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diff --git a/guide/multipart_req.md b/guide/multipart_req.md new file mode 100644 index 0000000..a4d0137 --- /dev/null +++ b/guide/multipart_req.md @@ -0,0 +1,112 @@ +Multipart requests +================== + +You can read and parse multipart messages using the +Req object directly. + +Cowboy defines two functions that allows you to get +information about each part and read their contents. + +Checking the content-type +------------------------- + +While there is a variety of multipart messages, the +most common on the Web is `multipart/form-data`. It's +the type of message being sent when an HTML form +allows uploading files. + +You can quickly figure out if a multipart message +has been sent by parsing the `content-type` header. + +``` erlang +{ok, {<<"multipart">>, <<"form-data">>, _}, Req2} + = cowboy_req:parse_header(<<"content-type">>, Req). +``` + +Reading a multipart message +--------------------------- + +To read a message you have to iterate over all its +parts. Then, for each part, you can inspect its headers +and read its body. + +``` erlang +multipart(Req) -> + case cowboy_req:part(Req) of + {ok, _Headers, Req2} -> + {ok, _Body, Req3} = cowboy_req:part_body(Req2), + multipart(Req3); + {done, Req2} -> + Req2 + end. +``` + +Parts do not have a size limit. When a part body is +too big, Cowboy will return what it read so far and +allow you to continue if you wish to do so. + +The function `cow_multipart:form_data/1` can be used +to quickly obtain information about a part from a +`multipart/form-data` message. This function will +tell you if the part is for a normal field or if it +is a file being uploaded. + +This can be used for example to allow large part bodies +for files but crash when a normal field is too large. + +``` erlang +multipart(Req) -> + case cowboy_req:part(Req) of + {ok, Headers, Req2} -> + Req4 = case cow_multipart:form_data(Headers) of + {data, _FieldName} -> + {ok, _Body, Req3} = cowboy_req:part_body(Req2), + Req3; + {file, _FieldName, _Filename, _CType, _CTransferEncoding} -> + stream_file(Req2) + end, + multipart(Req4); + {done, Req2} -> + Req2 + end. + +stream_file(Req) -> + case cowboy_req:part_body(Req) of + {ok, _Body, Req2} -> + Req2; + {more, _Body, Req2} -> + stream_file(Req2) + end. +``` + +By default the body chunk Cowboy will return is limited +to 8MB. This can of course be overriden. + +Skipping unwanted parts +----------------------- + +If you do not want to read a part's body, you can skip it. +Skipping is easy. If you do not call the function to read +the part's body, Cowboy will automatically skip it when +you request the next part. + +The following snippet reads all part headers and skips +all bodies: + +``` erlang +multipart(Req) -> + case cowboy_req:part(Req) of + {ok, _Headers, Req2} -> + multipart(Req2); + {done, Req2} -> + Req2 + end. +``` + +Similarly, if you start reading the body and it ends up +being too big, you can simply continue with the next part, +Cowboy will automatically skip what remains. + +And if you started reading the message but decide that you +do not need the remaining parts, you can simply stop reading +entirely and Cowboy will automatically figure out what to do. diff --git a/guide/toc.md b/guide/toc.md index a0c9a8c..5229167 100644 --- a/guide/toc.md +++ b/guide/toc.md @@ -48,7 +48,7 @@ Multipart --------- * Understanding multipart - * Multipart requests + * [Multipart requests](multipart_req.md) * Multipart responses Server push technologies |