Web Distributed Authoring and Versioning (WebDAV)

JMU

Web Distributed Authoring and Versioning (WebDAV)
An Introduction

Prof. David Bernstein
James Madison University

Computer Science Department

bernstdh@jmu.edu

Overview

Summary:
- A set of HTTP methods, headers and content-types for the creation, management and locking of resources and collections of resources
Specification:
- Basics: RFC 4918
- Ordered Collections: RFC 3648
- Several other RFCs

Resources

Defined:
- Data (on a network)
Identified:
- Uniform Resource Identifier (URI)

Properties

Defined:
- Data that describe the state of a resource (i.e., meta-data)
Model:
- Name/Value Pairs (formatted in XML)
Types:
- Dead - syntax and semantics are enforced by the client (the server records value verbatim)
- Live - syntax and semantics are maintained or kept by the server

Collections

Defined:
- A container for resources (that is, itself, a resource)
State Information:
- Mappings between URIs and resources
- Properties of the collection

Locks

Purpose:
- Provide a mechanism for serializing access to a resource
Types:
- Exclusive
- Shared - multiple principals can receive shared locks (allows principals to indicate they intend to access)

Methods

PROPFIND:
- Retrieve properties of the specified resource
PROPPATCH:
- Set and/or remove properties of the specified resources
MKCOL:
- Create a new collection at the location specified
LOCK and UNLOCK:
- Lock/unlock the specified resource

Methods (cont.)

DELETE:
- Delete the specified resource
GET:
- Works as in HTTP
PUT:
- Replace the specified resource
COPY:
- Create a duplicate of the specified resource
MOVE:
- Move the specified resource