URL Path Prefix Token Match
Check a literal raw URL-path segment prefix, retaining empty segments and rejecting accidental character-prefix matches.
Description
Check a literal raw URL-path segment prefix, retaining empty segments and rejecting accidental character-prefix matches.
URL path prefix matching can be defined by complete raw slash tokens instead of a textual prefix. Empty tokens remain significant.
When to use this tool
Check a literal raw URL-path segment prefix, retaining empty segments and rejecting accidental character-prefix matches.
- Prepare the supplied path, prefix fields for this operation.
- Compare the complete example with the representation used by your own input before carrying the result into another step.
How to use the tool and how it works
- Enter path, prefix. Use the exact text syntax, units and index conventions explained below.
- Run the tool. If input validation fails, correct the supplied fields before interpreting any result.
- Read result.matches. Interpret false, null and empty lists using the distinctions below; they can be valid outputs.
Reject query/fragment characters in both inputs. Split each on slash and return matches when every prefix token equals the corresponding leading path token and the prefix has no more tokens.1
| Input field | Meaning and representation | Accepted input |
|---|---|---|
| path | path. | Text; at most 8,192 UTF-16 code units, subject to the grammar above |
| prefix | prefix. | Text; at most 8,192 UTF-16 code units, subject to the grammar above |
| Output field | Interpretation |
|---|---|
| result | Object containing the named outputs below. |
| result.matches | Exact equality or membership under the specific rule above. |
{
"input": {
"path": "/abc/x",
"prefix": "/ab"
},
"output": {
"result": {
"matches": false
}
}
}Limitations and assumptions
- No percent-decoding or dot normalization occurs. A trailing slash in prefix creates an extra empty token, so this is not a generic subtree or security-boundary check.
- Every declared top-level field is required and unexpected fields are rejected. Numeric inputs must be finite; ordinary text fields are bounded to 8,192 UTF-16 code units, with tighter operation-specific limits where stated.
- String lists have at most 128 entries of at most 128 code units; matrices have at most 128 rows and columns. Larger numeric lists and parsed JSON have separate bounded budgets. Nonfinite results and excessively large serialized outputs are rejected.
- Indexes are zero-based and spans have an exclusive end unless explicitly stated otherwise. A valid false, null or empty-list result is distinct from malformed input.
Alternative or Complementary methods
Use a complete protocol or URL parser when interpreting a whole message or address. Preserve raw spelling when required and distinguish HTTP token grammar, URL path normalization and form-style query decoding.
References
Similar or alternative tools
- URL Path Empty Segment Profile
Profile raw literal URL-path empty segments without URL normalization or decoding escaped slashes.
- url path segments
Slash-delimited URL paths can contain empty segments, which may matter to routing.