Testing incoming webhooks using cURL

Last updated: 2024-01-31

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A simple way to test an incoming webhook and to make formatting messages easier is to use a simple command-line tool called cURL. Using this simple technique, you can place your message contents in a stand alone file, and then post that file to the URL of an incoming webhook.

Let's begin by creating the file test.json using the following contents:

{
    "activity": "This will appear as the message title",
    "attachments": [
    {
        "$schema": "http://adaptivecards.io/schemas/adaptive-card.json",
        "type": "AdaptiveCard",
        "version": "1.0",
        "body": [
        {
            "type": "TextBlock",
            "text": "A disturbance in the force",
            "weight": "bolder",
            "size": "medium",
            "wrap": true
        },
        {
            "type": "ColumnSet",
            "columns": [
            {
                "type": "Column",
                "width": "auto",
                "items": [
                {
                    "type": "Image",
                    "url": "https://www4.pictures.zimbio.com/mp/ATCkWtsLsoEl.jpg",
                    "size": "small",
                    "style": "person"
                }
                ]
            },
            {
                "type": "Column",
                "width": "stretch",
                "items": [
                {
                    "type": "TextBlock",
                    "text": "Obi-Wan Kenobi",
                    "weight": "bolder",
                    "wrap": true
                },
                {
                    "type": "TextBlock",
                    "spacing": "none",
                    "text": "Created {{DATE(2017-02-14T06:08:39Z, SHORT)}}",
                    "isSubtle": true,
                    "wrap": true
                }
                ]
            }
            ]
        },
        {
            "type": "TextBlock",
            "text": "I felt something... as if millions of voices suddenly cried out in terror and were suddenly silenced.",
            "wrap": true
        },
        {
            "type": "FactSet",
            "facts": [
            {
                "title": "Current location:",
                "value": "On board the Millenium Falcon"
            },
            {
                "title": "Source:",
                "value": "Alderaan?"
            }
            ]
        }
        ]
    }
    ]
}

Then from the same directory in which you created the above file, run the following command -- being sure to use the webhook URL you created on your own.

% curl -d @test.json -H 'Content-Type: application/json' \
     https://hooks.ringcentral.com/webhook/v2/9e116c5c-xxxx-yyyy-zzzz-c12a85cd6063

When complete, you should see a message that looks something like this:

Sample adaptive card

Creating a script

The following sample script bootstraps the curl command above to make invoking the command a little easier and less verbose.

#!/bin/bash
#
# Filename: test.sh
# Description: This script posts the contents of a file to an
#     incoming webhook URL, simplifying the debugging process.
#
# Syntax:
# % test.sh <filename>
#
TESTFILE=$1
WEBHOOKURL=<insert your incoming webhook URL here>

curl -d @$TESTFILE -H 'Content-Type: application/json' $WEBHOOKURL