CORS and Google Fusion Tables

Google Fusion Tables is a service for storing tabular data online. It has an API that allows you to make an SQL-like request for data from an online table, like the following: sql=SELECT * FROM 1906375 (clicking the link will download a small CSV file)

CORS and Google Fusion Tables

I expect Fusion Tables to have support for CORS, because of the comments on issue 554 in the fusion tables issue tracker. To issue a XMLHttpRequest at fusion tables try the following:

  • Stay on this page
  • Open up a javascript console (Chrome: Javascript Console, Firefox: Firebug)
  • Select the "Network" tab if you're using Chrome
  • Type in the following in the Javascript console:
xhr = new XMLHttpRequest()
xhr.open("GET","http://www.google.com/fusiontables/api/query?sql=SELECT%20*%20FROM%201906375")
xhr.send()

Bummer, it doesn't work.

Looking at the Network tab of the console, apparently Fusion Tables does not set the appropriate CORS response headers (Access-Control-Allow-Origin: *), and the request is blocked by the browser (Chrome) with the message:

Origin http://skipperkongen.dk is not allowed by Access-Control-Allow-Origin.

This is not what was expected, so what is wrong? I've asked this question on stackoverflow, and maybe an answer has turned up by now.

Doing the same using curl:

curl -H "Origin: skipperkongen.dk" "http://www.google.com/fusiontables/api/query?sql=SELECT%20*%20FROM%201906375" --verbose

CORS and skipperkongen.dk

For an example that works, try the following:

  • Open up a tab on a site other than skipperkongen.dk, e.g. my other site geodelivery.org
  • Open up a Javascript console while that tab is selected (select the "Network" tab, if you use Chrome)
  • Type in the following:
xhr = new XMLHttpRequest()
xhr.open("GET","http://skipperkongen.dk/services/corstest/hellocors.php")
xhr.send()

You should see in the Network tab that it worked...

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