RE: Content-Length in multipart/mixed

If you're using HTTP, then MIME has nothing to do with anything (other than that
being the encoding format of your entity body). HTTP doesn't really care about
what format your body is in, only about the 'format' of your overall message
(which basically means the request/response headers, etc).

See RFC 2616 sections 4.4 "Message Length" and 14.13 "Content-Length" (and
possibly a few others).

Since you mention MIME, pay *particular attention* to the note in section 14.13
(regarding the Content-Length header):

[...]

   Note that the meaning of this field is significantly different from
   the corresponding definition in MIME, where it is an optional field
   used within the "message/external-body" content-type. In HTTP, it
   SHOULD be sent whenever the message's length can be determined prior
   to being transferred, unless this is prohibited by the rules in
   section 4.4.

[...]

Bottom line: Yes, not only is it *possible* to use a Content-Length header in
HTTP, it is *PREFERRED* (due to persistent connections being the default).

Again, see RFC 2616 for details.


  "Fish" (David B. Trout)
     fish@infidels.org
       ICQ# 25302291


> -----Original Message-----
> From: www-talk-request@w3.org [mailto:www-talk-request@w3.org]On Behalf
> Of Jan Svensson (QDT)
> Sent: Thursday, June 22, 2000 6:01 am
> To: 'www-talk@w3.org'
> Subject: RE: Content-Length in multipart/mixed
>
>
>
> I am using HTTP using my own client and a Servlet handling
> the request at the server side.
>
> /Jan Svensson
>
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: Fish [mailto:fish@infidels.org]
> Sent: Thursday, June 22, 2000 2:34 AM
> To: www-talk@w3.org
> Subject: RE: Content-Length in multipart/mixed
>
>
> What protocol are you going to use? HTTP?
>
>
>   "Fish" (David B. Trout)
>      fish@infidels.org
>        ICQ# 25302291
>
>
> > -----Original Message-----
> > From: www-talk-request@w3.org [mailto:www-talk-request@w3.org]On Behalf
> > Of Jan Svensson (QDT)
> > Sent: Wednesday, June 21, 2000 3:27 am
> > To: 'www-talk@w3.org'
> > Subject: Content-Length in multipart/mixed
> >
> >
> > Hi,
> >
> > I am going to use multipart/mixed to upload files to a web-server and
> > wonder if it is
> > possible to add a Content-Length header for each part so that I don't
> > have to scan for the
> > boundary when reading each part. Is this allowed in the MIME standard?
> >
> > Thanks in advance,
> > Jan Svensson
> >
> >
>
>
>

Received on Thursday, 22 June 2000 22:16:21 UTC