RFC 1867 (rfc1867) - Page 1 of 13
Form-based File Upload in HTML
Alternative Format: Original Text Document
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