FP2000: HTTP 404 Error When You Browse Folder with Percent Sign in Name (289623)


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 2000
This article was previously published under Q289623

SYMPTOMS

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

CAUSE

A percent sign is used to define an "escape sequence" in a Web address, according to section "2.4. Escape Sequences" in the Request for Comment (RFC) article number 2396.

MORE INFORMATION

Escape sequences are used in a URL to allow characters that may exist in a folder or file name that are not allowed in a URL. The syntax for an escape sequence is defined as a percent sign followed by two hex digits (for example, %A1, %2B, and so on). When you name a folder with a percent sign, if the characters following the percent sign happen to be valid hex characters, the folder name may not be resolved correctly. For example:
  • Naming a folder "100%DAD" may fail, because the two characters following the percent sign are valid hex characters. In this case, the "%DA" sequence may be misinterpreted as character 218, which, depending on the character set 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.
  • Naming a folder "100%MOM" may work, because the two characters following the percent sign are not valid hex characters.

REFERENCES

For more information, please browse to the following FTP sites:

RFC 2396 Uniform Resource Identifiers (URI): Generic Syntax

RFC 2396 Hypertext Transfer Protocol - HTTP/1.1

For additional information, click the article number below to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:

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

Modification Type:MajorLast Reviewed:10/1/2002
Keywords:kbprb KB289623
©2002 Microsoft Corporation. All rights reserved.