Message-Id: <19981120152521.27334.qmail@hyperreal.org>
Date: 20 Nov 1998 15:25:21 -0000
From: Rainer Scherg <Rainer.Scherg@rexroth.de>
Reply-To: Rainer.Scherg@rexroth.de
To: apbugs@hyperreal.org
Subject: mod_negotiation/3430: Enhancement: MultiViews,
 Multi-Language Documents
Sender: apache-bugdb-owner@apache.org
Precedence: bulk


>Number:         3430
>Category:       mod_negotiation
>Synopsis:       Enhancement: MultiViews, Multi-Language Documents
>Confidential:   no
>Severity:       non-critical
>Priority:       medium
>Responsible:    apache
>State:          open
>Class:          change-request
>Submitter-Id:   apache
>Arrival-Date:   Fri Nov 20 07:30:02 PST 1998
>Last-Modified:
>Originator:     Rainer.Scherg@rexroth.de
>Organization:
apache
>Release:        
>Environment:
Sun Solaris 2.5.1, gcc 2.7
>Description:

Enhancement-Request for MultiViews-Feature
------------------------------------------


 The situation (just to state the problem):

 - Having a complete webserver providing documents
   in several languages based on availibility and
   content/topics.

     - Document (MIME) types containing different language
       information may be (e.g.):
           .htm, .txt, .pdf, .doc, .xls, .gif


 - the selection of the language should be done by
   selection "preferred language" thru the browser.
   (Accept header information?)

 - The webserver selects the best matching document
   (language) for the selected MIME-Type. (as today)


 How should the documents be stored:
   
     test.htm            = doc in default language
     test.en.htm         = doc in english
     test.de.htm         = [etc.]
     ...
     test.pdf            = pdf doc in default language
     test.en.pdf         = [etc.]
     ...


 Requesting the document:

     http://...../test.htm   (returns best htm-match)
     http://...../test.pdf   (returns best pdf-match)
         

 Advantage:
     
   - No add. navigation to the multilanguage docs
     needed = easy to handle (e.g.: in an IntraNet docs
     mostly will be provided and maintained by
     "standard users" and not by webmasters)
    
     You just do the navigation between the default language
     documents.


 Why the enhancement request to the current MultiViews:
  
   - The current MultiViews handling is hard to understand & to
     handle by "standard users" (we are already trying to use
     MultiViews in our international IntraNet).

   - e.g. "test.htm.en" will not be correctly recognized by
     most programs (e.g. html editors).


 The Enhancement Request (Proposal):
 -----------------------------------

 1. Config-directive for standard language, handling
    the language for e.g. "test.htm".

      >> LanguageDefault       en          #  (test.htm = Lang. en)

    [Right now, apache sometimes return wrong (lang.) docs.]
    [see also: PR#1180]
 

 2. Telling Apache what MIME-types could have multilingual
    content (minimize impact on server = don't guess).
    
      >> LanguageTypes   .htm .html .shtml .gif .jpg .cgi .pl


 3. Don't change the mime-type (file extension) of the document:
    use "test.de.htm" instead "test.htm.de".


Possible References:
PR#1180, PR#2944, PR#3299


Tnx for listening -- Rainer


[sorry for the long text, but this topic is hard to understand, if you
 didn't run into these problems.]
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