I am having a heck of a hard time with the following
problem:

I'm trying to use CURL to fetch me product pages from a
public e-commerce site based on UPC search (=bar code). The
appropriate HTML form exists on the site, and in a regular
browser (Internet Explorer) it works just fine:

http://www.nl.bol.com/is-bin/INTERSHOP.enfinity/eCS/Store/nl
/-/EUR/BOL_ParametricSearch-Start;sid=GftHZ1xgP-BHQGG7IN2EIC
5Ww0-7atG-Yew=?Section=MUSIC&orenge_quicksearch=true&orenge_
quicksearch_subset=ean%7CEAN&search_query_keyword=5099750800
027

This long URL displays "Bruce Springsteen: The Rising" page
IN A BROWSER.

However, when I try to get the very same page by CURL from
the command line:

curl -A
Mozilla/4.0+[en]+(compatible;+MSIE+6.01;+Windows+XP) -o
local_page.htm
"http://www.nl.bol.com/is-bin/INTERSHOP.enfinity/eCS/Store/n
l/-/EUR/BOL_ParametricSearch-Start;sid=GftHZ1xgP-BHQGG7IN2EI
C5Ww0-7atG-Yew=?Section=MUSIC&orenge_quicksearch=true&orenge
_quicksearch_subset=ean%7CEAN&search_query_keyword=509975080
0027"

the server returns a page saying in so many words 'NO MATCH
FOUND".

Meaning CURL fetches a totally different page for the very
same URL than a regular browser. Quite clearly, something is
either missing or incorrect in my syntax.

I've spend hours trying to figure out where the problem is,
with no success. The site is public so there are no
passwords or anything.

I made CURL to send the same browser signature my browser
has (with the -A option); no difference. I think it is
possibly cookie-related, but I've tried to capture the
header into a file first (with the -D option) and then send
it with the subsequent request (with the -b option); no
difference. I've tried the -L option if perhaps the page is
redirected, no go either.

I'm increasingly desperate. Can please someone "show me the
light" before I lose my mind?
Thank you very much!!

(Note: The URLs are very long so your e-mail client may
display them broken down to several lines; in that case you
need to assemble each in a single URL before using them.)

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Received on 2002-12-07