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Re: lynx-dev Re: Problem (fwd)


From: Klaus Weide
Subject: Re: lynx-dev Re: Problem (fwd)
Date: Tue, 29 Dec 1998 12:16:44 -0600 (CST)

On Tue, 29 Dec 1998, Krzysztof Wejer wrote:
> My browser is Lynx 2.7.2. Below is a message from Questlink service.
> 
>       Krzysztof Wejer
>       IF UMK Torun
> e-mail: address@hidden
> 
> ---------- Forwarded message ----------
> Date: Mon, 28 Dec 1998 14:45:38 -0600
> From: kghasemi <address@hidden>
> To: address@hidden
> Subject: Re: Problem
> 
> Thank you for reporting this error. The error listed below is caused by a bug
> in the Lynx browser. Lynx 2.6 seems to work fine, but some other versions seem
> to malform the URL.
> 
> The correct URL is:
> http://www.questlink.com/page.htm?proc=brief&site=0&part=3N190&vendor=11053&brief=34558&view=343312&mid=12239802074710443788
                                                     ^^^^^
> 
> We are sorry for any inconvenience this may have caused.
> Regards,
> Karen Ghasemi
> 
> address@hidden wrote:
> 
> > I have a problem with QuestLink service. Automatic generated report is
> > below. Whats up?
> > >[ ... ]
> > >
> > >   CGI Parameters:
> > >   proc=brief&site=0%E2%88%82=3N190&vendor=11053&brief=34558&view=343312&
                         ^^^^^^^^^
> > >   elmt=part-1&mid=12239802074710443788

This is not a bug in Lynx, but rather a (very common) bug in the Web page
(or in whatever gateway is used to produce it).  See the HTML 4.0 spec:
<URL: 
http://www.w3.org/TR/REC-html40/appendix/notes.html#ampersands-in-uris>

Typing in the correct URL (in response to a G)oto prompt) should work fine
in any version of Lynx.  For HREF attributes in HTML, newer versions of
Lynx scan the given string for character entities as required by general
SGML rules.  In this case, "&part" was recognized as a character entity
(it is included in the HTML 4.0 spec).  To avoid this, URL embedded in
HTML attributes should have all '&' characters properly escaped as '&amp;'
or else use a different separator.  See the URL referenced above.

However, since this is such a common error, Lynx 2.8.1 works around it (by
not translating potential character entity references in HREFs if they are
followed by '=').  It also still understands correctly escaped '&' of
course.


    Klaus

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