Re: URLLEN: consensus

On Sun, 31 Mar 1996, Paul Leach wrote:

> This is a replacement for section 3.2.1 on the syntax of URUs. It adds a
> paragraph to clarify the issue of URL length. (Changes are marked with
> change bars.)
> 
> This issue was discussed on the list, and this is believed to represent
> the consensus on this issue. If you believe otherwise, please let me
> know; otherwise, this issue will be closed.

The "+" is incorrect ... it is reserved in 1.0 (see JG's latest diff)
and must be either reserved or unsafe.  It isn't 'safe'. Of the three
who last debated this point on the list it was two for reserved and one
(me) for unsafe.


> -------------------------
> 
> 3.2.1 General Syntax
> 
>    URIs in HTTP can be represented in absolute form or relative to 
>    some known base URI [11], depending upon the context of their use. 
>    The two forms are differentiated by the fact that absolute URIs 
>    always begin with a scheme name followed by a colon.
> 
>        URI            = ( absoluteURI | relativeURI ) [ "#" fragment ]
> 
>        absoluteURI    = scheme ":" *( uchar | reserved )
> 
>        relativeURI    = net_path | abs_path | rel_path
> 
>        net_path       = "//" net_loc [ abs_path ]
>        abs_path       = "/" rel_path
>        rel_path       = [ path ] [ ";" params ] [ "?" query ]
> 
>        path           = fsegment *( "/" segment )
>        fsegment       = 1*pchar
>        segment        = *pchar
> 
>        params         = param *( ";" param )
>        param          = *( pchar | "/" )
> 
>        scheme         = 1*( ALPHA | DIGIT | "+" | "-" | "." )
>        net_loc        = *( pchar | ";" | "?" )
>        query          = *( uchar | reserved )
>        fragment       = *( uchar | reserved )
> 
>        pchar          = uchar | ":" | "@" | "&" | "="
>        uchar          = unreserved | escape
>        unreserved     = ALPHA | DIGIT | safe | extra | national
> 
>        escape         = "%" HEX HEX
>        reserved       = ";" | "/" | "?" | ":" | "@" | "&" | "="
>        extra          = "!" | "*" | "'" | "(" | ")" | ","
>        safe           = "$" | "-" | "_" | "." | "+"
>        unsafe         = CTL | SP | <"> | "#" | "%" | "<" | ">"
>        national       = <any OCTET excluding ALPHA, DIGIT,
>                         reserved, extra, safe, and unsafe>
> 
>    For definitive information on URL syntax and semantics, see RFC 
>    1738 [4] and RFC 1808 [11]. The BNF above includes national 
>    characters not allowed in valid URLs as specified by RFC 1738, 
>    since HTTP servers are not restricted in the set of unreserved 
>    characters allowed to represent the rel_path part of addresses, and 
>    HTTP proxies may receive requests for URIs not defined by RFC 1738.
> 
> |   The HTTP protocol does not place any a-priori limit on the length of
> a URI.
> |   Servers MUST be able to handle the URI of any resource they serve,
> |   and SHOULD be able to handle URIs of unbounded length if they
> provide
> |   GET-based forms that could generate such URIs. A server SHOULD
> return
> |   a status code of 
> |	414 Request-URI Too Large
> |   if a URI is longer than the server can handle.
> |	
> |	Note:
> |	   Servers should be cautious about depending on URI lengths above
> |  	   255 bytes, because some older client or proxy implementations may
> |	   not properly support these.
> |
> |   All client and proxy implementations MUST be able to handle a URI
> |   of any finite length. 
> 
> 
> ----------------------------------------------------
> Paul J. Leach            Email: paulle@microsoft.com
> Microsoft                Phone: 1-206-882-8080
> 1 Microsoft Way          Fax:   1-206-936-7329
> Redmond, WA 98052
> 
>

Received on Monday, 1 April 1996 06:55:54 UTC