The MIME Multipart/Related Content-type
RFC 1872
| Document | Type |
RFC - Experimental
(December 1995; No errata)
Obsoleted by RFC 2112
|
|
|---|---|---|---|
| Last updated | 2013-03-02 | ||
| Stream | IETF | ||
| Formats | plain text html pdf htmlized bibtex | ||
| Stream | WG state | (None) | |
| Document shepherd | No shepherd assigned | ||
| IESG | IESG state | RFC 1872 (Experimental) | |
| Consensus Boilerplate | Unknown | ||
| Telechat date | |||
| Responsible AD | (None) | ||
| Send notices to | (None) | ||
Network Working Group E. Levinson
Request for Comments: 1872 Accurate Information Systems, Inc.
Category: Experimental December 1995
The MIME Multipart/Related Content-type
Status of this Memo
This memo defines an Experimental Protocol for the Internet
community. This memo does not specify an Internet standard of any
kind. Discussion and suggestions for improvement are requested.
Distribution of this memo is unlimited.
Abstract
The Multipart/Related content-type provides a common mechanism for
representing objects that are aggregates of related MIME body parts.
This document defines the Multipart/Related content-type and provides
examples of its use.
1. Introduction
Several applications of MIME, including MIME-PEM, and MIME-Macintosh
and other proposals, require multiple body parts that make sense only
in the aggregate. The present approach to these compound objects has
been to define specific multipart subtypes for each new object. In
keeping with the MIME philosophy of having one mechanism to achieve
the same goal for different purposes, this document describes a
single mechanism for such aggregate or compound objects.
The Multipart/Related content-type addresses the MIME representation
of compound objects. The object is categorized by a "type"
parameter. Additional parameters are provided to indicate a specific
starting body part or root and auxiliary information which may be
required when unpacking or processing the object.
Responsibility for the display or processing of a Multipart/Related's
constituent entities rests with the application that handles the
compound object.
Levinson Experimental [Page 1]
RFC 1872 Multipart/Related December 1995
2. Multipart/Related Registration Information
The following form is copied from RFC 1590, Appendix A.
To: IANA@isi.edu
Subject: Registration of new Media Type content-type/subtype
Media Type name: Multipart
Media subtype name: Related
Required parameters: Type, a media type/subtype.
Optional parameters: Start, a content-id.
Start-info, a string or content-id list.
Encoding considerations: Multipart content-types cannot have
encodings.
Security considerations: Depends solely on the referenced type.
Published specification: This document.
Person & email address to contact for further information:
Edward Levinson
Accurate Information Systems, Inc.
2 Industrial Way
Eatontown, NJ 07724
+1 908 389 5550
+1 908 389 5556 (fax)
ELevinson@Accurate.com
3. Intended usage
The Multipart/Related media type is intended for compound objects
consisting of several inter-related body parts. For a
Multipart/Related object, proper display cannot be achieved by
individually displaying the constituent body parts. The content-type
of the Multipart/Related object is specified by the type parameter.
The "start" parameter, if given, points, via a content-ID, to the
body part that contains the object root. The default root is the
first body part within the Multipart/Related body.
The relationships among the body parts of a compound object
distinguishes it from other object types. These relationships are
often represented by links internal to the object's components that
reference the other components. Within a single operating
environment the links are often file names, such links may be
Levinson Experimental [Page 2]
RFC 1872 Multipart/Related December 1995
represented within a MIME message using content-IDs or the value of
some other "Content-" header.
3.1. The Type Parameter
The type parameter must be specified and its value is the MIME media
type of the root body part. It permits a MIME user agent to
determine the content-type without reference to the enclosed body
part. If the value of the type parameter and the root body part's
content-type differ then the User Agent's behavior is undefined.
Note: Constraining the "type" parameter's value to an existing media
type allows the appropriate processing to be identified without
creating yet another hierarchy of registered types. A possible
default action would have the MIME mail User Agent (MUA) to display
the "start" entity alone when it could process the media type as a
basic type but not as Multipart/Related.
3.2. The Start Parameter
The start parameter, if given, is the content-ID of the compound
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