RFC 1872 (rfc1872) - Page 1 of 8
The MIME Multipart/Related Content-type
Alternative Format: Original Text Document
Network Working Group E. Levinson
Request for Comments: 1872 Accurate Information Systems, Inc.
Category: Experimental December 1995
The MIME Multipart/Related Content-type
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.
Abstract
The Multipart/Related content-type provides a common mechanism for
representing objects that are aggregates of related MIME body parts.
This document defines the Multipart/Related content-type and provides
examples of its use.
1. Introduction
Several applications of MIME, including MIME-PEM, and MIME-Macintosh
and other proposals, require multiple body parts that make sense only
in the aggregate. The present approach to these compound objects has
been to define specific multipart subtypes for each new object. In
keeping with the MIME philosophy of having one mechanism to achieve
the same goal for different purposes, this document describes a
single mechanism for such aggregate or compound objects.
The Multipart/Related content-type addresses the MIME representation
of compound objects. The object is categorized by a "type"
parameter. Additional parameters are provided to indicate a specific
starting body part or root and auxiliary information which may be
required when unpacking or processing the object.
Responsibility for the display or processing of a Multipart/Related's
constituent entities rests with the application that handles the
compound object.
Levinson Experimental