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Diffstat (limited to 'docs/topics/browser-enhancements.md')
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diff --git a/docs/topics/browser-enhancements.md b/docs/topics/browser-enhancements.md index d4e128ae..6a11f0fa 100644 --- a/docs/topics/browser-enhancements.md +++ b/docs/topics/browser-enhancements.md @@ -2,42 +2,63 @@ > "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](1), Leonard Richardson & Sam Ruby. +> — [RESTful Web Services][cite], Leonard Richardson & Sam Ruby. ## Browser based PUT, DELETE, etc... -**TODO: Preamble.** Note that this is the same strategy as is used in [Ruby on Rails](2). +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> + <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`: +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> + <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}"` +`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](3). There remains [ongoing discussion](4) about adding support for `PUT` and `DELETE`, as well as how to support content types other than form-encoded data. +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. -[1]: http://www.amazon.com/Restful-Web-Services-Leonard-Richardson/dp/0596529260 -[2]: http://guides.rubyonrails.org/form_helpers.html#how-do-forms-with-put-or-delete-methods-work -[3]: http://www.w3.org/TR/html5-diff/#changes-2010-06-24 -[4]: http://amundsen.com/examples/put-delete-forms/ +[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/ |