retrieving XMLHttpRequest parameters in python

Client-side code submits an object (in the POST request body) or query string (if using GET method) via ajax request to a python cgi script. Please note that the object/query string parameters are not coming from a

<form> or <isindex>.

How can I retrieve these parameters from within the server-side python script using standard library modules (e.g., cgi)?

Thanks very much

EDIT:
@codeape: Thanks, but wouldn't that work only for submitted forms? In my case, no form is being submitted, just an asynchronous request.
Using your script, len(f.keys()) returns 0 if no form is submitted! I can probably recast the request as a form submission, but is there a better way?

From stackoverflow

• You use the cgi.FieldStorage class. Example CGI script:

  #! /usr/bin/python
  
  import cgi
  from os import environ
  import cgitb
  cgitb.enable()
  
  print "Content-type: text/plain"
  print
  print "REQUEST_METHOD:", environ["REQUEST_METHOD"]
  print "Values:"
  f = cgi.FieldStorage()
  for k in f.keys():
      print "%s: %s" % (k, f.getfirst(k))
  

• codeape already answered on this. Just for the record, please understand that how the HTTP request is emitted is totally orthogonal - what the server get is an HTTP request, period.

• @codeape , @bruno desthuilliers:

  Indeed, cgi.FieldStorage() retrieves the parameters. The output I was getting earlier was apparently due to my passing the parameters as a string (JSON.stringify() object) in the body of the request -- rather than as key-value pairs.
  Thanks