Microsoft KB Archive/184891

= Server.HTMLEncode Garbles Extended Characters =

Article ID: 184891

Article Last Modified on 9/22/2005

-

APPLIES TO


 * Microsoft Windows NT Server 4.0, Terminal Server Edition
 * Microsoft Internet Information Server 4.0

-



This article was previously published under Q184891



We strongly recommend that all users upgrade to Microsoft Internet Information Services (IIS) version 6.0 running on Microsoft Windows Server 2003. IIS 6.0 significantly increases Web infrastructure security. For more information about IIS security-related topics, visit the following Microsoft Web site:

http://www.microsoft.com/technet/security/prodtech/IIS.mspx



SYMPTOMS
ASP script using Server.HTMLEncode produces garbled extended characters in single-byte character set (SBCS) code pages other than code page 1252 (U.S. ANSI).

This affects Eastern European languages, such as Czechoslovakian, Russian, and Hungarian.



CAUSE
This problem may occur due to both of the following causes:


 * HTMLEncode incorrectly writes numeric character entities using SBCS codepoint values instead of the Unicode values. In HTML, &#xxx; entities represent Unicode values, not SBCS codepoints. When HTMLEncode determines that a numeric entity must be written, it must simply write the raw Unicode value in decimal, not the local code page equivalent.

-and-
 * HTMLEncode uses the wrong logic in determining when to write out a numeric character entity versus simply inserting the raw character. It appears to do the opposite of what is expected; it writes the incorrect character entities for characters that can be represented in Session.Codepage, and writes the nearest precomposed equivalent for other characters.

Instead, it should write the raw SBCS character for characters that can be represented in Session.Codepage, and the Unicode numeric character entity for characters that cannot.



RESOLUTION
To resolve this problem, obtain the latest service pack for Windows NT 4.0 or Windows NT Server 4.0, Terminal Server Edition. For additional information, click the following article number to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:

152734 How to Obtain the Latest Windows NT 4.0 Service Pack



STATUS
Microsoft has confirmed this to be a problem in Internet Information Server version 4.0. This problem was first corrected in Windows NT 4.0 Service Pack 4.0 and Windows NT Server 4.0, Terminal Server Edition Service Pack 4.

Additional query words: sp hot fix qfe character set code point uni-code code-page code-point scrambled scrambles html encode incorrect wrong erroneous akz

Keywords: kbbug kbfix kbqfe kbwinnt400sp4fix kbhotfixserver KB184891

-

[mailto:TECHNET@MICROSOFT.COM Send feedback to Microsoft]

© Microsoft Corporation. All rights reserved.