VuFind

IDs containing slashes cause problems

Details

  • Type: Bug Bug
  • Status: Open Open
  • Priority: Minor Minor
  • Resolution: Unresolved
  • Affects Version/s: None
  • Fix Version/s: Wishlist
  • Component/s: Record, Search
  • Labels:
    None

Description

Although VUFIND-508 solves problems with most special characters in Solr IDs, slashes still seem to cause issues (in both VuFind 1.x and the current prototype of 2.0). It appears that double-urlencoding of slashes may serve as a workaround, but I'm not very comfortable with that solution -- this deserves deeper investigation at some point.

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Demian Katz added a comment -
This article explains the cause of this problem:

http://www.jampmark.com/web-scripting/5-solutions-to-url-encoded-slashes-problem-in-apache.html

It sounds like Apache's "AllowEncodedSlashes" directive may be the most straightforward solution.
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Demian Katz added a comment - This article explains the cause of this problem: http://www.jampmark.com/web-scripting/5-solutions-to-url-encoded-slashes-problem-in-apache.html It sounds like Apache's "AllowEncodedSlashes" directive may be the most straightforward solution.
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Demian Katz added a comment -
Thanks to Thomas Schwaerzler for actually experimenting with this. He found that adding the "AllowEncodedSlashes NoDecode" directive to his Apache configuration, VuFind would receive the IDs. However, some modifications to web/services/Record/Record.php were necessary to decode the slash:

$_id = str_replace('%2F', '/', $_REQUEST['id']);

if (!($record = $this->db->getRecord($_id))) { // ...

This is a step in the right direction, but it unfortunately sets up the (very unlikely but possible) situation that VuFind can't tell between an ID containing the string "%2F" and an ID containing a slash.

Perhaps there is a way to further refine the Apache and mod_rewrite configuration to make this work properly... it would be nice to find a simple solution that doesn't set up any weird special cases.
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Demian Katz added a comment - Thanks to Thomas Schwaerzler for actually experimenting with this. He found that adding the "AllowEncodedSlashes NoDecode" directive to his Apache configuration, VuFind would receive the IDs. However, some modifications to web/services/Record/Record.php were necessary to decode the slash: $_id = str_replace('%2F', '/', $_REQUEST['id']); if (!($record = $this->db->getRecord($_id))) { // ... This is a step in the right direction, but it unfortunately sets up the (very unlikely but possible) situation that VuFind can't tell between an ID containing the string "%2F" and an ID containing a slash. Perhaps there is a way to further refine the Apache and mod_rewrite configuration to make this work properly... it would be nice to find a simple solution that doesn't set up any weird special cases.
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Thomas Schwaerzler added a comment - - edited
since i had the problem again with another partner i chose this quite comfortable workaround solution: replacing the "/" at marc.properties like this:

id = 001, (pattern_map.id_remove_slash), first
# remove first occurence of "/"
pattern_map.id_remove_slash.pattern_0 = (.+)/(.+)=>$1_$2

certainly for multiple occurences of "/" the expression had to be modified.to also cover trailing or leading slashes maybe something like this woudl be needed:
pattern_map.id_remove_slash.pattern_0 = (.+)?/(.+)?=>$1_$2 # untested

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Thomas Schwaerzler added a comment - - edited since i had the problem again with another partner i chose this quite comfortable workaround solution: replacing the "/" at marc.properties like this: id = 001, (pattern_map.id_remove_slash), first # remove first occurence of "/" pattern_map.id_remove_slash.pattern_0 = (.+)/(.+)=>$1_$2 certainly for multiple occurences of "/" the expression had to be modified.to also cover trailing or leading slashes maybe something like this woudl be needed: pattern_map.id_remove_slash.pattern_0 = (.+)?/(.+)?=>$1_$2 # untested

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  • Assignee:
    Unassigned
    Reporter:
    Demian Katz
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    Updated: