Limit byte count when using stream:write_body_from_file

[cafehaine]

Hi, Im creating something close to Ownctload/nextcloud in lua, and I'm trying to allow resuming of paused downloads.
The thing is, lua-http can send the end of a file with stream:write_body_from_file(file, timeout) by seeking the begining of the file, but there is no way to handle the second "part" of the range header, ie where to stop.
I know I don't really need it for what I want, but it would be great to add a way to stop sending bytes from a file after a certain amount of bytes. This would allow to fully implement the Range header and not just the "resume" part of it.

[daurnimator]

How should the API look without an explosion of options?

[cafehaine]

for me stream:write_body_from_file(file, timeout, bytes) would do the trick, just allow the user to send a specified amount of bytes, since the start point can be set with file:seek (at least I think it works, I haven't tested it)

[daurnimator]

since the start point can be set with file:seek

When there is a retry lua-http seeks back to the sart

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The issue I'm alluding to is why stop at just bytes to stop at? You could make similar arguments for the block size, a stride between blocks, some sort of encoding conversion, and yes: the start offset.

There's also the API issue that timeout should always be the final argument by convention: we'd have to call the new api a new name (as the new argument is also a number and can't be distinguished for overloading).

This is not a "no" to the request, it's just that there is plenty more to it.

[daurnimator]

When there is a retry lua-http seeks back to the sart

Oh. That's in the http.request module. I think you were talking about in a server?

[RyanSquared]

Oh. That's in the http.request module. I think you were talking about in a server?

Looks like it judging by their statement that they want this functionality in the send function rather than receive, in which case having an optional argument to the sending function limiting the received amount of bytes.

[daurnimator]

Looks like it judging by their statement that they want this functionality in the send function rather than receive

I understood that. I thought they were talking about uploading a file as a client

[cafehaine]

Nope, didn't think about upload since for me upload would be in lan, so low chance of errors during upload.
Sorry If I wasn't clear enough at the time

[daurnimator]

Please review #125