Python CGI responding in different ways to the same jQuery/AJAX request

Question

I am implementing a system where to web pages (HTML + Javascript) communicate via CGI Python server side script. One of this pages makes a request:

function doQuery(tweets) {

    $.getJSON("http://linuxproj.ecs.soton.ac.uk/~onme1g10/watchitlater/cgi-bin/engine.cgi?loading="+ uid +"&tweets="+ tweets, function(data) {

    }
    )
    .success(function(data) {
      //alert("complete: " + data['test']);
      if (tweets == 1) {
        //console.log('tweets is one')
        tweetsData = data;
        length = Object.keys(tweetsData["tweets"]).length;
        intervalVar = window.setInterval(showTweets, 1000);
        intervalVar2 = window.setInterval(queryState, 1500);
        //console.log("set intervals");
      }
      else {
        console.log('HERE: ' + data["correct"])
        queryData = data;
        // Function to update state variables
      }
    })
    .error(function(xhr, textStatus, error) {
      //alert("error:" + textStatus);
      console.log(xhr);
      console.log(textStatus);
      console.log(error);
    })
    .complete(function() {/*alert("complete!");*/ });

  }

This request has either ?tweets=1 or ?tweets=0 , and the idea is that the server must return a different JSON object depending on that value. On the sever I have:

if fs.has_key('state'):
    createStateFile()
elif fs.has_key('loading'):
    # Return JSON objects
    print "Content-type: application/json"
    print
    option = fs['tweets'].value
    if option == 0:
        response = {'correct':'1'}
        print(json.JSONEncoder().encode(response))
    else:
        response = harvestTweets()
        print(json.JSONEncoder().encode(response))

else:
    # Return main page
    print "Content-type: text/html"
    print
    main()

This does not work. The else clause (where option == 1) is executed fine, but the other option returns an unspecified object. I have tried in a number of ways (two different AJAX requests, etc) but it doesn't work. It does not like multiple requests or multiple returns. Any ideas?

Answer 1

The problem was very simple indeed. In the Python CGI script, when I do if tweets == 1: ... else: ... it always goes to the else clause, because I am comparing a "tweets" which is a string that comes from FieldStorage and the number 1. It never evaluates to true, hence it always returns the same answer.