Ocamlnet 3 Reference Manual : Netcgi_common

# Module Netcgi_common

    module Netcgi_common: sig .. end

Functions to develop new connectors.

The following module is provided as a set of helper functions to define new connectors. As a normal user of `Netcgi`, you should not use this module.

The goal of this module is to factor out common routines to easily set up new connectors. Here is the normal flow of operations:

- You start by reading the request environment properties as well as the input header. Often both are undistinguished and provided through some sort of meta-variables. The function `Netcgi_common.update_props_inheader` helps you to sort them and to normalize the input header fields. You also need to set up a `Netchannels.out_obj_channel` to the output stream of your connector. Then, `Netcgi_common.cgi_environment` can create an environment object for you. If `stderr` output is not appropriate (e.g. ot is not redirected to the server log), you need to override `#log_error`.

- From the environment object and arguments, `Netcgi_common.cgi` creates a CGI object. Often, arguments are read from the environment `#cgi_query_string` (in case of GET) or from an input channel (in case of POST). `Netcgi_common.cgi_with_args` handles this for you: it requires a `Netchannels.in_obj_channel` from which the arguments are read (only used in the case of POST).

- `Netcgi_common.exn_handler_default` provides a default error page for uncaught exceptions. It also allows the user to pass his own exception handler that has precedence on the default one.

To see this schema in use, we recommend you have a look to the implementation of the CGI connector because it is very simple.

## Arguments

    type representation = [ `MIME of Netmime.mime_message | `Simple of Netmime.mime_body ]

    type store = [ `File of string | `Memory ]

    exception Oversized

See `Netcgi.Argument.Oversized`.

    exception Too_many_arguments

Hit the limit `max_arguments`

    class type cgi_argument = object .. end

See `Netcgi.cgi_argument`.

    class type rw_cgi_argument = object .. end

See `Netcgi.rw_cgi_argument`.

    class simple_arg : ?ro:bool -> string -> string -> rw_cgi_argument

See `Netcgi.Argument.simple`.

    class mime_arg : ?work_around_backslash_bug:bool -> ?name:string -> Netmime.mime_message -> rw_cgi_argument

See `Netcgi.Argument.mime`.

## Cookies

The cookie implementation has been moved to `Nethttp.Cookie`. New code should directly call the functions defined there.

    module Cookie: sig .. end

## Environment

    type config = {

`` | `tmp_directory :`string`;`
`` | `tmp_prefix :`string`;`
`` | `permitted_http_methods :`[ `DELETE | `GET | `HEAD | `POST | `PUT ] list`;`
`` | `permitted_input_content_types :`string list`;`
`` | `input_content_length_limit :`int`;`
`` | `max_arguments :`int`;`
`` | `workarounds :`[ `Backslash_bug | `MSIE_Content_type_bug | `Work_around_MSIE_Content_type_bug | `Work_around_backslash_bug ] list`;`
`` | `default_exn_handler :`bool`;`

}
See `Netcgi.config`.

    type output_type = [ `Direct of string
           | `Transactional of
               config ->
               Netchannels.out_obj_channel -> Netchannels.trans_out_obj_channel ]

See `Netcgi.output_type`.

    val fix_MSIE_Content_type_bug : string -> string

`fix_MSIE_Content_type_bug ct` transforms the content-type string `ct` to fix the MSIE Content-Type bug.

    val is_MSIE : string -> bool

`is_MSIE user_agent` tells whether the `user_agent` is Microsoft Internet Explorer. Useful to know when to apply `Netcgi_common.fix_MSIE_Content_type_bug`.

    class cgi_environment : config:config -> properties:(string * string) list -> input_header:(string * string) list -> Netchannels.out_obj_channel -> object .. end

`new cgi_environment ~config ~properties ~input_header out_obj` generates a `Netcgi.cgi_environment` object, from the arguments.

## CGI

    type other_url_spec = [ `Env | `None | `This of string ]

See `Netcgi.other_url_spec`.

    type query_string_spec = [ `Args of rw_cgi_argument list
           | `Env
           | `None
           | `This of cgi_argument list ]

See `Netcgi.query_string_spec`.

    type cache_control = [ `Max_age of int | `No_cache | `Unspecified ]

See `Netcgi.cache_control`.

    type request_method = [ `DELETE | `GET | `HEAD | `POST | `PUT of cgi_argument ]

    val string_of_request_method : request_method -> string

    type arg_store_type = [ `Automatic
           | `Automatic_max of float
           | `Discard
           | `File
           | `File_max of float
           | `Memory
           | `Memory_max of float ]

    type arg_store = cgi_environment ->
           string -> Netmime.mime_header_ro -> arg_store_type

See `Netcgi.arg_store`.

    class cgi : cgi_environment -> output_type -> request_method -> cgi_argument list -> object .. end

`cgi env op meth args` constructs `Netcgi.cgi` objects.

    val cgi_with_args : (cgi_environment ->
            output_type ->
            request_method -> cgi_argument list -> 'a) ->
           cgi_environment ->
           output_type ->
           Netchannels.in_obj_channel -> arg_store -> 'a

`cgi_with_args (new cgi) env out op ?put_arg in_chan` constructs a `Netcgi.cgi` object. However, `new cgi` can be replaced by any function, so it is easy to use this to construct extensions of the `cgi` class (as needed by some connectors). The arguments of the cgi object are taken from the environment `env` (for HEAD, GET, DELETE) or from the `in_chan` (for POST, PUT) and processed according to `arg_store`.
Raises `HTTP` if the data does not conform the standards or it not allowed.

## Exceptions

    exception HTTP of Nethttp.http_status * string

Exception raised by various functions of this library to return to the user agent an appropriate error page with the specified http-status (this exception must be caught by the connector and a default answer sent).

The string is a description of the cause of the error.

This exception is for use by connectors only, users should deal with the exceptions in their code by generating a response with the usual `#set_header` and `#out_channel` of `Netcgi.cgi`.

    val exn_handler_default : cgi_environment ->
           exn_handler:(cgi_environment -> (unit -> unit) -> unit) ->
           finally:(unit -> unit) -> (unit -> exn option) -> unit

`exn_handler_default env ~exn_handler ~finally run_cgi` will basically execute `exn_handler env run_cgi`. Provided that the environment config `default_exn_handler` is set to `true` (the default), any exception `e` not caught by the user provided `exn_handler` (or that is raised by it) will be passed to the default handler of OCamlNet which will rollback the current output, produce a page describing the exception `e`, and close the output channel of `env`. Note that the default handler treats `HTTP` exceptions specially -- for example, the response to `HTTP(`Method_not_allowed,...)` includes an "Allow" header (as mandated by HTTP/1.1);...

Note that, regardless of the value of `default_exn_handler`, the `Exit` exception is always caught and treated like an acceptable early termination (thus produces no error page).

Whether `run_cgi` terminates normally or by an exception, `finally()` is executed last.

Sometimes, you want that some "special" exceptions (for example exceptions internal to the connector) CANNOT to be caught by `exn_handler`. In this case, `run_cgi()` catches the exception, say `e`, and returns it as `Some e`. The exception `e` will "go through" `exn_handler_default`, it will not even be passed to the default handler. Therefore, you must take care that it is handled by the surrounding code or your connector may die without an error message. Of course, `run_cgi` must return `None` if no "special" exception is raised.

REMARK: Stricly speaking, `exn_handler env run_cgi` is obviously not possible because the return type of `run_cgi` is not `unit` but you can ignore that to understand what this function does.

    val error_page : cgi_environment ->
           Nethttp.http_status ->
           (string * string list) list -> string -> string -> unit

`error_page env status fields msg detail`: Logs an error message and outputs an error page via `env`.

`status` is the status of the error page, e.g. ``Internal_server_error`. `fields` are put into the response header of the error page.

`msg` occurs in the log message and in the error page, and should be a concise description without linefeeds. `detail` is only printed to the error page, and may be longer than this, and may also include HTML markup.

## Useful functions

The following functions are used in several connectors and are gouped here for convenience.

    val update_props_inheader : string * string ->
           (string * string) list * (string * string) list ->
           (string * string) list * (string * string) list

`update_props_inheader (name, value) (props, inheader)` returns `(props, inheader)` to which the new parameter `name`-`value` has been added -- to `props` or `inheader`, depending on `name`. Unless you know what you are going, you must use this function to classify parameters as it also performs some standardisation.

    val rm_htspace : (char -> bool) -> string -> int -> int -> string

`rm_htspace is_space s low up` returns the substring `s.[low .. up - 1]` stripped of possible heading and trailing spaces identified by the function `is_space`.
Raises `Invalid_argument` if `low < 0` or `up > String.length s`

    val rev_split : (char -> bool) -> string -> string list

`split_rev is_delim s` split `s` at each character `is_delim` and returns the list of substrings in reverse order. Several consecutive delimiters are treated as a single one. The substrings do not share `s` memory.

    val is_prefix : string -> string -> bool

`is_prefix pre s` checks whether `pre` is a prefix of `s`.

    type http_method = [ `DELETE | `GET | `HEAD | `POST | `PUT ]

    val string_of_http_method : http_method -> string

Returns the string value of the method