WebDAV Creation Date, HTTP and WebDAV APIs

[Hooovahh]

This idea started when I realized the WebDAV API provided by NI does not have the ability to read the File Creation information on a remote file.

"That's okay" I thought, I'm a programmer and will add it myself.  Looking at the source it looks like NI just leveraged someone else's protocol, and wrapped it into some Call Library Function Nodes.  NI could have written the WebDAV API wrapping their own HTTP API functions, using G instead, allowing for customization but they didn't.

"That's okay" I thought, I'm a programmer, and I'll look into recreating the WebDAV API, by calling the NI HTTP API.  Looking at the source sounds like NI didn't implement all of the HTTP functions available, only the most basic ones.  And since WebDAV requires more than just the PUT, GET, and POST, that means also having to update the HTTP API to have those functions, so that I can rewrite the WebDAV API.  Oh but look at that, NI also just (seemingly) wrapped someone else's implementation again into Call Library Function Nodes, this time calling the ni_httpClient.dll.  NI could have written the HTTP API wrapping their own TCP primitive API functions using G instead, allowing for customization but they didn't.

So this idea is for one or more of the following things, from the easiest, to the most difficult.

1. Add the File Creation Date, as returned information from the Get File Info of the WebDAV API.
2. Implement the WebDAV API in G, and eat your own dog food.
3. Implement the HTTP API in G, and eat your own dog food.

[crossrulz]

I'll kudo the idea purely for the "eat your own dogfood".

[Hooovahh]

Sorry if I'm a bit salty.  In my almost 18 years of LabVIEW development, I've probably spent a total of 40 hours of my working time, coding in a language not LabVIEW.  So when I see NI taking these shortcuts, avoiding using their own language for tools, it rubs me the wrong way.  Maybe this would have been better.