Fix typo.
[bpt/emacs.git] / man / url.texi
1 \input texinfo
2 @setfilename ../info/url
3 @settitle URL Programmer's Manual
4
5 @iftex
6 @c @finalout
7 @end iftex
8 @c @setchapternewpage odd
9 @c @smallbook
10
11 @tex
12 \overfullrule=0pt
13 %\global\baselineskip 30pt % for printing in double space
14 @end tex
15 @dircategory World Wide Web
16 @dircategory GNU Emacs Lisp
17 @direntry
18 * URL: (url). URL loading package.
19 @end direntry
20
21 @ifnottex
22 This file documents the URL loading package.
23
24 Copyright @copyright{} 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 1997, 1998, 1999, 2002,
25 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007 Free Software Foundation, Inc.
26
27 Permission is granted to copy, distribute and/or modify this document
28 under the terms of the GNU Free Documentation License, Version 1.2 or
29 any later version published by the Free Software Foundation; with the
30 Invariant Sections being
31 ``GNU GENERAL PUBLIC LICENSE''. A copy of the
32 license is included in the section entitled ``GNU Free Documentation
33 License.''
34 @end ifnottex
35
36 @c
37 @titlepage
38 @sp 6
39 @center @titlefont{URL}
40 @center @titlefont{Programmer's Manual}
41 @sp 4
42 @center First Edition, URL Version 2.0
43 @sp 1
44 @c @center December 1999
45 @sp 5
46 @center William M. Perry
47 @center @email{wmperry@@gnu.org}
48 @center David Love
49 @center @email{fx@@gnu.org}
50 @page
51 @vskip 0pt plus 1filll
52 Copyright @copyright{} 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 1997, 1998, 1999, 2002,
53 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007 Free Software Foundation, Inc.
54
55 Permission is granted to copy, distribute and/or modify this document
56 under the terms of the GNU Free Documentation License, Version 1.2 or
57 any later version published by the Free Software Foundation; with the
58 Invariant Sections being
59 ``GNU GENERAL PUBLIC LICENSE''. A copy of the
60 license is included in the section entitled ``GNU Free Documentation
61 License.''
62 @end titlepage
63 @page
64 @node Top
65 @top URL
66
67
68
69 @menu
70 * Getting Started:: Preparing your program to use URLs.
71 * Retrieving URLs:: How to use this package to retrieve a URL.
72 * Supported URL Types:: Descriptions of URL types currently supported.
73 * Defining New URLs:: How to define a URL loader for a new protocol.
74 * General Facilities:: URLs can be cached, accessed via a gateway
75 and tracked in a history list.
76 * Customization:: Variables you can alter.
77 * Function Index::
78 * Variable Index::
79 * Concept Index::
80 @end menu
81
82 @node Getting Started
83 @chapter Getting Started
84 @cindex URLs, definition
85 @cindex URIs
86
87 @dfn{Uniform Resource Locators} (URLs) are a specific form of
88 @dfn{Uniform Resource Identifiers} (URI) described in RFC 2396 which
89 updates RFC 1738 and RFC 1808. RFC 2016 defines uniform resource
90 agents.
91
92 URIs have the form @var{scheme}:@var{scheme-specific-part}, where the
93 @var{scheme}s supported by this library are described below.
94 @xref{Supported URL Types}.
95
96 FTP, NFS, HTTP, HTTPS, @code{rlogin}, @code{telnet}, tn3270,
97 IRC and gopher URLs all have the form
98
99 @example
100 @var{scheme}://@r{[}@var{userinfo}@@@r{]}@var{hostname}@r{[}:@var{port}@r{]}@r{[}/@var{path}@r{]}
101 @end example
102 @noindent
103 where @samp{@r{[}} and @samp{@r{]}} delimit optional parts.
104 @var{userinfo} sometimes takes the form @var{username}:@var{password}
105 but you should beware of the security risks of sending cleartext
106 passwords. @var{hostname} may be a domain name or a dotted decimal
107 address. If the @samp{:@var{port}} is omitted then the library will
108 use the `well known' port for that service when accessing URLs. With
109 the possible exception of @code{telnet}, it is rare for ports to be
110 specified, and it is possible using a non-standard port may have
111 undesired consequences if a different service is listening on that
112 port (e.g., an HTTP URL specifying the SMTP port can cause mail to be
113 sent). @c , but @xref{Other Variables, url-bad-port-list}.
114 The meaning of the @var{path} component depends on the service.
115
116 @menu
117 * Configuration::
118 * Parsed URLs:: URLs are parsed into vector structures.
119 @end menu
120
121 @node Configuration
122 @section Configuration
123
124 @defvar url-configuration-directory
125 @cindex @file{~/.url}
126 @cindex configuration files
127 The directory in which URL configuration files, the cache etc.,
128 reside. Default @file{~/.url}.
129 @end defvar
130
131 @node Parsed URLs
132 @section Parsed URLs
133 @cindex parsed URLs
134 The library functions typically operate on @dfn{parsed} versions of
135 URLs. These are actually vectors of the form:
136
137 @example
138 [@var{type} @var{user} @var{password} @var{host} @var{port} @var{file} @var{target} @var{attributes} @var{full}]
139 @end example
140
141 @noindent where
142 @table @var
143 @item type
144 is the type of the URL scheme, e.g., @code{http}
145 @item user
146 is the username associated with it, or @code{nil};
147 @item password
148 is the user password associated with it, or @code{nil};
149 @item host
150 is the host name associated with it, or @code{nil};
151 @item port
152 is the port number associated with it, or @code{nil};
153 @item file
154 is the `file' part of it, or @code{nil}. This doesn't necessarily
155 actually refer to a file;
156 @item target
157 is the target part, or @code{nil};
158 @item attributes
159 is the attributes associated with it, or @code{nil};
160 @item full
161 is @code{t} for a fully-specified URL, with a host part indicated by
162 @samp{//} after the scheme part.
163 @end table
164
165 @findex url-type
166 @findex url-user
167 @findex url-password
168 @findex url-host
169 @findex url-port
170 @findex url-file
171 @findex url-target
172 @findex url-attributes
173 @findex url-full
174 @findex url-set-type
175 @findex url-set-user
176 @findex url-set-password
177 @findex url-set-host
178 @findex url-set-port
179 @findex url-set-file
180 @findex url-set-target
181 @findex url-set-attributes
182 @findex url-set-full
183 These attributes have accessors named @code{url-@var{part}}, where
184 @var{part} is the name of one of the elements above, e.g.,
185 @code{url-host}. Similarly, there are setters of the form
186 @code{url-set-@var{part}}.
187
188 There are functions for parsing and unparsing between the string and
189 vector forms.
190
191 @defun url-generic-parse-url url
192 Return a parsed version of the string @var{url}.
193 @end defun
194
195 @defun url-recreate-url url
196 @cindex unparsing URLs
197 Recreates a URL string from the parsed @var{url}.
198 @end defun
199
200 @node Retrieving URLs
201 @chapter Retrieving URLs
202
203 @defun url-retrieve-synchronously url
204 Retrieve @var{url} synchronously and return a buffer containing the
205 data. @var{url} is either a string or a parsed URL structure. Return
206 @code{nil} if there are no data associated with it (the case for dired,
207 info, or mailto URLs that need no further processing).
208 @end defun
209
210 @defun url-retrieve url callback &optional cbargs
211 Retrieve @var{url} asynchronously and call @var{callback} with args
212 @var{cbargs} when finished. The callback is called when the object
213 has been completely retrieved, with the current buffer containing the
214 object and any MIME headers associated with it. @var{url} is either a
215 string or a parsed URL structure. Returns the buffer @var{url} will
216 load into, or @code{nil} if the process has already completed.
217 @end defun
218
219 @node Supported URL Types
220 @chapter Supported URL Types
221
222 @menu
223 * http/https:: Hypertext Transfer Protocol.
224 * file/ftp:: Local files and FTP archives.
225 * info:: Emacs `Info' pages.
226 * mailto:: Sending email.
227 * news/nntp/snews:: Usenet news.
228 * rlogin/telnet/tn3270:: Remote host connectivity.
229 * irc:: Internet Relay Chat.
230 * data:: Embedded data URLs.
231 * nfs:: Networked File System
232 @c * finger::
233 @c * gopher::
234 @c * netrek::
235 @c * prospero::
236 * cid:: Content-ID.
237 * about::
238 * ldap:: Lightweight Directory Access Protocol
239 * imap:: IMAP mailboxes.
240 * man:: Unix man pages.
241 @end menu
242
243 @node http/https
244 @section @code{http} and @code{https}
245
246 The scheme @code{http} is Hypertext Transfer Protocol. The library
247 supports version 1.1, specified in RFC 2616. (This supersedes 1.0,
248 defined in RFC 1945) HTTP URLs have the following form, where most of
249 the parts are optional:
250 @example
251 http://@var{user}:@var{password}@@@var{host}:@var{port}/@var{path}?@var{searchpart}#@var{fragment}
252 @end example
253 @c The @code{:@var{port}} part is optional, and @var{port} defaults to
254 @c 80. The @code{/@var{path}} part, if present, is a slash-separated
255 @c series elements. The @code{?@var{searchpart}}, if present, is the
256 @c query for a search or the content of a form submission. The
257 @c @code{#fragment} part, if present, is a location in the document.
258
259 The scheme @code{https} is a secure version of @code{http}, with
260 transmission via SSL. It is defined in RFC 2069. Its default port is
261 443. This scheme depends on SSL support in Emacs via the
262 @file{ssl.el} library and is actually implemented by forcing the
263 @code{ssl} gateway method to be used. @xref{Gateways in general}.
264
265 @defopt url-honor-refresh-requests
266 This controls honouring of HTTP @samp{Refresh} headers by which
267 servers can direct clients to reload documents from the same URL or a
268 or different one. @code{nil} means they will not be honoured,
269 @code{t} (the default) means they will always be honoured, and
270 otherwise the user will be asked on each request.
271 @end defopt
272
273
274 @menu
275 * Cookies::
276 * HTTP language/coding::
277 * HTTP URL Options::
278 * Dealing with HTTP documents::
279 @end menu
280
281 @node Cookies
282 @subsection Cookies
283
284 @defopt url-cookie-file
285 The file in which cookies are stored, defaulting to @file{cookies} in
286 the directory specified by @code{url-configuration-directory}.
287 @end defopt
288
289 @defopt url-cookie-confirmation
290 Specifies whether confirmation is require to accept cookies.
291 @end defopt
292
293 @defopt url-cookie-multiple-line
294 Specifies whether to put all cookies for the server on one line in the
295 HTTP request to satisfy broken servers like
296 @url{http://www.hotmail.com}.
297 @end defopt
298
299 @defopt url-cookie-trusted-urls
300 A list of regular expressions matching URLs from which to accept
301 cookies always.
302 @end defopt
303
304 @defopt url-cookie-untrusted-urls
305 A list of regular expressions matching URLs from which to reject
306 cookies always.
307 @end defopt
308
309 @defopt url-cookie-save-interval
310 The number of seconds between automatic saves of cookies to disk.
311 Default is one hour.
312 @end defopt
313
314
315 @node HTTP language/coding
316 @subsection Language and Encoding Preferences
317
318 HTTP allows clients to express preferences for the language and
319 encoding of documents which servers may honour. For each of these
320 variables, the value is a string; it can specify a single choice, or
321 it can be a comma-separated list.
322
323 Normally this list ordered by descending preference. However, each
324 element can be followed by @samp{;q=@var{priority}} to specify its
325 preference level, a decimal number from 0 to 1; e.g., for
326 @code{url-mime-language-string}, @w{@code{"de, en-gb;q=0.8,
327 en;q=0.7"}}. An element that has no @samp{;q} specification has
328 preference level 1.
329
330 @defopt url-mime-charset-string
331 @cindex character sets
332 @cindex coding systems
333 This variable specifies a preference for character sets when documents
334 can be served in more than one encoding.
335
336 HTTP allows specifying a series of MIME charsets which indicate your
337 preferred character set encodings, e.g., Latin-9 or Big5, and these
338 can be weighted. The default series is generated automatically from
339 the associated MIME types of all defined coding systems, sorted by the
340 coding system priority specified in Emacs. @xref{Recognize Coding, ,
341 Recognizing Coding Systems, emacs, The GNU Emacs Manual}.
342 @end defopt
343
344 @defopt url-mime-language-string
345 @cindex language preferences
346 A string specifying the preferred language when servers can serve
347 files in several languages. Use RFC 1766 abbreviations, e.g.,
348 @samp{en} for English, @samp{de} for German.
349
350 The string can be @code{"*"} to get the first available language (as
351 opposed to the default).
352 @end defopt
353
354 @node HTTP URL Options
355 @subsection HTTP URL Options
356
357 HTTP supports an @samp{OPTIONS} method describing things supported by
358 the URL@.
359
360 @defun url-http-options url
361 Returns a property list describing options available for URL. The
362 property list members are:
363
364 @table @code
365 @item methods
366 A list of symbols specifying what HTTP methods the resource
367 supports.
368
369 @item dav
370 @cindex DAV
371 A list of numbers specifying what DAV protocol/schema versions are
372 supported.
373
374 @item dasl
375 @cindex DASL
376 A list of supported DASL search types supported (string form).
377
378 @item ranges
379 A list of the units available for use in partial document fetches.
380
381 @item p3p
382 @cindex P3P
383 The @dfn{Platform For Privacy Protection} description for the resource.
384 Currently this is just the raw header contents.
385 @end table
386
387 @end defun
388
389 @node Dealing with HTTP documents
390 @subsection Dealing with HTTP documents
391
392 HTTP URLs are retrieved into a buffer containing the HTTP headers
393 followed by the body. Since the headers are quasi-MIME, they may be
394 processed using the MIME library. @xref{Top,, Emacs MIME,
395 emacs-mime, The Emacs MIME Manual}. The URL package provides a
396 function to do this in general:
397
398 @defun url-decode-text-part handle &optional coding
399 This function decodes charset-encoded text in the current buffer. In
400 Emacs, the buffer is expected to be unibyte initially and is set to
401 multibyte after decoding.
402 HANDLE is the MIME handle of the original part. CODING is an explicit
403 coding to use, overriding what the MIME headers specify.
404 The coding system used for the decoding is returned.
405
406 Note that this function doesn't deal with @samp{http-equiv} charset
407 specifications in HTML @samp{<meta>} elements.
408 @end defun
409
410 @node file/ftp
411 @section file and ftp
412 @cindex files
413 @cindex FTP
414 @cindex File Transfer Protocol
415 @cindex compressed files
416 @findex dired
417
418 @example
419 ftp://@var{user}:@var{password}@@@var{host}:@var{port}/@var{file}
420 file://@var{user}:@var{password}@@@var{host}:@var{port}/@var{file}
421 @end example
422
423 These schemes are defined in RFC 1808.
424 @samp{ftp:} and @samp{file:} are synonymous in this library. They
425 allow reading arbitrary files from hosts. Either @samp{ange-ftp}
426 (Emacs) or @samp{efs} (XEmacs) is used to retrieve them from remote
427 hosts. Local files are accessed directly.
428
429 Compressed files are handled, but support is hard-coded so that
430 @code{jka-compr-compression-info-list} and so on have no affect.
431 Suffixes recognized are @samp{.z}, @samp{.gz}, @samp{.Z} and
432 @samp{.bz2}.
433
434 @defopt url-directory-index-file
435 The filename to look for when indexing a directory, default
436 @samp{"index.html"}. If this file exists, and is readable, then it
437 will be viewed instead of using @code{dired} to view the directory.
438 @end defopt
439
440 @node info
441 @section info
442 @cindex Info
443 @cindex Texinfo
444 @findex Info-goto-node
445
446 @example
447 info:@var{file}#@var{node}
448 @end example
449
450 Info URLs are not officially defined. They invoke
451 @code{Info-goto-node} with argument @samp{(@var{file})@var{node}}.
452 @samp{#@var{node}} is optional, defaulting to @samp{Top}.
453
454 @node mailto
455 @section mailto
456
457 @cindex mailto
458 @cindex email
459 A mailto URL will send an email message to the address in the
460 URL, for example @samp{mailto:foo@@bar.com} would compose a
461 message to @samp{foo@@bar.com}.
462
463 @defopt url-mail-command
464 @vindex mail-user-agent
465 The function called whenever url needs to send mail. This should
466 normally be left to default from @var{mail-user-agent}. @xref{Mail
467 Methods, , Mail-Composition Methods, emacs, The GNU Emacs Manual}.
468 @end defopt
469
470 An @samp{X-Url-From} header field containing the URL of the document
471 that contained the mailto URL is added if that URL is known.
472
473 RFC 2368 extends the definition of mailto URLs in RFC 1738.
474 The form of a mailto URL is
475 @example
476 @samp{mailto:@var{mailbox}[?@var{header}=@var{contents}[&@var{header}=@var{contents}]]}
477 @end example
478 @noindent where an arbitrary number of @var{header}s can be added. If the
479 @var{header} is @samp{body}, then @var{contents} is put in the body
480 otherwise a @var{header} header field is created with @var{contents}
481 as its contents. Note that the URL library does not consider any
482 headers `dangerous' so you should check them before sending the
483 message.
484
485 @c Fixme: update
486 Email messages are defined in @sc{rfc}822.
487
488 @node news/nntp/snews
489 @section @code{news}, @code{nntp} and @code{snews}
490 @cindex news
491 @cindex network news
492 @cindex usenet
493 @cindex NNTP
494 @cindex snews
495
496 @c draft-gilman-news-url-01
497 The network news URL scheme take the following forms following RFC
498 1738 except that for compatibility with other clients, host and port
499 fields may be included in news URLs though they are properly only
500 allowed for nntp an snews.
501
502 @table @samp
503 @item news:@var{newsgroup}
504 Retrieves a list of messages in @var{newsgroup};
505 @item news:@var{message-id}
506 Retrieves the message with the given @var{message-id};
507 @item news:*
508 Retrieves a list of all available newsgroups;
509 @item nntp://@var{host}:@var{port}/@var{newsgroup}
510 @itemx nntp://@var{host}:@var{port}/@var{message-id}
511 @itemx nntp://@var{host}:@var{port}/*
512 Similar to the @samp{news} versions.
513 @end table
514
515 @samp{:@var{port}} is optional and defaults to :119.
516
517 @samp{snews} is the same as @samp{nntp} except that the default port
518 is :563.
519 @cindex SSL
520 (It is tunneled through SSL.)
521
522 An @samp{nntp} URL is the same as a news URL, except that the URL may
523 specify an article by its number.
524
525 @defopt url-news-server
526 This variable can be used to override the default news server.
527 Usually this will be set by the Gnus package, which is used to fetch
528 news.
529 @cindex environment variable
530 @vindex NNTPSERVER
531 It may be set from the conventional environment variable
532 @code{NNTPSERVER}.
533 @end defopt
534
535 @node rlogin/telnet/tn3270
536 @section rlogin, telnet and tn3270
537 @cindex rlogin
538 @cindex telnet
539 @cindex tn3270
540 @cindex terminal emulation
541 @findex terminal-emulator
542
543 These URL schemes from RFC 1738 for logon via a terminal emulator have
544 the form
545 @example
546 telnet://@var{user}:@var{password}@@@var{host}:@var{port}
547 @end example
548 but the @code{:@var{password}} component is ignored.
549
550 To handle rlogin, telnet and tn3270 URLs, a @code{rlogin},
551 @code{telnet} or @code{tn3270} (the program names and arguments are
552 hardcoded) session is run in a @code{terminal-emulator} buffer.
553 Well-known ports are used if the URL does not specify a port.
554
555 @node irc
556 @section irc
557 @cindex IRC
558 @cindex Internet Relay Chat
559 @cindex ZEN IRC
560 @cindex ERC
561 @cindex rcirc
562 @c Fixme: reference (was http://www.w3.org/Addressing/draft-mirashi-url-irc-01.txt)
563 @dfn{Internet Relay Chat} (IRC) is handled by handing off the @sc{irc}
564 session to a function named in @code{url-irc-function}.
565
566 @defopt url-irc-function
567 A function to actually open an IRC connection.
568 This function
569 must take five arguments, @var{host}, @var{port}, @var{channel},
570 @var{user} and @var{password}. The @var{channel} argument specifies the
571 channel to join immediately, this can be @code{nil}. By default this is
572 @code{url-irc-rcirc}.
573 @end defopt
574 @defun url-irc-rcirc host port channel user password
575 Processes the arguments and lets @code{rcirc} handle the session.
576 @end defun
577 @defun url-irc-erc host port channel user password
578 Processes the arguments and lets @code{ERC} handle the session.
579 @end defun
580 @defun url-irc-zenirc host port channel user password
581 Processes the arguments and lets @code{zenirc} handle the session.
582 @end defun
583
584 @node data
585 @section data
586 @cindex data URLs
587
588 @example
589 data:@r{[}@var{media-type}@r{]}@r{[};@var{base64}@r{]},@var{data}
590 @end example
591
592 Data URLs contain MIME data in the URL itself. They are defined in
593 RFC 2397.
594
595 @var{media-type} is a MIME @samp{Content-Type} string, possibly
596 including parameters. It defaults to
597 @samp{text/plain;charset=US-ASCII}. The @samp{text/plain} can be
598 omitted but the charset parameter supplied. If @samp{;base64} is
599 present, the @var{data} are base64-encoded.
600
601 @node nfs
602 @section nfs
603 @cindex NFS
604 @cindex Network File System
605 @cindex automounter
606
607 @example
608 nfs://@var{user}:@var{password}@@@var{host}:@var{port}/@var{file}
609 @end example
610
611 The @samp{nfs:} scheme is defined in RFC 2224. It is similar to
612 @samp{ftp:} except that it points to a file on a remote host that is
613 handled by the automounter on the local host.
614
615 @defvar url-nfs-automounter-directory-spec
616 @end defvar
617 A string saying how to invoke the NFS automounter. Certain @samp{%}
618 sequences are recognized:
619
620 @table @samp
621 @item %h
622 The hostname of the NFS server;
623 @item %n
624 The port number of the NFS server;
625 @item %u
626 The username to use to authenticate;
627 @item %p
628 The password to use to authenticate;
629 @item %f
630 The filename on the remote server;
631 @item %%
632 A literal @samp{%}.
633 @end table
634
635 Each can be used any number of times.
636
637 @node cid
638 @section cid
639 @cindex Content-ID
640
641 RFC 2111
642
643 @node about
644 @section about
645
646 @node ldap
647 @section ldap
648 @cindex LDAP
649 @cindex Lightweight Directory Access Protocol
650
651 The LDAP scheme is defined in RFC 2255.
652
653 @node imap
654 @section imap
655 @cindex IMAP
656
657 RFC 2192
658
659 @node man
660 @section man
661 @cindex @command{man}
662 @cindex Unix man pages
663 @findex man
664
665 @example
666 @samp{man:@var{page-spec}}
667 @end example
668
669 This is a non-standard scheme. @var{page-spec} is passed directly to
670 the Lisp @code{man} function.
671
672 @node Defining New URLs
673 @chapter Defining New URLs
674
675 @menu
676 * Naming conventions::
677 * Required functions::
678 * Optional functions::
679 * Asynchronous fetching::
680 * Supporting file-name-handlers::
681 @end menu
682
683 @node Naming conventions
684 @section Naming conventions
685
686 @node Required functions
687 @section Required functions
688
689 @node Optional functions
690 @section Optional functions
691
692 @node Asynchronous fetching
693 @section Asynchronous fetching
694
695 @node Supporting file-name-handlers
696 @section Supporting file-name-handlers
697
698 @node General Facilities
699 @chapter General Facilities
700
701 @menu
702 * Disk Caching::
703 * Proxies::
704 * Gateways in general::
705 * History::
706 @end menu
707
708 @node Disk Caching
709 @section Disk Caching
710 @cindex Caching
711 @cindex Persistent Cache
712 @cindex Disk Cache
713
714 The disk cache stores retrieved documents locally, whence they can be
715 retrieved more quickly. When requesting a URL that is in the cache,
716 the library checks to see if the page has changed since it was last
717 retrieved from the remote machine. If not, the local copy is used,
718 saving the transmission over the network.
719 @cindex Cleaning the cache
720 @cindex Clearing the cache
721 @cindex Cache cleaning
722 Currently the cache isn't cleared automatically.
723 @c Running the @code{clean-cache} shell script
724 @c fist is recommended, to allow for future cleaning of the cache. This
725 @c shell script will remove all files that have not been accessed since it
726 @c was last run. To keep the cache pared down, it is recommended that this
727 @c script be run from @i{at} or @i{cron} (see the manual pages for
728 @c crontab(5) or at(1) for more information)
729
730 @defopt url-automatic-caching
731 Setting this variable non-@code{nil} causes documents to be cached
732 automatically.
733 @end defopt
734
735 @defopt url-cache-directory
736 This variable specifies the
737 directory to store the cache files. It defaults to sub-directory
738 @file{cache} of @code{url-configuration-directory}.
739 @end defopt
740
741 @c Fixme: function v. option, but neither used.
742 @c @findex url-cache-expired
743 @c @defopt url-cache-expired
744 @c This is a function to decide whether or not a cache entry has expired.
745 @c It takes two times as it parameters and returns non-@code{nil} if the
746 @c second time is ``too old'' when compared with the first time.
747 @c @end defopt
748
749 @defopt url-cache-creation-function
750 The cache relies on a scheme for mapping URLs to files in the cache.
751 This variable names a function which sets the type of cache to use.
752 It takes a URL as argument and returns the absolute file name of the
753 corresponding cache file. The two supplied possibilities are
754 @code{url-cache-create-filename-using-md5} and
755 @code{url-cache-create-filename-human-readable}.
756 @end defopt
757
758 @defun url-cache-create-filename-using-md5 url
759 Creates a cache file name from @var{url} using MD5 hashing.
760 @findex md5
761 This is creates entries with very few cache collisions and is fast if
762 you have the @code{md5} function as a primitive (Emacs 21 and XEmacs).
763 @smallexample
764 (url-cache-create-filename-using-md5 "http://www.example.com/foo/bar")
765 @result{} "/home/fx/.url/cache/fx/http/com/example/www/b8a35774ad20db71c7c3409a5410e74f"
766 @end smallexample
767 @end defun
768
769 @defun url-cache-create-filename-human-readable url
770 Creates a cache file name from @var{url} more obviously connected to
771 @var{url} than for @code{url-cache-create-filename-using-md5}, but
772 more likely to conflict with other files.
773 @smallexample
774 (url-cache-create-filename-human-readable "http://www.example.com/foo/bar")
775 @result{} "/home/fx/.url/cache/fx/http/com/example/www/foo/bar"
776 @end smallexample
777 @end defun
778
779 @c Fixme: never actually used currently?
780 @c @defopt url-standalone-mode
781 @c @cindex Relying on cache
782 @c @cindex Cache only mode
783 @c @cindex Standalone mode
784 @c If this variable is non-@code{nil}, the library relies solely on the
785 @c cache for fetching documents and avoids checking if they have changed
786 @c on remote servers.
787 @c @end defopt
788
789 @c With a large cache of documents on the local disk, it can be very handy
790 @c when traveling, or any other time the network connection is not active
791 @c (a laptop with a dial-on-demand PPP connection, etc). Emacs/W3 can rely
792 @c solely on its cache, and avoid checking to see if the page has changed
793 @c on the remote server. In the case of a dial-on-demand PPP connection,
794 @c this will keep the phone line free as long as possible, only bringing up
795 @c the PPP connection when asking for a page that is not located in the
796 @c cache. This is very useful for demonstrations as well.
797
798 @node Proxies
799 @section Proxies and Gatewaying
800
801 @c fixme: check/document url-ns stuff
802 @cindex proxy servers
803 @cindex proxies
804 @cindex environment variables
805 @vindex HTTP_PROXY
806 Proxy servers are commonly used to provide gateways through firewalls
807 or as caches serving some more-or-less local network. Each protocol
808 (HTTP, FTP, etc.)@: can have a different gateway server. Proxying is
809 conventionally configured commonly amongst different programs through
810 environment variables of the form @code{@var{protocol}_proxy}, where
811 @var{protocol} is one of the supported network protocols (@code{http},
812 @code{ftp} etc.). The library recognizes such variables in either
813 upper or lower case. Their values are of one of the forms:
814 @itemize @bullet
815 @item @code{@var{host}:@var{port}}
816 @item A full URL;
817 @item Simply a host name.
818 @end itemize
819
820 @vindex NO_PROXY
821 The @code{NO_PROXY} environment variable specifies URLs that should be
822 excluded from proxying (on servers that should be contacted directly).
823 This should be a comma-separated list of hostnames, domain names, or a
824 mixture of both. Asterisks can be used as wildcards, but other
825 clients may not support that. Domain names may be indicated by a
826 leading dot. For example:
827 @example
828 NO_PROXY="*.aventail.com,home.com,.seanet.com"
829 @end example
830 @noindent says to contact all machines in the @samp{aventail.com} and
831 @samp{seanet.com} domains directly, as well as the machine named
832 @samp{home.com}. If @code{NO_PROXY} isn't defined, @code{no_PROXY}
833 and @code{no_proxy} are also tried, in that order.
834
835 Proxies may also be specified directly in Lisp.
836
837 @defopt url-proxy-services
838 This variable is an alist of URL schemes and proxy servers that
839 gateway them. The items are of the form @w{@code{(@var{scheme}
840 . @var{host}:@var{portnumber})}}, says that the URL @var{scheme} is
841 gatewayed through @var{portnumber} on the specified @var{host}. An
842 exception is the pseudo scheme @code{"no_proxy"}, which is paired with
843 a regexp matching host names not to be proxied. This variable is
844 initialized from the environment as above.
845
846 @example
847 (setq url-proxy-services
848 '(("http" . "proxy.aventail.com:80")
849 ("no_proxy" . "^.*\\(aventail\\|seanet\\)\\.com")))
850 @end example
851 @end defopt
852
853 @node Gateways in general
854 @section Gateways in General
855 @cindex gateways
856 @cindex firewalls
857
858 The library provides a general gateway layer through which all
859 networking passes. It can both control access to the network and
860 provide access through gateways in firewalls. This may make direct
861 connections in some cases and pass through some sort of gateway in
862 others.@footnote{Proxies (which only operate over HTTP) are
863 implemented using this.} The library's basic function responsible for
864 making connections is @code{url-open-stream}.
865
866 @defun url-open-stream name buffer host service
867 @cindex opening a stream
868 @cindex stream, opening
869 Open a stream to @var{host}, possibly via a gateway. The other
870 arguments are as for @code{open-network-stream}. This will not make a
871 connection if @code{url-gateway-unplugged} is non-@code{nil}.
872 @end defun
873
874 @defvar url-gateway-local-host-regexp
875 This is a regular expression that matches local hosts that do not
876 require the use of a gateway. If @code{nil}, all connections are made
877 through the gateway.
878 @end defvar
879
880 @defvar url-gateway-method
881 This variable controls which gateway method is used. It may be useful
882 to bind it temporarily in some applications. It has values taken from
883 a list of symbols. Possible values are:
884
885 @table @code
886 @item telnet
887 @cindex @command{telnet}
888 Use this method if you must first telnet and log into a gateway host,
889 and then run telnet from that host to connect to outside machines.
890
891 @item rlogin
892 @cindex @command{rlogin}
893 This method is identical to @code{telnet}, but uses @command{rlogin}
894 to log into the remote machine without having to send the username and
895 password over the wire every time.
896
897 @item socks
898 @cindex @sc{socks}
899 Use if the firewall has a @sc{socks} gateway running on it. The
900 @sc{socks} v5 protocol is defined in RFC 1928.
901
902 @c @item ssl
903 @c This probably shouldn't be documented
904 @c Fixme: why not? -- fx
905
906 @item native
907 This method uses Emacs's builtin networking directly. This is the
908 default. It can be used only if there is no firewall blocking access.
909 @end table
910 @end defvar
911
912 The following variables control the gateway methods.
913
914 @defopt url-gateway-telnet-host
915 The gateway host to telnet to. Once logged in there, you then telnet
916 out to the hosts you want to connect to.
917 @end defopt
918 @defopt url-gateway-telnet-parameters
919 This should be a list of parameters to pass to the @command{telnet} program.
920 @end defopt
921 @defopt url-gateway-telnet-password-prompt
922 This is a regular expression that matches the password prompt when
923 logging in.
924 @end defopt
925 @defopt url-gateway-telnet-login-prompt
926 This is a regular expression that matches the username prompt when
927 logging in.
928 @end defopt
929 @defopt url-gateway-telnet-user-name
930 The username to log in with.
931 @end defopt
932 @defopt url-gateway-telnet-password
933 The password to send when logging in.
934 @end defopt
935 @defopt url-gateway-prompt-pattern
936 This is a regular expression that matches the shell prompt.
937 @end defopt
938
939 @defopt url-gateway-rlogin-host
940 Host to @samp{rlogin} to before telnetting out.
941 @end defopt
942 @defopt url-gateway-rlogin-parameters
943 Parameters to pass to @samp{rsh}.
944 @end defopt
945 @defopt url-gateway-rlogin-user-name
946 User name to use when logging in to the gateway.
947 @end defopt
948 @defopt url-gateway-prompt-pattern
949 This is a regular expression that matches the shell prompt.
950 @end defopt
951
952 @defopt socks-server
953 This specifies the default server, it takes the form
954 @w{@code{("Default server" @var{server} @var{port} @var{version})}}
955 where @var{version} can be either 4 or 5.
956 @end defopt
957 @defvar socks-password
958 If this is @code{nil} then you will be asked for the password,
959 otherwise it will be used as the password for authenticating you to
960 the @sc{socks} server.
961 @end defvar
962 @defvar socks-username
963 This is the username to use when authenticating yourself to the
964 @sc{socks} server. By default this is your login name.
965 @end defvar
966 @defvar socks-timeout
967 This controls how long, in seconds, to wait for responses from the
968 @sc{socks} server; it is 5 by default.
969 @end defvar
970 @c fixme: these have been effectively commented-out in the code
971 @c @defopt socks-server-aliases
972 @c This a list of server aliases. It is a list of aliases of the form
973 @c @var{(alias hostname port version)}.
974 @c @end defopt
975 @c @defopt socks-network-aliases
976 @c This a list of network aliases. Each entry in the list takes the form
977 @c @var{(alias (network))} where @var{alias} is a string that names the
978 @c @var{network}. The networks can contain a pair (not a dotted pair) of
979 @c @sc{ip} addresses which specify a range of @sc{ip} addresses, an @sc{ip}
980 @c address and a netmask, a domain name or a unique hostname or @sc{ip}
981 @c address.
982 @c @end defopt
983 @c @defopt socks-redirection-rules
984 @c This a list of redirection rules. Each rule take the form
985 @c @var{(Destination network Connection type)} where @var{Destination
986 @c network} is a network alias from @code{socks-network-aliases} and
987 @c @var{Connection type} can be @code{nil} in which case a direct
988 @c connection is used, or it can be an alias from
989 @c @code{socks-server-aliases} in which case that server is used as a
990 @c proxy.
991 @c @end defopt
992 @defopt socks-nslookup-program
993 @cindex @command{nslookup}
994 This the @samp{nslookup} program. It is @code{"nslookup"} by default.
995 @end defopt
996
997 @menu
998 * Suppressing network connections::
999 @end menu
1000 @c * Broken hostname resolution::
1001
1002 @node Suppressing network connections
1003 @subsection Suppressing Network Connections
1004
1005 @cindex network connections, suppressing
1006 @cindex suppressing network connections
1007 @cindex bugs, HTML
1008 @cindex HTML `bugs'
1009 In some circumstances it is desirable to suppress making network
1010 connections. A typical case is when rendering HTML in a mail user
1011 agent, when external URLs should not be activated, particularly to
1012 avoid `bugs' which `call home' by fetch single-pixel images and the
1013 like. To arrange this, bind the following variable for the duration
1014 of such processing.
1015
1016 @defvar url-gateway-unplugged
1017 If this variable is non-@code{nil} new network connections are never
1018 opened by the URL library.
1019 @end defvar
1020
1021 @c @node Broken hostname resolution
1022 @c @subsection Broken Hostname Resolution
1023
1024 @c @cindex hostname resolver
1025 @c @cindex resolver, hostname
1026 @c Some C libraries do not include the hostname resolver routines in
1027 @c their static libraries. If Emacs was linked statically, and was not
1028 @c linked with the resolver libraries, it will not be able to get to any
1029 @c machines off the local network. This is characterized by being able
1030 @c to reach someplace with a raw ip number, but not its hostname
1031 @c (@url{http://129.79.254.191/} works, but
1032 @c @url{http://www.cs.indiana.edu/} doesn't). This used to happen on
1033 @c SunOS4 and Ultrix, but is now probably now rare. If Emacs can't be
1034 @c rebuilt linked against the resolver library, it can use the external
1035 @c @command{nslookup} program instead.
1036
1037 @c @defopt url-gateway-broken-resolution
1038 @c @cindex @code{nslookup} program
1039 @c @cindex program, @code{nslookup}
1040 @c If non-@code{nil}, this variable says to use the program specified by
1041 @c @code{url-gateway-nslookup-program} program to do hostname resolution.
1042 @c @end defopt
1043
1044 @c @defopt url-gateway-nslookup-program
1045 @c The name of the program to do hostname lookup if Emacs can't do it
1046 @c directly. This program should expect a single argument on the command
1047 @c line---the hostname to resolve---and should produce output similar to
1048 @c the standard Unix @command{nslookup} program:
1049 @c @example
1050 @c Name: www.cs.indiana.edu
1051 @c Address: 129.79.254.191
1052 @c @end example
1053 @c @end defopt
1054
1055 @node History
1056 @section History
1057
1058 The library can maintain a global history list tracking URLs accessed.
1059 URL completion can be done from it. The history mechanism is set up
1060 @findex url-do-setup
1061 automatically via @code{url-do-setup} when it is configured to be on.
1062 Note that the size of the history list is currently not limited.
1063
1064 @vindex url-history-hash-table
1065 The history `list' is actually a hash table,
1066 @code{url-history-hash-table}. It contains access times keyed by URL
1067 strings. The times are in the format returned by @code{current-time}.
1068
1069 @defun url-history-update-url url time
1070 This function updates the history table with an entry for @var{url}
1071 accessed at the given @var{time}.
1072 @end defun
1073
1074 @defopt url-history-track
1075 If non-@code{nil}, the library will keep track of all the URLs
1076 accessed. If it is @code{t}, the list is saved to disk at the end of
1077 each Emacs session. The default is @code{nil}.
1078 @end defopt
1079
1080 @defopt url-history-file
1081 The file storing the history list between sessions. It defaults to
1082 @file{history} in @code{url-configuration-directory}.
1083 @end defopt
1084
1085 @defopt url-history-save-interval
1086 @findex url-history-setup-save-timer
1087 The number of seconds between automatic saves of the history list.
1088 Default is one hour. Note that if you change this variable directly,
1089 rather than using Custom, after @code{url-do-setup} has been run, you
1090 need to run the function @code{url-history-setup-save-timer}.
1091 @end defopt
1092
1093 @defun url-history-parse-history &optional fname
1094 Parses the history file @var{fname} (default @code{url-history-file})
1095 and sets up the history list.
1096 @end defun
1097
1098 @defun url-history-save-history &optional fname
1099 Saves the current history to file @var{fname} (default
1100 @code{url-history-file}).
1101 @end defun
1102
1103 @defun url-completion-function string predicate function
1104 You can use this function to do completion of URLs from the history.
1105 @end defun
1106
1107 @node Customization
1108 @chapter Customization
1109
1110 @section Environment Variables
1111
1112 @cindex environment variables
1113 The following environment variables affect the library's operation at
1114 startup.
1115
1116 @table @code
1117 @item TMPDIR
1118 @vindex TMPDIR
1119 @vindex url-temporary-directory
1120 If this is defined, @var{url-temporary-directory} is initialized from
1121 it.
1122 @end table
1123
1124 @section General User Options
1125
1126 The following user options, settable with Customize, affect the
1127 general operation of the package.
1128
1129 @defopt url-debug
1130 @cindex debugging
1131 Specifies the types of debug messages the library which are logged to
1132 the @code{*URL-DEBUG*} buffer.
1133 @code{t} means log all messages.
1134 A number means log all messages and show them with @code{message}.
1135 If may also be a list of the types of messages to be logged.
1136 @end defopt
1137 @defopt url-personal-mail-address
1138 @end defopt
1139 @defopt url-privacy-level
1140 @end defopt
1141 @defopt url-uncompressor-alist
1142 @end defopt
1143 @defopt url-passwd-entry-func
1144 @end defopt
1145 @defopt url-standalone-mode
1146 @end defopt
1147 @defopt url-bad-port-list
1148 @end defopt
1149 @defopt url-max-password-attempts
1150 @end defopt
1151 @defopt url-temporary-directory
1152 @end defopt
1153 @defopt url-show-status
1154 @end defopt
1155 @defopt url-confirmation-func
1156 The function to use for asking yes or no functions. This is normally
1157 either @code{y-or-n-p} or @code{yes-or-no-p}, but could be another
1158 function taking a single argument (the prompt) and returning @code{t}
1159 only if an affirmative answer is given.
1160 @end defopt
1161 @defopt url-gateway-method
1162 @c fixme: describe gatewaying
1163 A symbol specifying the type of gateway support to use for connections
1164 from the local machine. The supported methods are:
1165
1166 @table @code
1167 @item telnet
1168 Run telnet in a subprocess to connect;
1169 @item rlogin
1170 Rlogin to another machine to connect;
1171 @item socks
1172 Connect through a socks server;
1173 @item ssl
1174 Connect with SSL;
1175 @item native
1176 Connect directly.
1177 @end table
1178 @end defopt
1179
1180 @node Function Index
1181 @unnumbered Command and Function Index
1182 @printindex fn
1183
1184 @node Variable Index
1185 @unnumbered Variable Index
1186 @printindex vr
1187
1188 @node Concept Index
1189 @unnumbered Concept Index
1190 @printindex cp
1191
1192 @setchapternewpage odd
1193 @contents
1194 @bye
1195
1196 @ignore
1197 arch-tag: c96be356-7e2d-4196-bcda-b13246c5c3f0
1198 @end ignore