From the HTTP 1.0 specification:  "Current practice requires that the
connection be established by the client prior to each request and
closed by the server after sending the response."

Certainly cooperating clients and servers can behave otherwise, but the
application in question is a bot, and no such cooperation can be
expected.

-- Rod

On Fri, 07 Jul 2000, Mike Sheldon wrote:
> Actually, HTTP does work that way. You can retrieve multiple files through a
> single connection.
> 
> Michael J. Sheldon
> Internet Applications Developer
> Phone: 480.699.1084
> http://www.desertraven.com/
> PGP Key Available on Request
> 
> -----Original Message-----
> From: plug-discuss-admin@lists.PLUG.phoenix.az.us
> [mailto:plug-discuss-admin@lists.PLUG.phoenix.az.us]On Behalf Of Rod
> Roark
> Sent: Friday, July 07, 2000 18:13
> To: plug-discuss@lists.PLUG.phoenix.az.us
> Subject: Re: FW: [Tutor] Writing a web bot.
> 
> 
> HTTP doesn't work that way.  The server is going to kill the connection
> after responding to each request.
> 
> -- Rod
> ----------------------------------------------------------------------
> Sunset Systems                           Preconfigured Linux Computers
> http://www.sunsetsystems.com/                      and Custom Software
> ----------------------------------------------------------------------
> 
> On Fri, 07 Jul 2000, you wrote:
> > Hi all.
> >
> > It appears I have found myself in a position
> > where I could use some help.
> >
> > The task I am trying to perform is write an
> > internet bot.  I was going to use urllib for
> > this project however one of the requirements
> > is for the connection to be continuous during
> > the session.
> >
> > Connect to a site.
> > Get page, parse.
> > Get another page, parse.
> > use POST method, get another page, parse.
> > Disconnect from the site.
> >
> > The connection is not supposed to be dropped
> > between the requests.
> >
> > Is there a simple way to do this task???
> >
> > thanks.