The Web (HTTP) and Secure Web (HTTPS) monitors work by connecting to a web service and retrieving a page, just as a normal web browser would. It then checks the page it received to see if it contains the desired contents.
When you select "Web (HTTP)" or "Secure Web (HTTPS)" from the Service Type pop-up menu, the following sheet will appear:
The Web (HTTP) and Secure Web (HTTPS) monitors have identical options.
Note: Even though the two types of monitors have the same options, they cannot be used interchangeably. You must use the type of monitor that matches the service you are checking.
The URL line shows the current IP address settings and a includes a text field for entering an optional path to any desired page on your site. If left blank, the monitor will retrieve the default page for the web site.
The "Resulting page should contain" field lets you put any desired text you wish to verify. This can be used to check the contents of the page received to see that it has the correct contents.
The Web (HTTP) and Secure Web (HTTPS) monitors first send a "GET" command to the service, asking for the chosen page. The connection is established, and the service sends the headers for the page. Then the service sends the contents of the page a block at a time, until the page is complete. The monitor then checks the received page for the "Resulting page should contain" string.
If a complete page is received, and it contains the specified string, the test is successful.
If a complete page is received, but it does not contain the specified string, the test will fail with an "incorrect contents" error.
If the monitor does not receive the complete page immediately, it will continue to wait before continuing to the next step. If the complete page is never received, the test will fail with a timeout error.