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diff --git a/docs/topics/browser-enhancements.md b/docs/topics/browser-enhancements.md new file mode 100644 index 00000000..6a11f0fa --- /dev/null +++ b/docs/topics/browser-enhancements.md @@ -0,0 +1,64 @@ +# Browser enhancements + +> "There are two noncontroversial uses for overloaded POST. The first is to *simulate* HTTP's uniform interface for clients like web browsers that don't support PUT or DELETE" +> +> — [RESTful Web Services][cite], Leonard Richardson & Sam Ruby. + +## Browser based PUT, DELETE, etc... + +REST framework supports browser-based `PUT`, `DELETE` and other methods, by +overloading `POST` requests using a hidden form field. + +Note that this is the same strategy as is used in [Ruby on Rails][rails]. + +For example, given the following form: + + <form action="/news-items/5" method="POST"> + <input type="hidden" name="_method" value="DELETE"> + </form> + +`request.method` would return `"DELETE"`. + +## Browser based submission of non-form content + +Browser-based submission of content types other than form are supported by +using form fields named `_content` and `_content_type`: + +For example, given the following form: + + <form action="/news-items/5" method="PUT"> + <input type="hidden" name="_content_type" value="application/json"> + <input name="_content" value="{'count': 1}"> + </form> + +`request.content_type` would return `"application/json"`, and +`request.stream` would return `"{'count': 1}"` + +## URL based accept headers + +REST framework can take `?accept=application/json` style URL parameters, +which allow the `Accept` header to be overridden. + +This can be useful for testing the API from a web browser, where you don't +have any control over what is sent in the `Accept` header. + +## URL based format suffixes + +REST framework can take `?format=json` style URL parameters, which can be a +useful shortcut for determing which content type should be returned from +the view. + +This is a more concise than using the `accept` override, but it also gives +you less control. (For example you can't specify any media type parameters) + +## Doesn't HTML5 support PUT and DELETE forms? + +Nope. It was at one point intended to support `PUT` and `DELETE` forms, but +was later [dropped from the spec][html5]. There remains +[ongoing discussion][put_delete] about adding support for `PUT` and `DELETE`, +as well as how to support content types other than form-encoded data. + +[cite]: http://www.amazon.com/Restful-Web-Services-Leonard-Richardson/dp/0596529260 +[rails]: http://guides.rubyonrails.org/form_helpers.html#how-do-forms-with-put-or-delete-methods-work +[html5]: http://www.w3.org/TR/html5-diff/#changes-2010-06-24 +[put_delete]: http://amundsen.com/examples/put-delete-forms/ |
