Form-based File Upload in HTML
RFC 1867
Document | Type |
RFC - Historic
(November 1995; Errata)
Obsoleted by RFC 2854
|
|
---|---|---|---|
Authors | Larry Masinter , Ernesto Nebel | ||
Last updated | 2020-01-21 | ||
Stream | IETF | ||
Formats | plain text html pdf htmlized with errata bibtex | ||
Stream | WG state | (None) | |
Document shepherd | No shepherd assigned | ||
IESG | IESG state | RFC 1867 (Historic) | |
Consensus Boilerplate | Unknown | ||
Telechat date | |||
Responsible AD | (None) | ||
Send notices to | (None) |
Network Working Group E. Nebel Request For Comments: 1867 L. Masinter Category: Experimental Xerox Corporation November 1995 Form-based File Upload in HTML Status of this Memo This memo defines an Experimental Protocol for the Internet community. This memo does not specify an Internet standard of any kind. Discussion and suggestions for improvement are requested. Distribution of this memo is unlimited. 1. Abstract Currently, HTML forms allow the producer of the form to request information from the user reading the form. These forms have proven useful in a wide variety of applications in which input from the user is necessary. However, this capability is limited because HTML forms don't provide a way to ask the user to submit files of data. Service providers who need to get files from the user have had to implement custom user applications. (Examples of these custom browsers have appeared on the www-talk mailing list.) Since file-upload is a feature that will benefit many applications, this proposes an extension to HTML to allow information providers to express file upload requests uniformly, and a MIME compatible representation for file upload responses. This also includes a description of a backward compatibility strategy that allows new servers to interact with the current HTML user agents. The proposal is independent of which version of HTML it becomes a part. 2. HTML forms with file submission The current HTML specification defines eight possible values for the attribute TYPE of an INPUT element: CHECKBOX, HIDDEN, IMAGE, PASSWORD, RADIO, RESET, SUBMIT, TEXT. In addition, it defines the default ENCTYPE attribute of the FORM element using the POST METHOD to have the default value "application/x-www-form-urlencoded". Nebel & Masinter Experimental [Page 1] RFC 1867 Form-based File Upload in HTML November 1995 This proposal makes two changes to HTML: 1) Add a FILE option for the TYPE attribute of INPUT. 2) Allow an ACCEPT attribute for INPUT tag, which is a list of media types or type patterns allowed for the input. In addition, it defines a new MIME media type, multipart/form-data, and specifies the behavior of HTML user agents when interpreting a form with ENCTYPE="multipart/form-data" and/or <INPUT type="file"> tags. These changes might be considered independently, but are all necessary for reasonable file upload. The author of an HTML form who wants to request one or more files from a user would write (for example): <FORM ENCTYPE="multipart/form-data" ACTION="_URL_" METHOD=POST> File to process: <INPUT NAME="userfile1" TYPE="file"> <INPUT TYPE="submit" VALUE="Send File"> </FORM> The change to the HTML DTD is to add one item to the entity "InputType". In addition, it is proposed that the INPUT tag have an ACCEPT attribute, which is a list of comma-separated media types. ... (other elements) ... <!ENTITY % InputType "(TEXT | PASSWORD | CHECKBOX | RADIO | SUBMIT | RESET | IMAGE | HIDDEN | FILE )"> <!ELEMENT INPUT - 0 EMPTY> <!ATTLIST INPUT TYPE %InputType TEXT NAME CDATA #IMPLIED -- required for all but submit and reset VALUE CDATA #IMPLIED SRC %URI #IMPLIED -- for image inputs -- CHECKED (CHECKED) #IMPLIED SIZE CDATA #IMPLIED --like NUMBERS, but delimited with comma, not space MAXLENGTH NUMBER #IMPLIED ALIGN (top|middle|bottom) #IMPLIED ACCEPT CDATA #IMPLIED --list of content types > Nebel & Masinter Experimental [Page 2] RFC 1867 Form-based File Upload in HTML November 1995 ... (other elements) ... 3. Suggested implementation While user agents that interpret HTML have wide leeway to choose the most appropriate mechanism for their context, this section suggests how one class of user agent, WWW browsers, might implement file upload. 3.1 Display of FILE widget When a INPUT tag of type FILE is encountered, the browser might show a display of (previously selected) file names, and a "Browse" button or selection method. Selecting the "Browse" button would cause the browser to enter into a file selection mode appropriate for the platform. Window-based browsers might pop up a file selection window, for example. In such a file selection dialog, the user would have the option of replacing a current selection, adding a new file selection, etc. Browser implementors might choose let the list of file names beShow full document text