GET URLs and forms

[Henrik S. Hansen]

A simple question I could not find the answer to in the RFCs and elsewhere:

Is sending empty elements in a URL OK?

example: <URL>?foo=&

It seems to me that it must be, since default values of text fields and
other form elements will be empty, but just checking with the experts.

Could someone point me to the exact place in an official document where
this is covered?

[Klaus Johannes Rusch]

Re: GET URLs and forms

"Henrik S. Hansen" wrote:
[color=blue]
> A simple question I could not find the answer to in the RFCs and elsewhere:
>
> Is sending empty elements in a URL OK?
>
> example: <URL>?foo=&
>
> It seems to me that it must be, since default values of text fields and
> other form elements will be empty, but just checking with the experts.
>
> Could someone point me to the exact place in an official document where
> this is covered?[/color]

This is perfectly valid, see
http://www.w3.org/TR/html401/interac...html#h-17.13.2 for details on what
gets submitted. Note however that the specification allows the suppression of
undefined name/value pairs:

"If a control doesn't have a current value when the form is submitted, user
agents are not required to treat it as a successful control."

All of this applies to the way the URL is constructed when submitting forms,
there is nothing in the HTTP URL specification that would disallow something
like

http://www.example.com/?foo=&&&&&&&&====

either.

--
Klaus Johannes Rusch
KlausRusch@atme dia.net

http://www.atmedia.net/KlausRusch/