Re: WebDAV, URL encoding and current Windows clients

Frank,

if you look at the URI RFC (old and new) you'll see that spaces in the  
path components are encoded with %20 and that '+' has no special  
meaning there. The encoding with '+' is only used in query parameters  
to the URL. This however is not the case in your example. The URI in  
your example should be endoded using %20.

Regards, Stefan

Am 09.12.2004 um 21:28 schrieb Frank Lowney:

> I am caught in the middle of a "he said - she said" kind of discussion  
> about what constitutes a valid URI/URL for WebDAV and am posting here  
> in the hope of getting an authoritative answer as to which statement  
> is truer: use "+" or use "%20"  Here's the story:
>
> There is a Learning Management System called WebCT Vista.  It uses an  
> Oracle DB back end and a java-based webserver called "WebLogic" from a  
> company called BEA.  The problem at hand is confined to Windows  
> clients.  Mac clients seems to work as well with this system as they  
> do with Apache and WebSTAR V,  The way WebCT Vista enables the use of  
> WebDAV is that it generates a URI that the client copies and pastes  
> into a WebDAV client application.  Here's an example:
>
> http://vista.gsu.edu:8000/webct/webdav/131.96.160.58-1044482159055 
> -3283261001.flowney/University+System+of+Georgia/ 
> Georgia+College+and+State+University/Documentation/ 
> Vista+3.0+Documentation/Vista+3.0+Dox.01/Section+Content
>
> WebCT Vista puts a "+" char in place of those spaces but this causes  
> Windows clients to gag and report that "The folder you are trying to  
> access is invalid" or words to that effect.  Microsoft has published  
> work around strategies for this (see below the dotted line). This  
> problem manifests itself only where there are spaces in the path and  
> only with the more recent Microsoft clients.  Older clients don't seem  
> to be bothered by this.
>
> The engineers at WebCT Inc say that the "+" is kosher citing  
> authorities such as:
>
> If you look at this page:
> http://www.w3.org/International/O-URL-code.html
>
> It provides some java classes that does URI encoding.
> When you get the program running and entered a space, you will get a +  
> in return.
>
> If you take a look at the source code, you can find this comment:
>
> "The space character ' ' is converted into a plus sign '+'."
>
> Others suggest that spaces should be encoded as %20 in order to be  
> valid.
>
> Is this a peculiarity of Java code, an Oracke requirement or just  
> idiosyncratic for WebCT Inc.  More importantly, which encoding  
> strategy is more valid, more robust?
>
> Has Microsoft gone and broken WebDAV on Windows?
>
>
>
>  ------------------ Microsoft on WebDAV Issues  
> ----------------------------
> Some more information for anyone troubleshooting Windows WebDAV  
> connections
>  http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;en-us;269681
>  Error:
>
>  You attempt to add a Web folder to the My Network Places folder, but  
> you are unsuccessful and you receive the following error message:
>
>  ˇ§The folder you entered does not appear to be valid ˇ§
>  Cause:
>
>  This behavior may occur if you have a system policy that redirects  
> the user's Application Data folder and prevents the creation of the  
> Msdaipp folder that the Web Folders feature uses. The Msdaipp folder  
> is normally located under the user's Userprofile\Application  
> Data\Microsoft folder.
>
>  When you do not use this system policy, the first time you create a  
> Web folder in the My Network Places folder with the Add Network Place  
> Wizard, a subdirectory is created. If you set a system policy to  
> change the Userprofile\Application Data folder to a universal naming  
> convention (UNC) on a network server, this wizard does not create the  
> Msdaipp folder at the redirected location and you receive the  
> preceding error message.
>
>  Fix as suggested by a Microsoft Online Partner Support rep:
>
>  1. Open the UNC path specified Target Location Folder.
>  2. Ensure that you can view hidden files, and then open the Microsoft  
> directory.
>  3. Create a folder called Msdaipp.
>  4. Check with this issue again.
>   
>  However, if the issue persists, please perform the following steps to  
> create a new account with the Computer Administrator privilege and see  
> how things are going on.
>   
>  1) Click Start, and click Control Panel.
>  2) Double-click "User Accounts".
>  3) Click the "Create a new account" link.
>  4) Follow the instruction to create a new account with the Computer  
> Administrator privilege.
>  5) Log off the current user account and then log on the new account.
>  
> Also, please perform the troubleshooting steps in the following  
> article: 287402 ˇ§Troubleshooting Web Foldersˇ¨
> http://support.microsoft.com/?id=287402
>
>
> A)  Replace the + signs with spaces.
>  e.g.  
> http://test.webct.com/webct/webdav/10.1.6.95-1084809904923 
> -2001072000.2001073000/Domain Name/Test Instituite
>  
> B) Sometimes the Web Folder client in Windows could have been changed  
> by another piece of software (for example, Microsoft Office).  Please  
> consider following the instructions to restore the WebDAV client to  
> the original one.
>  
> 1.  Find a file called webfldrs.msi (Normally under  
> WINDOWS\SYSTEM32\webfldrs.msi - if you installed Windows XP  
> Servicepack 1 you will find it under  
> WINDOWS\ServicePackFiles\i386webfldrs.msi).  E.g. C:\WINNT\system32
>  2.  Start the installation with double-click or right-click ->  
> webfldrs.msi.
>  3.  Now you have to click on "Select reinstall mode".
>  ·    Uncheck "Repair all detected reinstall problems".
>  ·    Check "Force all files to be reinstalled, regardless of checksum  
> or version".
>  ·    Check "Verify that required user registry entries are present".
>  ·    Check "Verify that required machine registry entries are  
> present".
>  ·    Check "Validate shortcuts".
>  4.  Press OK and REINSTALL
> 5.  Normally no reboot is required. Now the web folder client should  
> have been restored as it was shipped.
> --
>
> =====================================================================
>  Dr. Frank Lowney  frank.lowney@gcsu.edu
>      Director, Electronic Instructional Services, a unit of the
>      Office of Information and Instructional Technology,
>      Professional Pages: http://www.gcsu.edu/oiit/eis/
>      Personal Pages: http://www.faculty.de.gcsu.edu/~flowney
>  Voice: (478) 445-5260
>  NOTICE: Please be advised that I am hearing impaired and communicate  
> most effectively via e-mail.  Follow-up summaries of telephone  
> conversations by e-mail are most appreciated.
>  =====================================================================
>  We don't make instruction effective, we make effective instruction  
> more accessible.
>

Received on Thursday, 9 December 2004 20:51:41 UTC