How to automate generating Directory of spatial files (shapefiles) and publishing contents via REST in GeoServer 2.14

Question

I have a folder containing shape files for a few dozen layers.
On my development server, I created a Directory of Spatial files store in my workspace, then published each one, one at a time, with the UI. Create the layer, select the store, click publish next to the next shapefile name, click calculate bounds, click calculate lat/long bounds, click Publish tab, set default style, Submit. Repeat for each layer.

Now I'm setting up a production environment. I've installed GeoServer, and would like to import all these layers. I've never used the REST API's, but am quickly coming up to speed. I've used CURL / REST to create my workspace. Now I'm trying to create my datastore. I haven't found an example to setup a "Directory of spatial files" datastore. I queried my existing store, so I can see the XML (or JSON) to post, but I get nothing as a response (I use -o option of CURL, but the output file is empty).

Here is the CURL command I use:

 curl -u admin:geoserver -v -XPOST -H 'Content-type:text/xml' -T My_datastore.xml -o CreateMyDataStore.out http://localhost:8080/geoserver/rest/workspaces/MyWorkspace/datastores

The My_datastore.xml file looks like this:

<dataStore>
    <name>MyDatastore</name>
    <type>Directory of spatial files (shapefiles)</type>
    <connectionParameters>
        <entry key="charset">ISO-8859-1</entry>
        <entry key="filetype">shapefile</entry>
        <entry key="create spatial index">true</entry>
        <entry key="memory mapped buffer">false</entry>
        <entry key="timezone">America/New_York</entry>
        <entry key="enable spatial index">true</entry>
        <entry key="namespace">http://www.opengeospatial.net/cite</entry>
        <entry key="cache and reuse memory maps">true</entry>
        <entry key="url">file://C:\Geo Server\MyFolder</entry>
        <entry key="fstype">shape</entry>
    </connectionParameters>
</dataStore>

The file directory "C:\Geo Server\MyFolder" is the same name used to create the datastore on the development machine...

The output I get at the command prompt when I run the CURL command is as follows:

  % Total    % Received % Xferd  Average Speed   Time    Time     Time  Current
                                 Dload  Upload   Total   Spent    Left  Speed
  0     0    0     0    0     0      0      0 --:--:-- --:--:-- --:--:--     0*
  Trying ::1...
* TCP_NODELAY set
* Connected to localhost (::1) port 8080 (#0)
* Server auth using Basic with user 'admin'
> POST /geoserver/rest/workspaces/MyWorkspace/datastores HTTP/1.1
> Host: localhost:8080
> Authorization: Basic YWRtaW46Z2Vvc2VydmVy
> User-Agent: curl/7.61.1
> Accept: */*
> 'Content-type:application/xml'
> Content-Length: 614
> Expect: 100-continue
>
< HTTP/1.1 100
} [614 bytes data]
* We are completely uploaded and fine
< HTTP/1.1 415
< X-Frame-Options: SAMEORIGIN
< Access-Control-Allow-Origin: *
< Accept: application/json, text/json, application/xml, text/xml
< Content-Length: 0
< Date: Thu, 25 Oct 2018 03:25:30 GMT
< Connection: close
<
100   614    0     0  100   614      0   1710 --:--:-- --:--:-- --:--:--  1710
* Closing connection 0

I see the Error 415, but it doesn't make sense. I've specified "text/xml" and it is one of the accepted content types.

Anybody see anything subtle or glaringly obvious that I missed? Can I not create this type of store through the REST API? I'd love to be able to automate this so I can fully automate the install/configuration of new production GeoServers (as they run locally at the customer site).

Answer 1

Ah, I've found it. I didn't notice the 415 error until I was finished writing the question. The CURL example must not have been for Windows, I'm guessing, because when I surround my Content-type sting with double quotes instead of single quote, the store gets created successfully.

So I guess this is really an example of how to do it properly, with the exception of the quotes around that string.