MIME Encapsulation of Aggregate HTML Documents (mhtml) ------------------------------------------------------ Charter Last Modified: 06/05/2000 Current Status: Concluded Working Group Chair(s): Einar Stefferud Applications Area Director(s): Ned Freed Patrik Faltstrom Applications Area Advisor: Ned Freed Mailing Lists: General Discussion:mhtml@segate.sunet.se To Subscribe: listserv@segate.sunet.se In Body: subscribe mhtml Archive: ftp://segate.sunet.se/lists/mhtml/ Description of Working Group: World Wide Web documents are most often written using Hyper Text Markup Language (HTML). HTML is notable in that it contains "embedded content"; that is, HTML documents often contain pointers or links to other objects (images, external references) which are to be presented to the recipient. Currently, these compound structured Web documents are transported almost exclusively via the interactive HTTP protocol. The MHTML working group has developed three Proposed Standards (RFCs 2110, 2111 and 2112) which permit the transport of such compound structured Web documents via Internet mail in MIME multipart/related body parts. The Proposed Standards are intended to support interoperability between separate HTTP-based systems and Internet mail systems, as well as being suitable for combined mail/HTTP browser systems. It is beyond the scope of this working group to come up with standards for document formats other than HTML Web documents. However, the Proposed Standards so far produced by the working group have been designed to allow other such formats to use similar strategies. The MHTML WG is currently INACTIVE while first implementations are under way. To support implementation efforts, the WG Editor maintains an Informational Internet-Draft ftp://ftp.dsv.su.se/users/jpalme/draft-ietf-mhtml-info-06.txt which provides additional useful information for implementors. This Informational Draft also discusses Web page formatting choices that affect their efficient use through disconnected channels such as mail. It will become an Informational RFC after implementation experience has been collected. Until then, this informational draft will be kept current and available in the IETF Internet-Drafts library. The MHTML Mailing List remains open for discussion of any issues that may arise during implementation, and to collect information about successful interoperable and interworkable implementations in anticipation of progression to Draft-Standard Status. From May to October, 1997, the working group will Monitor Implementation progress and discuss issues, periodically Update Draft of Informational Document. The editors of this group are: Main editor: Jacob Palme Associate editor: Alex Hopmann Goals and Milestones: MAR 96 Clarify issues and submit first Internet-Draft. JUN 96 Submit first Internet-Draft for MIME encapsulation of HTML. SEP 96 Submit MHTML specification to IESG for consideration as a Proposed Standard. OCT 96 Submit Internet-Draft for guidelines in created documents for disconnected access. DEC 96 Submit guidelines Internet-Draft to IESG for consideration as an Informational RFC. AUG 97 Meet at Munich to review Implementation progress. OCT 97 Submit Implementation Progress Internet-Draft to IESG for publication as an Informational RFC. Internet-Drafts: No Current Internet-Drafts. Request For Comments: RFC Stat Published Title ------- -- ----------- ------------------------------------ RFC2111 PS MAR 97 Content-ID and Message-ID Uniform Resource Locators RFC2112 PS MAR 97 The MIME Multipart/Related Content-type RFC2110 PS MAR 97 MIME E-mail Encapsulation of Aggregate Documents, such as HTML (MHTML) RFC2387 PS AUG 98 The MIME Multipart/Related Content-type RFC2392 PS AUG 98 Content-ID and Message-ID Uniform Resource Locators RFC2557 PS MAR 99 MIME Encapsulation of Aggregate Documents, such as HTML (MHTML)