RFC 1154 (rfc1154) - Page 1 of 7

Encoding header field for internet messages

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Network Working Group                                        D. Robinson
Request for Comments: 1154                                    R. Ullmann
                                                    Prime Computer, Inc.
                                                              April 1990


              Encoding Header Field for Internet Messages

1. Status of the Memo

   This RFC proposes an elective experimental Encoding header field to
   permit the mailing of multi-part, multi-structured messages.

   The use of Encoding updates RFC 1049 (Content-Type), and is a
   suggested update to RFCs 1113, 1114, and 1115 (Privacy Enhancement)
   [4,7,8].

   Distribution of this memo is unlimited.

2. Introduction

   RFC 822 [2] defines an electronic mail message to consist of two
   parts, the message header and the message body, separated by an
   apparently blank line.

   The Encoding header field permits the message body itself to be
   further broken up into parts, each part also separated from the next
   by an apparently blank line.

   Thus, conceptually, a message has a header part, followed by one or
   more body parts, all separated by blank lines.

   Each body part has an encoding type.  The default (no Encoding field
   in the header) is a message body of one part of type "text".

   3. The Encoding Field

   The Encoding field consists of one or more subfields, separated by
   commas.  Each subfield corresponds to a part of the message, in the
   order of that part's appearance.  A subfield consists of a line
   count, a keyword defining the encoding, and optional information
   relevant only to the specific encoding.  The line count is optional
   in the last subfield.

3.1. Format of the Encoding Field

   The format of the Encoding field is:




Robinson & Ullmann
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