Requesting URL with UTF-8 characters from VBA code

Question

I am requesting results from this API: http://mlrs.research.um.edu.mt/resources/gabra-api/

Everything works fine except when I introduce Maltese characters (which are UTF-8).

If I manually request the data using the following URLs, the return is correct. http://mlrs.research.um.edu.mt/resources/gabra-api/lexemes/search?s=għar

...search?s=ċar (can't post more than two links yet.)

When using the following code, the return is blank.

{"results":[],"query":{"page":1,"page_size":20,"result_count":0,"term":"g?ar","search_lemma":true,"search_wordforms":true,"search_gloss":true,"pending":false,"pos":null,"source":null}}

{"results":[],"query":{"page":1,"page_size":20,"result_count":0,"term":"?ar","search_lemma":true,"search_wordforms":true,"search_gloss":true,"pending":false,"pos":null,"source":null}}

Note ? replacing ħ and ċ characters - that's only because I copied these from the immediate window.

This is the code I am using to make the requests:

Public Function GetWebSource(ByRef Url As String) As String
  Dim xml As IXMLHTTPRequest
  On Error Resume Next
  Set xml = CreateObject("Microsoft.XMLHTTP")
  With xml
    .Open "GET", Url, False
    .send
    GetWebSource = .responseText
  End With
  Set xml = Nothing
End Function

Because VBA IDE does not support these characters, tests will need to be done from a form field.

Any help, much appreciated.

Thanks in advance.

Stephen

Florent B. · Accepted Answer · 2017-09-02 19:48:54Z

1

The URL contains some non ASCII characters, so you'll have to encode them beforehand:

Set xhr = CreateObject("Microsoft.XMLHTTP")
xhr.Open "GET", "http://mlrs.research.um.edu.mt/resources/gabra-api/lexemes/search?s=g%C4%A7ar", False
xhr.Send

answered Sep 2, 2017 at 19:48

Florent B.

42.7k7 gold badges92 silver badges105 bronze badges

Sign up to request clarification or add additional context in comments.

Collectives™ on Stack Overflow

Requesting URL with UTF-8 characters from VBA code

1 Answer 1

Comments

Your Answer

Hot Network Questions

Collectives™ on Stack Overflow

1 Answer 1

Comments

Your Answer

Sign up or log in

Post as a guest

Related