RFC 2388 (rfc2388) - Page 1 of 9
Returning Values from Forms: multipart/form-data
Alternative Format: Original Text Document
Network Working Group L. Masinter
Request for Comments: 2388 Xerox Corporation
Category: Standards Track August 1998
Returning Values from Forms: multipart/form-data
Status of this Memo
This document specifies an Internet standards track protocol for the
Internet community, and requests discussion and suggestions for
improvements. Please refer to the current edition of the "Internet
Official Protocol Standards" (STD 1) for the standardization state
and status of this protocol. Distribution of this memo is unlimited.
Copyright Notice
Copyright (C) The Internet Society (1998). All Rights Reserved.
1. Abstract
This specification defines an Internet Media Type, multipart/form-
data, which can be used by a wide variety of applications and
transported by a wide variety of protocols as a way of returning a
set of values as the result of a user filling out a form.
2. Introduction
In many applications, it is possible for a user to be presented with
a form. The user will fill out the form, including information that
is typed, generated by user input, or included from files that the
user has selected. When the form is filled out, the data from the
form is sent from the user to the receiving application.
The definition of MultiPart/Form-Data is derived from one of those
applications, originally set out in [RFC 1867] and subsequently
incorporated into [HTML40], where forms are expressed in HTML, and in
which the form values are sent via HTTP or electronic mail. This
representation is widely implemented in numerous web browsers and web
servers.
However, multipart/form-data can be used for forms that are presented
using representations other than HTML (spreadsheets, Portable
Document Format, etc), and for transport using other means than
electronic mail or HTTP. This document defines the representation of
form values independently of the application for which it is used.
Masinter Standards Track