[izzy@aac.twg.com: mailto URLs]

Larry Masinter <masinter@parc.xerox.com> Mon, 08 January 1996 22:03 UTC

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Subject: [izzy@aac.twg.com: mailto URLs]
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From: Larry Masinter <masinter@parc.xerox.com>
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Date: Mon, 8 Jan 1996 11:58:04 PST
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Date:	Mon, 8 Jan 1996 11:23:45 -0800
From:	izzy@aac.twg.com (Dr. Mark K. Joseph)
To:	masinter@parc.xerox.com, timbl@www0.cern.ch, mpm@boombox.micro.umn.edu,
	ietf-822@list.cren.net
Cc:	bhk@aac.twg.com
Subject: mailto URLs
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I would like to propose the following change to RFC1738, Uniform Resource
Locators (URL), (p.12):

3.5 MAILTO

    The mailto URL scheme can be used to designate part or all of an
internet mail message.  As
a minimum the mailto URL must designate the internet mail address of an
individual or service.
However, other mail message components such as a subject and a simple
message body can also be
specified.

A mailto URL takes the form:

    mailto:<rfc822-addr-spec>[# (*msg_element | subject)]
    ; '#' separates the minimum form from all mailto messsage elements

    msg_element     = (to_element | cc_element | subject_element |
body_element | x_element) [*msg_element]

    subject         = *text
    to_element      = "TO="<rfc822-addr-spec>
    cc_element      = "CC="<rfc822-addr-spec>
    subject_element = "SUBJECT="*text
    body_element    = "BODY="*text
    x_element       = "X-"<element name>"="<defined by extension type>    ;
local extension

    (Where body is a text string to be placed as the message body.  This
could be used for
     automatic mailing list subscription.)

    where <rfc822-addr-spec> is (the encoding of an) addr-spec, as
specified in RFC822.  Within
    mailto URLs, the '#' character is used as a special marker between the
minimum mailto form
    and one with additional message elements.
    Note that the percent sign ('%') and the pound sign ('#') can appear in
RFC822 addresses and
    must be encoded.

    Unlike many URLs, the mailto scheme does not represent a data object to
be accessed directly,
    but a mailto URL with message elements can designate a mail message
object to be created and
    sent.

The following are examples of mailto URLs:

    mailto:mjoseph@aac.twg.com
    mailto:mjoseph@aac.twg.com#Weekly%20status%20report
   
mailto:mjoseph@aac.twg.com#SUBJECT=Weekly%20status%20report+CC=marks.boss@aac.twg.com
   
mailto:URL-mailing-list@abc.edu#SUBJECT=Add%20me%20mailing%20list+BODY=subscribe
    mailto:abc%23def%25dcd@abc.com#Hi       ; example of # and % encodings











____________________________
Mark K. Joseph
Advanced Applications Center
The Wollongong Group. Inc.
(408) - 469 -1854
mailto:izzy@aac.twg.com

[izzy@aac.twg.com: mailto URLs] Larry Masinter