XML & Cookies

[hotshot]

I create and modified a cookie with a javascript. I'm trying to fill the cookie with Xml page. On the server side, while CGI.pm reads the enviroment variable: HTTP_COOKIE, only the first line appear ...

Is there any problem to pass Xml page through Cookie ?

Thanks.

Hotshot

[erasei]

If you are passing a large amount of XML data into the cookie it might be the problem. According to Cookie Central's FAQ there is a 4k size limit on HTTP Headers, which Cookies are a part of. Granted, 4k is massive for a header, but, passing XML data via a cookie could hit that pretty easily I suppose.

As I stated as a reply to your other post today there might be other ways of accomplishing that you are after. Having XML stored locally could get really out of hand from a security stand point.

How about you give us a full overview of what you are trying to do, and we will offer you some advice on the best way to do it overall.

[Tomte]

there is a 4k size limit on HTTP Headers, which Cookies are a part of.

And depending on the browser on the client side you won't even have 4k.
I can't remember if it was netscape 4 or IE 5, but one of them stored only up to 1k. Anoying behaviour, as the cookie-content was carefully crafted not to exceed 4k, but relied on having at least that much

Just to share the experience ;-)
regards,
Tomte

[hotshot]

the thing I'm trying to do is filling a client page with user's data (using JavaScript) and send it back to the server through a cookie using XML format, the volume of the user's data is quite big(but yet less then 4k !!!) so I prefer to send it via cookie instead of POST or GET in order to achieve faster performances

Thanks.

Hotshot

[tmiklas]

Hi!

Following perldoc CGI: To retrieve a cookie, request it by nameb y calling cookie() method without the -value parameter:


    use CGI;
    $query = new CGI;
    $riddle = $query->cookie('riddle_name');

It works for me...

BTW. Remember of 4k limit on HTTP headers...

Greetz, Tom.

[simeon2000]

I would be wary of using XML in cookies. XML is not the most compact way to store data, and if I recall correctly, there IS a space constraint to the length of cookies. There is some standard, but in all reality it is probably browser-dependent.

Technically, I believe you could pass XML as a big long string as a cookie param, but I can think of many better ways of accomplishing the task.

"Falling in love with map, one block at a time." - simeon2000