HttpClient(4.3.5)

An HTTP message can contain a number of headers describing properties of the message such as the content length, content type and so on. HttpClient provides methods to retrieve, add, remove and enumerate headers.

HttpResponse response = new BasicHttpResponse(HttpVersion.HTTP_1_1, HttpStatus.SC_OK, "OK");
response.addHeader("Set-Cookie", "c1=a; path=/; domain=localhost");
response.addHeader("Set-Cookie", "c2=b; path="/", c3=c; domain="localhost"");
Header h1 = response.getFirstHeader("Set-Cookie");
System.out.println(h1);
Header h2 = response.getLastHeader("Set-Cookie");
System.out.println(h2);
Header[] hs = response.getHeaders("Set-Cookie");
System.out.println(hs.length);

stdout >

Set-Cookie: c1=a; path=/; domain=localhost
Set-Cookie: c2=b; path="/", c3=c; domain="localhost"
2

The most efficient way to obtain all headers of a given type is by using the HeaderIterator interface.

HttpResponse response = new BasicHttpResponse(HttpVersion.HTTP_1_1, HttpStatus.SC_OK, "OK");
response.addHeader("Set-Cookie", "c1=a; path=/; domain=localhost");
response.addHeader("Set-Cookie", "c2=b; path="/", c3=c; domain="localhost"");

HeaderIterator it = response.headerIterator("Set-Cookie");
while (it.hasNext()) {
    System.out.println(it.next());
}

stdout >

Set-Cookie: c1=a; path=/; domain=localhost
Set-Cookie: c2=b; path="/", c3=c; domain="localhost"

It also provides convenience methods to parse HTTP messages into individual header elements.

HttpResponse response = new BasicHttpResponse(HttpVersion.HTTP_1_1, HttpStatus.SC_OK, "OK");
response.addHeader("Set-Cookie", "c1=a; path=/; domain=localhost");
response.addHeader("Set-Cookie", "c2=b; path="/", c3=c; domain="localhost"");

HeaderElementIterator it = new BasicHeaderElementIterator(response.headerIterator("Set-Cookie"));
while (it.hasNext()) {
    HeaderElement elem = it.nextElement(); 
    System.out.println(elem.getName() + " = " + elem.getValue());
    NameValuePair[] params = elem.getParameters();
    for (int i = 0; i < params.length; i++) {
        System.out.println(" " + params[i]);
    }
}

stdout >

c1 = a
path=/
domain=localhost
c2 = b
path=/
c3 = c
domain=localhost