How do I...Authenticate and read entries with Python

This example is done with the interactive Python interpreter in a shell.

First of all, you only need to import the library urllib2.

 >>> import urllib2

It's needed to handle request/responses and to provide a simple authentication handler.

>>> passmgr = urllib2.HTTPPasswordMgrWithDefaultRealm()
>>> url = 'http://XXXXXX/@api/deki/users/authenticate'
>>> passmgr.add_password(None, url, 'user', 'password')
>>> authhandler = urllib2.HTTPBasicAuthHandler(passmgr)
>>> opener = urllib2.build_opener(authhandler)
>>> response = opener.open(url)

And you are just logged in!

>>> print response.headers
Date: Thu, 14 Feb 2008 13:36:58 GMT
Server: Dream-HTTPAPI/1.5.0.24178
Response-Uri: X
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=iso-8859-1
Content-Length: 53
Set-Cookie: authtoken="3_633385930180612710_8df66cac15735913a5865dc7116f48f9"; expires=Thu, 21-Feb-2008 13:36:58 GMT; Version="1"; Path=/
Via: 1.1 X
Connection: close

For being authenticate when you keep on sending requests, you only need to add the cookie to new requests.

>>> request = urllib2.Request('url_page')
>>> request.add_header('Set-Cookie',response.headers['Set-Cookie'])
>>> page = opener.open(request)
>>> page.read()

And you get your page.

Easy, wasn't it?