## CHUNGA - Portable chunked streams for Common Lisp

> ### Abstract

> Chunga implements streams capable of chunked encoding on demand as defined in RFC 2616. For an example of how these streams can be used see Drakma.

> The library needs a Common Lisp implementation that supports Gray streams and relies on David Lichteblau's trivial-gray-streams to offer portability between different Lisps.

> Chunga is currently not optimized towards performance - it is rather intended to be easy to use and (if possible) to behave correctly.

> The code comes with a BSD-style license so you can basically do with it whatever you want.

> Download shortcut: http://weitz.de/files/chunga.tar.gz.

### Contents

1. Download and installation
2. Support and mailing lists
3. The Chunga dictionary
   1. Chunked streams
      1. `chunked-stream`
      2. `chunked-input-stream`
      3. `chunked-output-stream`
      4. `chunked-io-stream`
      5. `make-chunked-stream`
      6. `chunked-stream-stream`
      7. `chunked-stream-input-chunking-p`
      8. `chunked-stream-output-chunking-p`
      9. `chunked-input-stream-extensions`
      10. `chunked-input-stream-trailers`
   2. Conditions
      1. `chunga-condition`
      2. `chunga-error`
      3. `chunga-warning`
      4. `syntax-error`
      5. `parameter-error`
      6. `input-chunking-body-corrupted`
      7. `input-chunking-unexpected-end-of-file`
   3. RFC 2616 parsing
      1. `with-character-stream-semantics`
      2. `read-line*`
      3. `read-http-headers`
      4. `token-char-p`
      5. `read-token`
      6. `read-name-value-pair`
      7. `read-name-value-pairs`
      8. `assert-char`
      9. `skip-whitespace`
      10. `read-char*`
      11. `peek-char*`
      12. `trim-whitespace`
      13. `*current-error-message*`
      14. `*accept-bogus-eols*`
      15. `*treat-semicolon-as-continuation*`
      16. `as-keyword`
      17. `as-capitalized-string`
4. Acknowledgements

### Download and installation

Chunga together with this documentation can be downloaded from http://weitz.de/files/chunga.tar.gz. The current version is 1.1.0. (This version is not compatible with pre-2009 releases of Hunchentoot or Drakma.) Chunga will only work with Lisps where the character codes of all Latin-1 characters coincide with their Unicode code points (which is the case for all current implementations I know).

Chunga depends on the trivial-gray-streams library. You can download and install Chunga and its dependencies automatically with ASDF-Install, and there's a port for Gentoo Linux thanks to Matthew Kennedy.

A Mercurial repository of older versions is available at http://arcanes.fr.eu.org/~pierre/2007/02/weitz/ thanks to Pierre Thierry.

Luís Oliveira maintains a darcs repository of Chunga at http://common-lisp.net/~loliveira/ediware/.

### Support and mailing lists

For questions, bug reports, feature requests, improvements, or patches please use the drakma-devel mailing list. If you want to be notified about future releases subscribe to the drakma-announce mailing list. These mailing lists were made available thanks to the services of common-lisp.net.

If you want to send patches, please read this first.

### The Chunga dictionary

#### Chunked streams

Chunked streams are the core of the Chunga library. You create them using the function `MAKE-CHUNKED-STREAM` which takes an open binary stream (called the underlying stream) as its single argument. A binary stream in this context means that if it's an input stream, you can apply `READ-SEQUENCE` to it where the sequence is an array of element type `OCTET`, and similarly for `WRITE-SEQUENCE` and output streams. (Note that this specifically holds for bivalent streams like socket streams.)

A chunked stream behaves like an ordinary Lisp stream of element type `OCTET` with the addition that you can turn chunking on and off for input as well as for output. With chunking turned on, data is read or written according to the definition in RFC 2616.

[Standard class]
chunked-stream

> Every chunked stream returned by `MAKE-CHUNKED-STREAM` is of this type which is a subtype of `STREAM`.

[Standard class]
chunked-input-stream

> A chunked stream is of this type if its underlying stream is an input stream. This is a subtype of `CHUNKED-STREAM`.

[Standard class]
chunked-output-stream

> A chunked stream is of this type if its underlying stream is an output stream. This is a subtype of `CHUNKED-STREAM`.

[Standard class]
chunked-io-stream

> A chunked stream is of this type if it is both a `CHUNKED-INPUT-STREAM` as well as a `CHUNKED-OUTPUT-STREAM`.

[Function]
make-chunked-stream stream => chunked-stream

> Creates and returns a chunked stream (a stream of type `CHUNKED-STREAM`) which wraps `stream`. `stream` must be an open binary stream.

[Specialized reader]
chunked-stream-stream (stream chunked-stream) => underlying-stream

> Returns the underlying stream of the chunked stream `stream`.

[Generic reader]
chunked-stream-input-chunking-p object => generalized-boolean

> Returns a true value if `object` is of type `CHUNKED-INPUT-STREAM` and if input chunking is currently enabled.

[Specialized writer]
`(setf (`chunked-stream-input-chunking-p (stream chunked-input-stream)`)` new-value`)`

> This function is used to switch input chunking on `stream` on or off. Note that input chunking will usally be turned off automatically when the last chunk is read.

[Generic reader]
chunked-stream-output-chunking-p object => generalized-boolean

> Returns a true value if `object` is of type `CHUNKED-OUTPUT-STREAM` and if output chunking is currently enabled.

[Specialized writer]
`(setf (`chunked-stream-output-chunking-p (stream chunked-output-stream)`)` new-value`)`

> This function is used to switch output chunking on `stream` on or off.

[Specialized reader]
chunked-input-stream-extensions (stream chunked-input-stream) => extensions

> Returns an alist of attribute/value pairs corresponding to the optional "chunk extensions" which might have been encountered when reading from `stream`.

[Specialized reader]
chunked-input-stream-trailers (stream chunked-input-stream) => trailers

> Returns the optional "trailer" HTTP headers which might have been sent after the last chunk, i.e. directly before input chunking ended on `stream`. The format of `trailers` is identical to that returned by `READ-HTTP-HEADERS`.

#### Conditions

Here are conditions which might be signalled if something bad happens with a chunked stream.

[Condition]
chunga-condition

> All conditions signalled by Chunga are of this type. This is a subtype of `CONDITION`.

[Error]
chunga-error

> All errors signalled by Chunga are of this type. This is a subtype of `CHUNGA-CONDITION` and of `STREAM-ERROR`, so `STREAM-ERROR-STREAM` can be used to access the offending stream.

[Warning]
chunga-warning

> All warnings signalled by Chunga are of this type. This is a subtype of `CHUNGA-CONDITION` and of `WARNING`.

[Error]
syntax-error

> An error of this type is signalled if Chunga encounters wrong or unknown syntax when reading data. This is a subtype of `CHUNGA-ERROR`.

[Error]
parameter-error

> An error of this type is signalled if a function was called with inconsistent or illegal parameters. This is a subtype of `CHUNGA-ERROR`.

[Condition type]
input-chunking-body-corrupted

> A condition of this type is signaled if an unexpected character (octet) is read while reading from a chunked stream with input chunking enabled. This is a subtype of `CHUNGA-ERROR`.

[Condition type]
input-chunking-unexpected-end-of-file

> A condition of this type is signaled if we reach an unexpected EOF on a chunked stream with input chunking enabled. This is a subtype of `CHUNGA-ERROR`.

#### RFC 2616 parsing

Chunga needs to know a bit about RFC 2616 syntax in order to cope with extensions and trailers. As these functions are in there anyway, they're exported, so they can be used by other code like for example Drakma.

Note that all of these functions are designed to work on binary streams, specifically on streams with element type `(UNSIGNED-BYTE 8)`. They will not work with character streams. (But the "bivalent" streams offered by many Lisp implementations will do.) They must be called within the context of `WITH-CHARACTER-STREAM-SEMANTICS`.

[Macro]
with-character-stream-semantics statement* => result*

> Executes the `statement*` forms in such a way that functions within this section can read characters from binary streams (treating octets as the Latin-1 characters with the corresponding code points). All the functions below must be wrapped with this macro. If your code uses several of these functions which interact on the same stream, all of them must be wrapped with the same macro. See the source code of Drakma or Hunchentoot for examples of how to use this macro.

[Function]
read-line* stream `&optional` log-stream => line

> Reads and assembles characters from the binary stream `stream` until a carriage return is read. Makes sure that the following character is a linefeed. If `*ACCEPT-BOGUS-EOLS*` is not `NIL`, then the function will also accept a lone carriage return or linefeed as a line break. Returns the string of characters read excluding the line break. Additionally logs this string to `log-stream` if it is not `NIL`.

> See `WITH-CHARACTER-STREAM-SEMANTICS`.

[Function]
read-http-headers stream `&optional` log-stream => headers

> Reads HTTP header lines from the binary stream `stream` (except for the initial status line which is supposed to be read already) and returns a corresponding alist of names and values where the names are keywords and the values are strings. Multiple lines with the same name are combined into one value, the individual values separated by commas. Header lines which are spread across multiple lines are recognized and treated correctly. (But see `*TREAT-SEMICOLON-AS-CONTINUATION*`.) Additonally logs the header lines to `log-stream` if it is not `NIL`.

> See `WITH-CHARACTER-STREAM-SEMANTICS`.

[Function]
read-token stream => token

> Read characters from the binary stream `stream` while they are token constituents (according to RFC 2616). It is assumed that there's a token character at the current position. The token read is returned as a string. Doesn't signal an error (but simply stops reading) if `END-OF-FILE` is encountered after the first character.

> See `WITH-CHARACTER-STREAM-SEMANTICS`.

[Function]
token-char-p char => generalized-boolean

> Returns a true value if the Lisp character CHAR is a token constituent according to RFC 2616.

[Function]
read-name-value-pair stream `&key` value-required-p cookie-syntax => pair

> Reads a typical (in RFC 2616) name/value or attribute/value combination from the binary stream `stream` - a token followed by a `#\=` character and another token or a quoted string. Returns a cons of the name and the value, both as strings. If `value-required-p` is `NIL` (the default is `T`), the `#\=` sign and the value are optional. If `cookie-syntax` is true (the default is `NIL`), the value is read like the value of a cookie header.

> See `WITH-CHARACTER-STREAM-SEMANTICS`.

[Function]
read-name-value-pairs stream `&key` value-required-p cookie-syntax => pairs

> Uses `READ-NAME-VALUE-PAIR` to read and return an alist of name/value pairs from the binary stream `stream`. It is assumed that the pairs are separated by semicolons and that the first char read (except for whitespace) will be a semicolon. The parameters are used as in `READ-NAME-VALUE-PAIR`. Stops reading in case of `END-OF-FILE` (instead of signaling an error).

> See `WITH-CHARACTER-STREAM-SEMANTICS`.

[Function]
assert-char stream expected-char => char

> Reads the next character from the binary stream `stream` and checks if it is the character `expected-char`. Signals an error otherwise.

> See `WITH-CHARACTER-STREAM-SEMANTICS`.

[Function]
skip-whitespace stream => char-or-nil

> Consume characters from the binary stream `stream` until an `END-OF-FILE` is encountered or a non-whitespace (according to RFC 2616) characters is seen. This character is returned (or `NIL` in case of `END-OF-FILE`).

> See `WITH-CHARACTER-STREAM-SEMANTICS`.

[Function]
read-char* stream => char

> Reads and returns the next character from the binary stream `stream`.

> See `WITH-CHARACTER-STREAM-SEMANTICS`.

[Function]
peek-char* stream `&optional` eof-error-p eof-value => boolean

> Returns a true value if a character can be read from the binary stream `stream`. If `eof-error-p` has a true value, an error is signalled if no character remains to be read. `eof-value` specifies the value to return if `eof-error-p` is false and the end of the file has been reached.

> See `WITH-CHARACTER-STREAM-SEMANTICS`.

[Function]
trim-whitespace string `&key` start end => string'

> Returns a version of the string `string` (between `start` and `end`) where spaces and tab characters are trimmed from the start and the end.

[Special variable]
*current-error-message*

> Used by the parsing functions in this section as an introduction to a standardized error message. Should be bound to a string or `NIL` if one of these functions is called.

[Special variable]
*accept-bogus-eols*

> Some web servers do not respond with a correct CRLF line ending for HTTP headers but with a lone linefeed or carriage return instead. If this variable is bound to a true value, `READ-LINE*` will treat a lone LF or CR character as an acceptable end of line. The initial value is `NIL`.

[Special variable]
*treat-semicolon-as-continuation*

> According to John Foderaro, Netscape v3 web servers bogusly split `Set-Cookie` headers over multiple lines which means that we'd have to treat `Set-Cookie` headers ending with a semicolon as incomplete and combine them with the next header. This will only be done if this variable has a true value, though. Its default value is `NIL`.

[Function]
as-keyword string `&key` destructivep => keyword

> Converts the string `string` to a keyword where all characters are uppercase or lowercase, taking into account the current readtable case. Might destructively modify `string` if `destructivep` is true which is the default. "Knows" several HTTP header names and methods and is optimized to not call `INTERN` for these.

[Function]
as-capitalized-string keyword => capitalized-string

> Kind of the inverse of `AS-KEYWORD`. Has essentially the same effect as `STRING-CAPITALIZE` but is optimized for "known" keywords like `:CONTENT-LENGTH` or `:GET`.

### Acknowledgements

Thanks to Jochen Schmidt's chunking code in ACL-COMPAT for inspiration. This documentation was prepared with DOCUMENTATION-TEMPLATE.

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