Re: lynx-dev problem with tvgen

[brian j. pardy]

Laura Eaves wrote:
> What does the following Alert message mean?
> Alert!: HTTP/1.0 400 Bad request

Generally it's like a syntax error in the request from the browser.

> It happens in various locations on the tvgen site.
> I tried deleting the cookies file and running ita gain.
> This gets rid hte first occurrance of this message, but
> after I accept a cookie it happens when I log on and do a search.
> 
> Please excuse all the mail about this site -- I want to determine
> once and for all whether this is a lynx bug or a site problem.
> Thanx.

Hmm, this is just a guess from looking at the trace, I'm not sure if the
linebreak here was an artifact from a mailer along the way, or if this is
what lynx actually sent:

> HTTP: Sending Cookie: NGUserID=ce0f6758-16369-907444816-1; 
> TVG_CNUM=2-2:3-0:4-2:5-0:6-0:7-1:8-0:9-1:10-0:11-1:12-0:13-1:14-2:15-0:16-0:17-2:18-0:19-0:20-1:21-0:22-1:23-1:23-1:24-1:25-1:25-1:26-1:27-1:28-1:29-1:30-1:31-1:32-1:33-1:34-1:35-2:36-1:37-1:38-1:39-1:40-1:41-1:41-1:42-1:43-3:44-1:45-3:46-3:47-1:48-1:49-1:50-1:51-1:52-1:53-1:98-2:99-1;
>  TVG_CDISP=SHOW:KTVK:HBO:KPHO:K55EH:TBS:KAET:WGN:KSAZ:AZ 
> 11:KPNX:PGUIDE:TMC:KNXV:KUTP:MAX:KASW:KTVW:SCHL:KPAZ:ACCS:DSC:PIN:AMC:CMTV:TNN:TNT:VH1:CSPAN:MTV:FAM:LIFE:USA:ESPN:FSAZ:DIS:CNN:NICK:HEAD:CNBC:A%26E:MAGAZINE:SUNS:QVC:VC1:PPV
>  PREV:HOT CH:VC5:TWC:BET:CMTV:TLC:ACCS:ACCS:CSPAN2:STARZ:LEASED; 
> TVG_CID=SHOW:KTVK:HBOW:KPHO:KUSK:WTBS:KAET:WGN:KSAZ:1592192:KPNX:PGUIDE:TMCW:KNXV:KUTP:MAXW:KASW:KTVW:7138607:KPAZ:7138583:DSCW:PIN:AMC:CMT:TNN:TNT:VH1W:CSPAN:MTVW:FAMW:LIFW:USAW:ESPN:FSPX:DISW:CNN:NIKW:CNN2:CNBC:A_E:7138583:7138609:QVC1:VCI:PGUIDE:HOTCH:VC5:TWC:BET:CMT:TLC:7138583:7138583:CSPAN2:STARZW:12328228;
>  
>       TVG_EDNAME=Cox Communications; 
> TVG_USER=548514-ricklew-36d2w41dzMiEY-10745-A-85302-99-tv; ZIP=85302

[...]

> Writing:
> GET /tv/listings/cgi-bin/login HTTP/1.0
> Host: www.tvgen.com
> Accept: text/html, text/plain, text/sgml, */*;q=0.01
> Accept-Encoding: gzip, compress
> Accept-Language: en
> Negotiate: trans
> User-Agent: Lynx/2.8.1pre.6 libwww-FM/2.14
> Referer: http://www.tvgen.com/tv/listings/
> Cookie2: $Version="1"
> Cookie: NGUserID=ce0f6758-16369-907444816-1; 
> TVG_CNUM=2-2:3-0:4-2:5-0:6-0:7-1:8-0:9-1:10-0:11-1:12-0:13-1:14-2:15-0:16-0:17-2:18-0:19-0:20-1:21-0:22-1:23-1:23-1:24-1:25-1:25-1:26-1:27-1:28-1:29-1:30-1:31-1:32-1:33-1:34-1:35-2:36-1:37-1:38-1:39-1:40-1:41-1:41-1:42-1:43-3:44-1:45-3:46-3:47-1:48-1:49-1:50-1:51-1:52-1:53-1:98-2:99-1;
>  TVG_CDISP=SHOW:KTVK:HBO:KPHO:K55EH:TBS:KAET:WGN:KSAZ:AZ 
> 11:KPNX:PGUIDE:TMC:KNXV:KUTP:MAX:KASW:KTVW:SCHL:KPAZ:ACCS:DSC:PIN:AMC:CMTV:TNN:TNT:VH1:CSPAN:MTV:FAM:LIFE:USA:ESPN:FSAZ:DIS:CNN:NICK:HEAD:CNBC:A%26E:MAGAZINE:SUNS:QVC:VC1:PPV
>  PREV:HOT CH:VC5:TWC:BET:CMTV:TLC:ACCS:ACCS:CSPAN2:STARZ:LEASED; 
> TVG_CID=SHOW:KTVK:HBOW:KPHO:KUSK:WTBS:KAET:WGN:KSAZ:1592192:KPNX:PGUIDE:TMCW:KNXV:KUTP:MAXW:KASW:KTVW:7138607:KPAZ:7138583:DSCW:PIN:AMC:CMT:TNN:TNT:VH1W:CSPAN:MTVW:FAMW:LIFW:USAW:ESPN:FSPX:DISW:CNN:NIKW:CNN2:CNBC:A_E:7138583:7138609:QVC1:VCI:PGUIDE:HOTCH:VC5:TWC:BET:CMT:TLC:7138583:7138583:CSPAN2:STARZW:12328228;
>  
>       TVG_EDNAME=Cox Communications; 
> TVG_USER=548514-ricklew-36d2w41dzMiEY-10745-A-85302-99-tv; ZIP=85302

If lynx is sending this linebreak, then this is similar to the problem
where lynx was reading an extra newline from the cookie file.

Are these two separate lines in your actual trace file? If so, there's
probably a buffer that all those cookies won't all fit in in the HTTP
request sending code.

Anyone know offhand if it is acceptable for a browser to send two 
'Cookie:' headers? If so, we can split cookies before this buffer limit,
if not, can the buffer be increased? 

That is, assuming this is the problem.

-- 
Honesty is for the most part less profitable than dishonesty.
                -- Plato