Added support for request payload from a filepath

Content-Type is detected from the filename.

Closes #57.

README.rst

@@ -106,6 +106,10 @@ The above can be further simplified by omitting ``GET`` and ``POST`` because the
 
     http -b https://api.github.com/repos/jkbr/httpie | http httpbin.org/post
 
+An alternative to ``stdin`` is to pass a file name whose content will be used as the request body. It has the advantage that the ``Content-Type`` header will automatically be set to the appropriate value based on the filename extension (using the ``mimetypes`` module). Therefore, the following will request will send the verbatim contents of the file with ``Content-Type: application/xml``::
+
+    http PUT httpbin.org/put @/data/file.xml
+
 
 Flags
 ^^^^^
@@ -215,6 +219,7 @@ Changelog
 ---------
 
 * `0.2.3dev <https://github.com/jkbr/httpie/compare/0.2.2...master>`_
+    * Added support for request payloads from a file path with automatic ``Content-Type`` (``http URL @/path``).
 * `0.2.2 <https://github.com/jkbr/httpie/compare/0.2.1...0.2.2>`_ (2012-06-24)
     * The ``METHOD`` positional argument can now be omitted (defaults to ``GET``, or to ``POST`` with data).
     * Fixed --verbose --form.

httpie/__main__.py

@@ -24,8 +24,8 @@ def _get_response(parser, args, stdin, stdin_isatty):
             'Content-Type' not in args.headers
             and (args.data or args.json)):
                 args.headers['Content-Type'] = TYPE_JSON
-        if stdin_isatty:
+        if isinstance(args.data, dict):
-            # Serialize the parsed data.
+            # Serialize the data dict parsed from arguments.
             args.data = json.dumps(args.data)
         if 'Accept' not in args.headers:
             # Default Accept to JSON as well.

httpie/cli.py

@@ -25,16 +25,16 @@ group_type = parser.add_mutually_exclusive_group(required=False)
 group_type.add_argument(
     '--json', '-j', action='store_true',
     help=_('''
-        (default) Data items are serialized as a JSON object.
+        (default) Data items from the command line are serialized as a JSON object.
         The Content-Type and Accept headers
-        are set to application/json (if not set via the command line).
+        are set to application/json (if not specified).
     ''')
 )
 group_type.add_argument(
     '--form', '-f', action='store_true',
     help=_('''
-        Data items are serialized as form fields.
+        Data items from the command line are serialized as form fields.
-        The Content-Type is set to application/x-www-form-urlencoded (if not specifid).
+        The Content-Type is set to application/x-www-form-urlencoded (if not specified).
         The presence of any file fields results into a multipart/form-data request.
      ''')
 )

httpie/cliparse.py

@@ -7,6 +7,7 @@ import sys
 import re
 import json
 import argparse
+import mimetypes
 
 from collections import namedtuple
 
@@ -58,14 +59,14 @@ class Parser(argparse.ArgumentParser):
         self._guess_method(args, stdin_isatty)
         self._parse_items(args)
         if not stdin_isatty:
-            self._process_stdin(args, stdin)
+            self._body_from_file(args, stdin)
         return args
 
-    def _process_stdin(self, args, stdin):
+    def _body_from_file(self, args, f):
         if args.data:
-            self.error('Request body (stdin) and request '
+            self.error('Request body (from stdin or a file) and request '
                        'data (key=value) cannot be mixed.')
-        args.data = stdin.read()
+        args.data = f.read()
 
     def _guess_method(self, args, stdin_isatty=sys.stdin.isatty()):
         """
@@ -125,12 +126,26 @@ class Parser(argparse.ArgumentParser):
             self.error(e.message)
 
         if args.files and not args.form:
-            # We could just switch to --form automatically here,
+            # `http url @/path/to/file`
-            # but I think it's better to make it explicit.
+            # It's not --form so the file contents will be used as the
-            self.error(
+            # body of the requests. Also, we try to detect the appropriate
-                ' You need to set the --form / -f flag to'
+            # Content-Type.
-                ' to issue a multipart request. File fields: %s'
+            if len(args.files) > 1:
-                % ','.join(args.files.keys()))
+                self.error(
+                    'Only one file can be specified unless'
+                    ' --form is used. File fields: %s'
+                    % ','.join(args.files.keys()))
+            f = list(args.files.values())[0]
+            self._body_from_file(args, f)
+            args.files = {}
+            if 'Content-Type' not in args.headers:
+                mime, encoding = mimetypes.guess_type(f.name, strict=False)
+                if mime:
+                    content_type = mime
+                    if encoding:
+                        content_type = '%s; charset=%s' % (mime, encoding)
+                    args.headers['Content-Type'] = content_type
+
 
     def _validate_output_options(self, args):
         unknown_output_options = set(args.output_options) - set(OUTPUT_OPTIONS)

tests/file2.txt

@@ -0,0 +1 @@
+__test_file_content__

tests/tests.py

@@ -18,6 +18,7 @@ from httpie import __main__, cliparse
 
 
 TEST_FILE_PATH = os.path.join(TESTS_ROOT, 'file.txt')
+TEST_FILE2_PATH = os.path.join(TESTS_ROOT, 'file2.txt')
 TEST_FILE_CONTENT = open(TEST_FILE_PATH).read().strip()
 TERMINAL_COLOR_PRESENCE_CHECK = '\x1b['
 
@@ -180,10 +181,42 @@ class MultipartFormDataFileUploadTest(BaseTestCase):
         r = http('--form', 'POST', 'http://httpbin.org/post',
              'test-file@%s' % TEST_FILE_PATH, 'foo=bar')
         self.assertIn('HTTP/1.1 200', r)
-        self.assertIn('"test-file": "__test_file_content__', r)
+        self.assertIn('"test-file": "%s' % TEST_FILE_CONTENT, r)
         self.assertIn('"foo": "bar"', r)
 
 
+class RequestBodyFromFilePathTest(BaseTestCase):
+    """
+    `http URL @file'
+
+    """
+    def test_request_body_from_file_by_path(self):
+        r = http('POST', 'http://httpbin.org/post', '@' + TEST_FILE_PATH)
+        self.assertIn('HTTP/1.1 200', r)
+        self.assertIn(TEST_FILE_CONTENT, r)
+        self.assertIn('"Content-Type": "text/plain"', r)
+
+    def test_request_body_from_file_by_path_with_explicit_content_type(self):
+        r = http('POST', 'http://httpbin.org/post', '@' + TEST_FILE_PATH, 'Content-Type:x-foo/bar')
+        self.assertIn('HTTP/1.1 200', r)
+        self.assertIn(TEST_FILE_CONTENT, r)
+        self.assertIn('"Content-Type": "x-foo/bar"', r)
+
+    def test_request_body_from_file_by_path_only_one_file_allowed(self):
+        self.assertRaises(SystemExit, lambda: http(
+            'POST',
+                'http://httpbin.org/post',
+                '@' + TEST_FILE_PATH,
+                '@' + TEST_FILE2_PATH))
+
+    def test_request_body_from_file_by_path_only_no_data_items_allowed(self):
+        self.assertRaises(SystemExit, lambda: http(
+            'POST',
+                'http://httpbin.org/post',
+                '@' + TEST_FILE_PATH,
+                'foo=bar'))
+
+
 class AuthTest(BaseTestCase):
 
     def test_basic_auth(self):
@@ -273,7 +306,7 @@ class ItemParsingTest(BaseTestCase):
         self.assertIn('test-file', files)
 
 
-class HTTPieArgumentParserTestCase(unittest.TestCase):
+class ArgumentParserTestCase(unittest.TestCase):
 
     def setUp(self):
         self.parser = cliparse.Parser()