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Q: Setting User-Agent Field?

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Lawrence Page

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Jan 7, 1996, 3:00:00 AM 1/7/96
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I have a web robot which is a Java app. I need to be able to set the
User-Agent field in the HTTP header in order to be a good net citizen (so
people know who is accessing their server). Anyone have any ideas?

Right now, Java sends a request that includes something like:

User-Agent: Java/1.0beta2

I'd rather not rewrite all the HTTP stuff myself. I tried just searching
in the JDK for the Java/1.0beta2 figuring I could just change the string,
but I couldn't find it. Perhaps it is stored as a unicode string?

An easy method of setting the User-Agent field should probably be added toJava, so people can properly identify their programs.

Thanks, Larry Page

Joseph Millar

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Jan 9, 1996, 3:00:00 AM 1/9/96
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Larry,

The User-Agent field is built in:

.\javasrc\src\share\sun\sun\net\www\http\HttpClient.java

It looks to be a concatentation of three items:
1) the system property "http.agent"2) the word "Java"
3) the system property "java.version"

Since the agent string that gets built has only items 2 and
3, perhaps that means "http.agent" is blank (i.e. settable)?If you could set "http.agent" prior to establishing the URL
connection, you may be able to get the desired effect.

Just a shot in the dark...


Joe Millar

In article < page-07019...@qwerty.stanford.edu >, pa...@cs.stanford.edu
says...

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