Encoders / DecodersLesson 14Free preview

URL Encode/Decode

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Summary

URL Encoder converts an unsafe or special meaning character in a URL into a percentage form, e.g. spaces to %20. Encoding is required because the URL can only contain certain characters, and characters like & or = have a function as a parameter separator. The decoder returns the percent text to the original characters. When sending data via a query string, encode each value separately so that the URL structure is not corrupted.

Key points

Change the special character to a percentage followed by the hexadecimal code
Space can be represented as %20 or + on the form
The characters &, =,?, and # have specific meanings in the URL
Encode the parameter values separately, not the entire raw URL
Decode restores the original text and should not be repeated

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