How to find out if string has already been URL encoded?

java utf-8 url-encoding
Trick picture Trick · Feb 19, 2010 · Viewed 56.8k times · Source

How could I check if string has already been encoded?

For example, if I encode TEST==, I get TEST%3D%3D. If I again encode last string, I get TEST%253D%253D, I would have to know before doing that if it is already encoded...

I have encoded parameters saved, and I need to search for them. I don't know for input parameters, what will they be - encoded or not, so I have to know if I have to encode or decode them before search.

Answer

SF. picture SF. · Feb 19, 2010

Decode, compare to original. If it does differ, original is encoded. If it doesn't differ, original isn't encoded. But still it says nothing about whether the newly decoded version isn't still encoded. A good task for recursion.

I hope one can't write a quine in urlencode, or this algorithm would get stuck.

Exception: When a string contains "+" character url decoder replaces it with a space even though the string is not url encoded

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