

Returns all defined variables in json.

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GetResponseBd
pub fn getResponseBd(self: HttpCurl, bd: chilkat.BinData) Error!void
Introduced in version 11.5.0

Appends to bd the HTTP response body from the last call to DoYourThing.

Returns error.ChilkatFailed on failure; getLastErrorText explains why.

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GetResponseJarr
pub fn getResponseJarr(self: HttpCurl, jarr: chilkat.JsonArray) Error!void
Introduced in version 11.5.0

Writes to jarr the HTTP response body from the last call to DoYourThing.

Returns error.ChilkatFailed on failure; getLastErrorText explains why.

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GetResponseJson
pub fn getResponseJson(self: HttpCurl, json: chilkat.JsonObject) Error!void
Introduced in version 11.5.0

Writes to json the HTTP response body from the last call to DoYourThing.

Returns error.ChilkatFailed on failure; getLastErrorText explains why.

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GetResponseSb
pub fn getResponseSb(self: HttpCurl, sb: chilkat.StringBuilder) Error!void
Introduced in version 11.5.0

Appends to sb the HTTP response body from the last call to DoYourThing.

Returns error.ChilkatFailed on failure; getLastErrorText explains why.

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GetResponseXml
pub fn getResponseXml(self: HttpCurl, xml: chilkat.Xml) Error!void
Introduced in version 11.5.0

Writes to xml the HTTP response body from the last call to DoYourThing.

Returns error.ChilkatFailed on failure; getLastErrorText explains why.

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GetVar
pub fn getVar(self: HttpCurl, allocator: Allocator, var_name: [:0]const u8) (Error || Allocator.Error)![:0]u8
Introduced in version 11.5.0

Retrieves the current value of the variable specified by var_name.

Returns error.ChilkatFailed on failure; getLastErrorText explains why. The string is allocated with allocator and owned by the caller (defer allocator.free(s)).

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SetAuth
pub fn setAuth(self: HttpCurl, json: chilkat.JsonObject) Error!void
Introduced in version 11.5.0

Sets authorization information that is applied to all calls to DoYourThing . See the examples below for details.

Returns error.ChilkatFailed on failure; getLastErrorText explains why.

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SetVar
pub fn setVar(self: HttpCurl, var_name: [:0]const u8, var_value: [:0]const u8) void
Introduced in version 11.5.0

Sets the value of a variable to be replaced in curl commands. Variable names are enclosed in {{ and }} and can occur in the path, query params, or the body of the request.

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ToRawRequest
pub fn toRawRequest(self: HttpCurl, curl_command: [:0]const u8, sb: chilkat.StringBuilder) Error!void
Introduced in version 11.5.0

Used for debugging purposes. This method behaves the same as DoYourThing , but only converts the curl_command to an HTTP request message in sb containing the full structure:

  • start line
  • headers
  • optional body or multipart body

It does not actually send the HTTP request.

Returns error.ChilkatFailed on failure; getLastErrorText explains why.

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VarDefined
pub fn varDefined(self: HttpCurl, var_name: [:0]const u8) bool
Introduced in version 11.5.0

Returns true if the var_name is defined, otherwise returns false. Setting var_name to "!" checks whether all target output variables have been defined. It returns true if every target output is set, and false if any are missing.

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Events

All Chilkat methods are synchronous: the call returns when the work is done. During a call, HttpCurl raises three events so your program can show progress and offer a way out. Declare any subset of abortCheck, percentDone and progressInfo in a struct of your own and install a pointer to it with setEventHandler:

const Progress = struct {
    pub fn percentDone(_: *Progress, pct: i32) bool {
        std.debug.print("{d}%\n", .{pct});
        return false; // return true to abort the method in progress
    }
    pub fn progressInfo(_: *Progress, name: [:0]const u8, value: [:0]const u8) void {
        std.debug.print("{s}: {s}\n", .{ name, value });
    }
};

var progress = Progress{};
http_curl.setEventHandler(&progress); // progress must outlive the installation
defer http_curl.clearEventHandler();
http_curl.setHeartbeatMs(250); // abortCheck 4 times per second during Chilkat calls
pub fn setEventHandler(self: HttpCurl, handler: anytype) void

Installs handler, a pointer to any struct, as the receiver of this object's events, replacing any handler installed earlier. The dispatch is resolved at compile time: only the methods the struct declares are called, and a struct declaring none of the three is a compile error. The struct must stay alive, at the same address, until clearEventHandler or deinit.

pub fn clearEventHandler(self: HttpCurl) void

Removes the handler; events are no longer delivered.

AbortCheck fires at regular intervals controlled by the HeartbeatMs property (0, the default, disables it); PercentDone fires when an operation's completion percentage is known; ProgressInfo delivers named progress values. Returning true from abortCheck or percentDone aborts the running method, which then returns error.ChilkatFailed.

Events fire on the thread that called the method, before that method returns. To abort a long operation from another thread, have abortCheck read a std.atomic.Value(bool), or set the object's AbortCurrent property.

AbortCheck
// handler struct method (optional); install with setEventHandler
pub fn abortCheck(self: *T) bool

Enables a method call to be aborted by triggering the AbortCheck event at intervals defined by the HeartbeatMs property. If HeartbeatMs is set to its default value of 0, no events will occur. For instance, set HeartbeatMs to 200 to trigger 5 AbortCheck events per second.

More Information and Examples

Example

const Abort = struct {
    stop: std.atomic.Value(bool) = .init(false),
    pub fn abortCheck(self: *Abort) bool {
        return self.stop.load(.acquire); // another thread may call abort.stop.store(true, .release)
    }
};

var abort = Abort{};
http_curl.setHeartbeatMs(250); // call abortCheck 4 times per second
http_curl.setEventHandler(&abort);
defer http_curl.clearEventHandler();
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PercentDone
// handler struct method (optional); install with setEventHandler
pub fn percentDone(self: *T, pct: i32) bool

This provides the percentage completion for any method involving network communications or time-consuming processing, assuming the progress can be measured as a percentage. This event is triggered only when it's possible and logical to express the operation's progress as a percentage. The pctDone argument will range from 1 to 100. For methods that finish quickly, the number of PercentDone callbacks may vary, but the final callback will have pctDone equal to 100. For longer operations, callbacks will not exceed one per percentage point (e.g., 1, 2, 3, ..., 98, 99, 100).

The PercentDone callback also acts as an AbortCheck event. For fast methods where PercentDone fires, an AbortCheck event may not trigger since the PercentDone callback already provides an opportunity to abort. For longer operations, where time between PercentDone callbacks is extended, AbortCheck callbacks enable more responsive operation termination.

To abort the operation, set the abort output argument to true. This will cause the method to terminate and return a failure status or corresponding failure value.

More Information and Examples

Example

const Progress = struct {
    pub fn percentDone(_: *Progress, pct: i32) bool {
        // pct ranges from 1 to 100.
        std.debug.print("Percent done: {d}\n", .{pct});
        return false; // return true to abort the method in progress
    }
};

var progress = Progress{};
http_curl.setEventHandler(&progress);
defer http_curl.clearEventHandler();
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ProgressInfo
// handler struct method (optional); install with setEventHandler
pub fn progressInfo(self: *T, name: [:0]const u8, value: [:0]const u8) void

This event callback provides tag name/value pairs that detail what occurs during a method call. To discover existing tag names, create code to handle the event, emit the pairs, and review them. Most tag names are self-explanatory.

Note: Some Chilkat methods don't fire any ProgressInfo events.

More Information and Examples

Example

const Info = struct {
    pub fn progressInfo(_: *Info, name: [:0]const u8, value: [:0]const u8) void {
        std.debug.print("{s}: {s}\n", .{ name, value });
    }
};

var info = Info{};
http_curl.setEventHandler(&info);
defer http_curl.clearEventHandler();
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