Methods
The Method field in HTTP indicates
the method to be performed on the
object identified by the URL. The
method GET below is always supported,
The list of other methods acceptable
by the object are returned in response
to either of these two requests.
This list may be extended from time
to time by a process of registration
with the design authority. Method
names are case sensitive. Currently
specified methods are as follows:
- GET
- means retrieve whatever data
is identified by the URI, so where
the URI refers to a data-producing
process, or a script which can be
run by such a process, it is this
data which will be returned, and
not the source text of the script
or process. Also used for searches
.
- HEAD
- is the same as GET but returns
only HTTP headers and no document
body.
- CHECKOUT
- Similar to GET but locks
the object against update by other
people. The lock may be broken by
a higher authority or on timeout:
in this case a future CHECKIN will
fail. ( Phase out? )
- SHOWMETHOD
- Returns a description
(perhaps a form) for a given method
when applied to the given object.
The method name is specified in a
For-Method: field. (TBS)
- PUT
- specifies that the data in the
body section is to be stored under
the supplied URL. The URL must already
exist. The new contenst of the document
are the data part of the request.
POST and REPLY should be used for
creating new documents.
- DELETE
- Requests that the server delete
the information corresponding to
the given URL. After a successfull
DELETE method, the URL becomes invalid
for any future methods.
- POST
- Creates a new object linked
to the specified object. The message-id
field of the new object may be set
by the client or else will be given
by the server. A URL will be allocated
by the server and returned to the
client. The new document is the data
part of the request. It is considered
to be subordinate to the specified
object, in the way that a file is
subordinate to a directory containing
it, or a news article is subordinate
to a newsgroup to which it is posted.
- LINK
- Links an existing object to
the specified object.
- UNLINK
- Removes link (or other meta-)
information from an object.
- CHECKIN
- Similar to PUT, but releases
the lock set on the object. Fails
if no lock has been set by CHECKOUT.
Suggestion : phase out this (rcs-like)
model in favor of the PUT (cvs-like,
non-locking) model of code management.
- TEXTSEARCH
- The object may be queried
with a text string. The search form
of the GET method is used to query
the object.
- SPACEJUMP
- The object will accept
a query whose terms are the cooridnates
of a point within the object. The
method is implemented using GET with
a derived URL .
- SEARCH
- Proposed only. The index
(etc) identified by the URL is to
be searched for something matching
in some sense the enclosed message.
How does the client know what message
formats are acceptable to the server?
(Suggestion of Fred Williams)
(Some of these methods require more
detailed specification)Site Hosting: Bronco