Incorrect URL produced by Browser Preview

[brianlj]

When exporting bitmap graphics, there's an option to Preview in Browser.

The problem is that that function produces a slightly[1] non-standard URL of the sort:

file://c|/DOCUME~1/Brian/LOCALS~1/Temp/xar3A4C.htm

Now, if Internet Explorer is the default browser, it actually changes the URL to:

C:\Documents and Settings\Brian\Local Settings\Temp\xar3A4C.htm

If a Mozilla-based browser (say, FireFox) is the default browser, it also displays the exported graphic, although it changes the URL to:

file:///c|/DOCUME~1/Brian/LOCALS~1/Temp/xar3A4C.htm

before it displays it.

However, if Opera is the default browser, it makes no modifications[2] to the URL and thus cannot resolve it.

If Xara changed the exported URL to the RFC-standard form of:

file:///c:/DOCUME~1/Brian/LOCALS~1/Temp/xar3A4C.htm

that would mean that ALL browsers could find the URL.

--- Footnotes -----

1. By 'slightly non-standard', I actually mean that it directly contravenes RFC 1738 - the Internet Standard on Uniform Resource Locators (URL), which says:

"A file URL takes the form:
file://<host>/<path>
where
<host> is the fully qualified domain name of the system
on which the <path> is accessible, and
<path> is a hierarchical directory path of the form
<directory>/<directory>/.../<name>."


It also says:

"As a special case, <host> can be the string "localhost" or the empty string; this is interpreted as `the machine from which the URL is being interpreted'."

So, from Xara, either:

file:///c:/DOCUME~1/Brian/LOCALS~1/Temp/xar3A4C.htm

or:

file://localhost/c:/DOCUME~1/Brian/LOCALS~1/Temp/xar3A4C.htm

would be correct.

2. Actually, recent versions of Opera strip out the the pipe character | because it's deemed an 'unsafe character' by RFC 1738 (s2.2). Earlier versions of Opera didn't strip it out, but they still wouldn't display the graphic because the path part of the URL was still invalid.

----- End (pedantic) Footnote -----

[brianlj]

When exporting bitmap graphics, there's an option to Preview in Browser.

The problem is that that function produces a slightly[1] non-standard URL of the sort:

file://c|/DOCUME~1/Brian/LOCALS~1/Temp/xar3A4C.htm

Now, if Internet Explorer is the default browser, it actually changes the URL to:

C:\Documents and Settings\Brian\Local Settings\Temp\xar3A4C.htm

If a Mozilla-based browser (say, FireFox) is the default browser, it also displays the exported graphic, although it changes the URL to:

file:///c|/DOCUME~1/Brian/LOCALS~1/Temp/xar3A4C.htm

before it displays it.

However, if Opera is the default browser, it makes no modifications[2] to the URL and thus cannot resolve it.

If Xara changed the exported URL to the RFC-standard form of:

file:///c:/DOCUME~1/Brian/LOCALS~1/Temp/xar3A4C.htm

that would mean that ALL browsers could find the URL.

--- Footnotes -----

1. By 'slightly non-standard', I actually mean that it directly contravenes RFC 1738 - the Internet Standard on Uniform Resource Locators (URL), which says:

"A file URL takes the form:
file://<host>/<path>
where
<host> is the fully qualified domain name of the system
on which the <path> is accessible, and
<path> is a hierarchical directory path of the form
<directory>/<directory>/.../<name>."


It also says:

"As a special case, <host> can be the string "localhost" or the empty string; this is interpreted as `the machine from which the URL is being interpreted'."

So, from Xara, either:

file:///c:/DOCUME~1/Brian/LOCALS~1/Temp/xar3A4C.htm

or:

file://localhost/c:/DOCUME~1/Brian/LOCALS~1/Temp/xar3A4C.htm

would be correct.

2. Actually, recent versions of Opera strip out the the pipe character | because it's deemed an 'unsafe character' by RFC 1738 (s2.2). Earlier versions of Opera didn't strip it out, but they still wouldn't display the graphic because the path part of the URL was still invalid.

----- End (pedantic) Footnote -----

[gwpriester]

Not sure what your point is :-)

All of these assume that you are displaying the page on your browser with your own computer acting as the server. Correct?

And if so, and if the page displays in your default browser (which I believe is how Xara determines what code to use) then is there a problem?

If you plan to use the code for a specific URL then can't you specify the correct URL for the page or link?

Gary

[Sheff]

Hi Gary,

I think the point is that with a slight change to Xara it will enable browser preview to work correctly, regardless of what is the users default browser. What he is saying is that browser preview works correctly with IE and Mozilla, but not Opera.

I just tried it, and coincidentally, my default browser is the latest version of opera. He is right in that opera will not display the temp file generated by Xara.

I'm not sure if what he is proposing is the correct solution, but I suspect that it is. Regardless, Xara should be able to display temp files in whatever browser the user is using. If simply changing the character after the drive letter of the temp drive to a colon would fix this, that would be great.

I don't use this feature much and I suspect that not many people do anymore as it's more useful to look at a graphic within an actual webpage where it's going to exist rather than out of context.

Good job Brian, on finding this.

[gwpriester]

OK I see your point. It does sound like something that could be addressed without adding a lot of code to Xara.

Thanks Sheff

[brianlj]

<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><font size="-1">quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by gwpriester:
OK I see your point. It does sound like something that could be addressed without adding a lot of code to Xara. <HR></BLOCKQUOTE>Sheff's quite right, and, in theory (hah!) it should be just a single byte change somewhere.

But I couldn't find where, or I would've poked it myself. http://www.talkgraphics.com/images/smilies/wink.gif

[NeilH]

Thanks for the info Brian. This problem will be fixed for the next update.