FP98: Percent Sign in URL Returns HTTP 404 Error (288116)


The information in this article applies to:

  • Microsoft Internet Explorer 5.5 for Windows NT 4.0
  • Microsoft Internet Explorer 5.0 for Windows NT 4.0
  • Microsoft FrontPage 98 for Windows
This article was previously published under Q288116
For a Microsoft FrontPage 2002 version of this article, see 289624.

SYMPTOMS

When you try to browse a folder whose name contains a percent sign, you may receive an error message similar to the following:
HTTP/1.1 404 Object Not Found

CAUSE

A percent sign defines an "escape sequence" in a Web address, as described in section "2.4. Escape Sequences," in the Request for Comment (RFC) article number 2396.

MORE INFORMATION

Escape sequences are used in a Uniform Resource Locator (URL) to allow characters that may appear in a folder or file name, but are not allowed in a URL. The syntax for an escape sequence is defined as a percent sign, followed by two hexadecimal digits, (for example, %A1, %2B, and so on).

When you name a folder to have a percent sign, if the characters following the percent sign are valid hexadecimal characters, the folder name may not be resolved correctly, for example:
  • A folder named 100%DAD may not work, because the two characters following the percent sign are valid hexadecimal characters. In this case, the "%DA" sequence may be misinterpreted as character 218, which, depending on the character set that is being used, may be a "Latin Capital U with Acute." This results in a Web request for a folder name that may not physically exist on the server.
  • A folder named 100%MOM may work, because the two characters following the percent sign are not valid hexadecimal characters.

Additional References

For more information about this topic, please see the following Web sites:

RFC 2396 Uniform Resource Identifiers (URI): Generic Syntax

RFC 2396 Hypertext Transfer Protocol - HTTP/1.1

284278 FP2000: Cannot Open a Subweb with an Ampersand Character in the Name

Modification Type:MajorLast Reviewed:10/1/2002
Keywords:kbprb KB288116
©2002 Microsoft Corporation. All rights reserved.