HELP: Request String Length Limitation?

[Brad]

I'm trying to find an answer to a simple question or two:

Is there a limitation to the length of a request string? If so, what is it?

Thanks in advance!!

- brad

 

[Jim Moe]

Is there a limitation to the length of a request string? If so, what is it?

What is a "request string?"

 

[Brad]

That's what's in the address bar:
www.example.com?param1=val1&param2=val2param3=val3.

Isn't that called a request string or is it query string? Help?

Anyway, that thing. How long can it be?

 

[Jim Moe]

That's what's in the address bar:
www.example.com?param1=val1&param2=val2param3=val3.

Isn't that called a request string or is it query string? Help?
Anyway, that thing. How long can it be?

It's called an URL, Uniform Resource Locator, with optional parameters.
The entry field is also known as the URL bar, or navigation toolbar.
Its length is defined by the limitations of the browser, the http
server, and underlying OS. For instance, linux has (or once had) a command
line length limit of 1024 characters. Other OSes range from 256 to 4096.

 

[Jim Higson]

That's what's in the address bar:
www.example.com?param1=val1&param2=val2param3=val3.

Isn't that called a request string or is it query string? Help?

I always called the "request string" the first line of the HTTP request, ie:
GET www.example.com?param1=val1&param2=val2param3=val3

Anyway, that thing. How long can it be?

There are no limits mandated by HTTP specs. By default Apache limits it to
8k; for it to be more you have to change compile-time arguments, but you
can lower the limit in normal config.

If you are trying to send a lot of data you need to use a POST, where the
size is virtually limitless (I think Apache 2 has an absolute limit of a
few gigs, but by default has a lower configured limit).

I have written javascript to do this using XmlHttp request for this project:
http://wikiwyg.org (use Firefox) which is GPL-licenced, so feel free to
gawk at the code. It sends a url-encoded POST, so the parameters are not on
the first line of the request.