User Manual

URL Encoding
URL encoding is the method of using ASCII hexadecimal characters to display specific
characters in a URL. URL encoding is used for several reasons. On some operating
systems, certain characters are unsafe or not available, and others are reserved by the
HTML or URL specification. URL encoding is used to ensure compatibility and functionality
with most Internet browsers. As a general rule, use the hexadecimal encoding method
shown below when these characters appear in your URLs.
The following types of characters do not require encoding in a URL.
alphanumerics 0-9 a-z A-Z
special characters $ _ _ . + ! * ( ) ;
reserved characters ; / ? : @ = &
When used for their reserved purposes, these
characters do not require encoding within a URL.
Reserved characters
Reserved characters should not be encoded when they appear in their conventional
meaning in a URL. For example, do no encode the slash (/) when using it as part of the
URL syntax. Only encode unsafe characters (defined below) in your URLs.
The following table lists reserved characters.
Characters Hex Dec
$ Dollar 24 36
& Ampersand 26 38
+ Plus 2B 43
, Comma 2C 44
/ Forward Slash/Virgule 2F 47
: Colon 3A 58
; Semi-colon 3B 59
= Equal 3D 61
? Question Mark 3F 63
@ “At” symbol 40 64
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