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Doc/lib/libcookie.tex

+\section{\module{Cookie} ---
+         RFC2109 HTTP State Management (AKA Cookies) Support}
+\declaremodule{standard}{Cookie}
+
+\moduleauthor{Timothy O'Malley}{timo@alum.mit.edu}
+\sectionauthor{Moshe Zadka}{moshez@zadka.site.co.il}
+
+\modulesynopsis{Support HTTP State Management (Cookies)}
+
+The \module{Cookie} module defines classes for abstracting the concept of 
+Cookies, an HTTP state management mechanism. It supports both simplistic
+string-only cookies, and provides an abstraction for having any serializable
+data-type as cookie value.
+
+\subsection{Example \label{cookie-example}}
+
+The following example demonstrates how to open a can of spam using the
+\module{spam} module.
+
+\begin{verbatim}
+   >>> import Cookie
+   >>> C = Cookie.SimpleCookie()
+   >>> C = Cookie.SerialCookie()
+   >>> C = Cookie.SmartCookie()
+   >>> C = Cookie.Cookie() # backwards compatible alias for SmartCookie
+   >>> C = Cookie.SmartCookie()
+   >>> C["fig"] = "newton"
+   >>> C["sugar"] = "wafer"
+   >>> C # generate HTTP headers
+   Set-Cookie: sugar=wafer;
+   Set-Cookie: fig=newton;
+   >>> C = Cookie.SmartCookie()
+   >>> C["rocky"] = "road"
+   >>> C["rocky"]["path"] = "/cookie"
+   >>> print C.output(header="Cookie:")
+   Cookie: rocky=road; Path=/cookie;
+   >>> print C.output(attrs=[], header="Cookie:")
+   Cookie: rocky=road;
+   >>> C = Cookie.SmartCookie()
+   >>> C.load("chips=ahoy; vienna=finger") # load from a string (HTTP header)
+   >>> C
+   Set-Cookie: vienna=finger;
+   Set-Cookie: chips=ahoy;
+   >>> C = Cookie.SmartCookie()
+   >>> C.load('keebler="E=everybody; L=\\"Loves\\"; fudge=\\012;";')
+   >>> C
+   Set-Cookie: keebler="E=everybody; L=\"Loves\"; fudge=\012;";
+   >>> C = Cookie.SmartCookie()
+   >>> C["oreo"] = "doublestuff"
+   >>> C["oreo"]["path"] = "/"
+   >>> C
+   Set-Cookie: oreo="doublestuff"; Path=/;
+   >>> C = Cookie.SmartCookie()
+   >>> C["twix"] = "none for you"
+   >>> C["twix"].value
+   'none for you'
+   >>> C = Cookie.SimpleCookie()
+   >>> C["number"] = 7 # equivalent to C["number"] = str(7)
+   >>> C["string"] = "seven"
+   >>> C["number"].value
+   '7'
+   >>> C["string"].value
+   'seven'
+   >>> C
+   Set-Cookie: number=7;
+   Set-Cookie: string=seven;
+   >>> C = Cookie.SerialCookie()
+   >>> C["number"] = 7
+   >>> C["string"] = "seven"
+   >>> C["number"].value
+   7
+   >>> C["string"].value
+   'seven'
+   >>> C
+   Set-Cookie: number="I7\012.";
+   Set-Cookie: string="S'seven'\012p1\012.";
+   >>> C = Cookie.SmartCookie()
+   >>> C["number"] = 7
+   >>> C["string"] = "seven"
+   >>> C["number"].value
+   7
+   >>> C["string"].value
+   'seven'
+   >>> C
+   Set-Cookie: number="I7\012.";
+   Set-Cookie: string=seven;
+\end{verbatim}
+
+\begin{excdesc}{CookieError}
+Exception failing because of RFC2109 invalidity: incorrect attributes,
+incorrect \code{Set-Cookie} header, etc.
+\end{excdesc}
+
+%\subsection{Morsel Objects}
+%\label{morsel-objects}
+
+\begin{classdesc}{Morsel}{}
+Abstract a key/value pair, which has some RFC2109 attributes.
+
+Morsels are dictionary-like objects, whose set of keys is constant ---
+the valid RFC2109 attributes, which are
+
+\begin{itemize}
+	\item \code{expires}
+	\item \code{path}
+	\item \code{comment}
+	\item \code{domain}
+	\item \code{max-age}
+	\item \code{secure}
+	\item \code{version}
+	\end{itemize}
+\end{itemize}
+
+The keys are case-insensitive.
+\end{classdesc}
+
+\begin{memberdesc}[Morsel]{value}
+The value of the cookie.
+\end{methoddesc}
+
+\begin{memberdesc}[Morsel]{coded_value}
+The encoded value of the cookie --- this is what should be sent.
+\end{methoddesc}
+
+
+\begin{memberdesc}[Morsel]{key}
+The name of the cookie.
+\end{methoddesc}
+
+\begin{methodesc}[Morsel]{set}{key, value, coded_value}
+Set the \var{key}, \var{value} and \var{coded_value} members.
+\end{methoddesc}
+
+\begin{methoddesc}[Morsel]{isReservedKey}{K}
+Whether \var{K} is a member of the set of keys of a \class{Morsel}.
+\end{methoddesc}
+
+\begin{methoddesc}[Morsel]{output}{\opt{attrs, \opt{header}}
+Return a string representation of the Morsel, suitable
+to be sent as an HTTP header. By default, all the attributes are included,
+unless \var{attrs} is given, in which case it should be a list of attributes
+to use. \var{header} is by default \code{"Set-Cookie:"}.
+\end{methoddesc}
+
+\begin{methoddesc}[Morsel]{js_output}{\opt{attrs}}
+Return an embeddable JavaScript snippet, which, if run on a browser which
+supports JavaScript, will act the same as if the HTTP header was sent.
+
+The meaning for \var{attrs} is the same as in \method{output()}.
+\end{methoddesc}.
+
+\begin{methoddesc}[Morsel]{OutputString}{\opt{attrs}}
+Return a string representing the Morsel, without any surrounding HTTP
+or JavaScript.
+
+The meaning for \var{attrs} is the same as in \method{output()}.
+\end{methoddesc}
+                
+# This used to be strict parsing based on the RFC2109 and RFC2068
+# specifications.  I have since discovered that MSIE 3.0x doesn't
+# follow the character rules outlined in those specs.  As a
+# result, the parsing rules here are less strict.
+
+\begin{classdesc}{BaseCookie}{\opt{input}}
+This class is a dictionary-like object whose keys are strings and
+whose values are \class{Morsel}s. Note that upon setting a key to
+a value, the value is first converted to a \class{Morsel} containing
+the key and the value.
+
+If \var{input} is given, it is passed to the \method{load} method.
+\end{classdesc}
+
+\begin{methoddesc}[BaseCookie]{value_decode}{val}
+Return a decoded value from a string representation. Return value can
+be any type. This method does nothing in \class{BaseCookie} --- it exists
+so it can be overridden.
+\end{methoddesc}
+
+\begin{methoddesc}[BaseCookie]{value_encode}{val}
+Return an encoded value. \var{val} can be any type, but return value
+must be a string. This method does nothing in \class{BaseCookie} --- it exists
+so it can be overridden
+
+In general, it should be the case that \method{value_encode} and 
+\method{value_decode} are inverses on the range of \var{value_decode}.
+\end{methoddesc}.
+
+\begin{methoddesc}[BaseCookie]{output}{\opt{attrs\opt{, header\opt{, sep}}}}
+Return a string representation suitable to be sent as HTTP headers.
+\var{attrs} and \var{header} are sent to each \class{Morsel}'s \method{output}
+method. \var{sep} is used to join the headers together, and is by default
+a newline.
+\end{methoddesc}
+
+\begin{methoddesc}[BaseCookie]{js_output}{\opt{attrs}}
+Return an embeddable JavaScript snippet, which, if run on a browser which
+supports JavaScript, will act the same as if the HTTP headers was sent.
+
+The meaning for \var{attrs} is the same as in \method{output()}.
+\end{methoddesc}
+
+\begin{methoddesc}[BaseCookie]{load}{rawdata}
+If \var{rawdata} is a string, parse it as an \code{HTTP_COOKIE} and add
+the values found there as \class{Morsel}s. If it is a dictionary, it
+is equivalent to calling
+
+\begin{verbatim}
+map(BaseCookie.__setitem__, rawdata.keys(), rawdata.values())
+\end{varbatim}
+\end{methoddesc}
+
+\begin{classdesc}{SimpleCookie}{\opt{input}}
+This class derives from \class{BaseCookie} and overrides \method{value_decode}
+and \method{value_encode} to be the identity and \function{str()} respectively.
+\end{classdesc}
+
+\begin{classdesc}{SerialCookie}{\opt{input}}
+This class derives from \class{BaseCookie} and overrides \method{value_decode}
+and \method{value_encode} to be the \function{pickle.loads()} and 
+\function{pickle.dumps}. Note that using this class is a security hole,
+as arbitrary client-code can be run on \function{pickle.loads()}.
+\end{classdesc}
+
+\begin{classdesc}{SmartCookie}{\opt{input}}
+This class derives from \class{BaseCookie}. It overrides \method{value_decode}
+to be \function{pickle.loads()} if it is a valid pickle, and otherwise
+the value itself. It overrides \method{value_encode} to be 
+\function{pickle.dumps()} unless it is a string, in which case it returns
+the value itself.
+
+The same security warning from \class{SerialCookie} applies here.
+\end{classdesc}