```{index} single: HTML::HeadParser ``` # HTML::HeadParser Parse section of a HTML document ## SYNOPSIS ```perl require HTML::HeadParser; $p = HTML::HeadParser->new; $p->parse($text) and print "not finished"; $p->header('Title') # to access $p->header('Content-Base') # to access $p->header('Foo') # to access $p->header('X-Meta-Author') # to access $p->header('X-Meta-Charset') # to access ``` ## DESCRIPTION The `HTML::HeadParser` is a specialized (and lightweight) `HTML::Parser` that will only parse the ...</HEAD> section of an HTML document. The parse() method will return a FALSE value as soon as some element or body text are found, and should not be called again after this. Note that the `HTML::HeadParser` might get confused if raw undecoded UTF-8 is passed to the parse() method. Make sure the strings are properly decoded before passing them on. The `HTML::HeadParser` keeps a reference to a header object, and the parser will update this header object as the various elements of the section of the HTML document are recognized. The following header fields are affected: - Content-Base: The _Content-Base_ header is initialized from the <base href="..."> element. - Title: The _Title_ header is initialized from the <title>...</title> element. - Isindex: The _Isindex_ header will be added if there is a <isindex> element in the <head>. The header value is initialized from the _prompt_ attribute if it is present. If no _prompt_ attribute is given it will have '?' as the value. - X-Meta-Foo: All <meta> elements containing a `name` attribute will result in headers using the prefix `X-Meta-` appended with the value of the `name` attribute as the name of the header, and the value of the `content` attribute as the pushed header value. <meta> elements containing a `http-equiv` attribute will result in headers as in above, but without the `X-Meta-` prefix in the header name. <meta> elements containing a `charset` attribute will result in an `X-Meta-Charset` header, using the value of the `charset` attribute as the pushed header value. The ':' character can't be represented in header field names, so if the meta element contains this char it's substituted with '-' before forming the field name. ## METHODS The following methods (in addition to those provided by the superclass) are available: - $hp = HTML::HeadParser->new - $hp = HTML::HeadParser->new( $header ) The object constructor. The optional $header argument should be a reference to an object that implement the header() and push\_header() methods as defined by the `HTTP::Headers` class. Normally it will be of some class that is a or delegates to the `HTTP::Headers` class. If no $header is given `HTML::HeadParser` will create an `HTTP::Headers` object by itself (initially empty). - $hp->header; Returns a reference to the header object. - $hp->header( $key ) Returns a header value. It is just a shorter way to write `$hp->header->header($key)`. ## EXAMPLE ```perl $h = HTTP::Headers->new; $p = HTML::HeadParser->new($h); $p->parse(<Stupid example Normal text starts here. EOT undef $p; print $h->title; # should print "Stupid example" ``` ## SEE ALSO [HTML::Parser](Parser.md), [HTTP::Headers](https://metacpan.org/pod/HTTP::Headers) The `HTTP::Headers` class is distributed as part of the _libwww-perl_ package. If you don't have that distribution installed you need to provide the $header argument to the `HTML::HeadParser` constructor with your own object that implements the documented protocol. ## COPYRIGHT Copyright 1996-2001 Gisle Aas. All rights reserved. This library is free software; you can redistribute it and/or modify it under the same terms as Perl itself.