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Q177749: How IIS 3.0 Handles Client Language

Article: Q177749
Product(s): Internet Information Server
Version(s): WinNT:3.0
Operating System(s): 
Keyword(s): 
Last Modified: 07-MAY-1999

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The information in this article applies to:

- Microsoft Internet Information Server 3.0 
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SUMMARY
=======

This article explains:

- How Internet Information Server (IIS) handles the HTTP "Accept- Language"
  field

- Why the client may be unable to access to the IIS Web Site if its language
  setting matches the name of an IIS virtual directory.

MORE INFORMATION
================

The Accept-Language http field allows the client browser to specify the list of
"preferred" languages. For instance if you select Danish with the Regional
Settings Control Panel tool, for each HTTP request Internet Explorer will add
"Accept-Language = da in the HHTP packet. This allows the Web Server to
customize the response based on the client language.

When IIS receives the request Accept-Language field, IIS tries to see if the
"Accept-Language" virtual directory exist. If yes, then IIS modifies the query
and adds the language to the URL.

A sample is shown below. In this sample, the IIS Web Server has two directories
defined:

- Home -> C:\Inetpub\WWWROOT

- Virtual directory named da -> C:\Danish

First Request
-------------

Client language: Danish

Client request: GET /yyyy.htm Accept-Language = da

1. IIS receives the request : GET /yyyy.htm Accept-Language = da

2. IIS processes the language and checks if a virtual directory named "da"
  exists.

3. The "da" virtual directory exists. So IIS modifies the request from GET
  /yyyy.htm to GET /da/yyyy.htm.

4. IIS tries to return the /da/yyyy.htm page. If c:\Danish\yyyy.htm does not
  exist, an error message is returned to the client.

Second Request
--------------

Client language: Italian.

Client request: GET /yyyy.htm Accept-Language = it

1. IIS receives the request : GET /yyyy.htm Accept-Language = it

2. IIS processes the language and checks if a virtual directory named "it"
  exists

3. In this case the "it" virtual directory DOES NOT exist. IIS does not modify
  the request.

4. IIS tries to return the /yyyy.htm page.

This feature allows IIS to return "localized" pages to the client. The drawback
is that all pages must be duplicated for each language virtual directory.
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Keywords          :  
Technology        : kbiisSearch kbiis300
Version           : WinNT:3.0

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