Re: Attaching docs, Virtual images

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From: Dave_Raggett <dsr@hplb.hpl.hp.com>
Message-id: <9401041703.AA27235@manuel.hpl.hp.com>
Subject: Re: Attaching docs, Virtual images
To: jer@bagheera.jax.org
Date: Tue, 4 Jan 94 17:03:34 GMT
Cc: www-talk@www0.cern.ch
Mailer: Elm [revision: 66.36.1.1]
Content-Length: 1413

Joel Richardson writes:

> Can anyone help me with the following two problems?

> 1. In a forms application that we're developing, the bulk of what the
> user must enter usually exists in a text file already. The form can
> include a textarea, of course, but then the user either has to retype
> the data or cut and paste. Neither is particularly attractive. Is there
> a better way to do this currently? (Something like <INPUT TYPE="attach" ...>
> suggests itself, but far be it from me to suggest yet another feature ! :-)

People have also asked if it will be possible to paste hypertext and
other MIME formats into form fields. We definitely need to migrate forms
to use a multipart MIME based format for transferring data to the server.
I am currently writing up a proposal for this, along with some new ideas
for supporting dynamic forms, whereby the server can send updates together
with a status message to a form as a result of the user clicking a selection
or checkbox. Sending updates avoid the problems inherent in loading an
entirely new document, when you just want to change a few fields.

The <INPUT TYPE="attach" ...> idea seems a useful addition, which allows
users to enter a local file name. Browsers would have to work out the
appropriate content type to use when encoding the file as a part in a
multipart MIME transfer document. I will include this in the new draft.

Cheers,

Dave Raggett