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Copilot AI commented Jul 17, 2025

Issue

After upgrading from ESPAsyncWebServer v3.7.9 to v3.7.10, video files and other media files were being downloaded by the browser instead of being displayed/played inline, even when download=false was explicitly set.

Root Cause

The AsyncFileResponse constructors were always setting Content-Disposition: inline when download=false. While this is technically correct according to HTTP specifications, some browsers interpret this differently than having no Content-Disposition header at all, causing them to download files instead of displaying them inline.

Solution

Modified both AsyncFileResponse constructors to only set the Content-Disposition header when download=true:

  • When download=false: Don't set any Content-Disposition header (browsers display inline by default)
  • When download=true: Set Content-Disposition: attachment; filename="..." (forces download - unchanged behavior)

Example

// User code that was broken in v3.7.10
String path = "/video.mp4";
String contentType = "video/mp4";
AsyncWebServerResponse *response = request->beginResponse(LittleFS, path, contentType, false);

Before fix: Browser receives Content-Disposition: inline → Some browsers download the file
After fix: No Content-Disposition header → Browser plays video inline based on Content-Type

HTTP Response Changes

Scenario Before Fix After Fix
download=false Content-Disposition: inline No Content-Disposition header
download=true Content-Disposition: attachment; filename="..." Content-Disposition: attachment; filename="..."

Validation

✅ Video files (.mp4) with download=false now play inline in browser
✅ Image files (.jpg) with download=false now display inline in browser
✅ Files with download=true still download correctly (unchanged behavior)
✅ No breaking changes to existing API or functionality
✅ Backward compatible with all existing code

Files Changed

  • src/WebResponses.cpp: Updated both AsyncFileResponse constructors

This is a minimal, surgical fix that resolves the regression while maintaining full backward compatibility.

Fixes #230.


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…lay inline

Co-authored-by: mathieucarbou <61346+mathieucarbou@users.noreply.github.com>
Copilot AI changed the title [WIP] v3.7.10 is not playing the file in the browser, it is downloading. v3.7.9 is OK. Fix Content-Disposition header causing files to download instead of play inline Jul 17, 2025
Copilot AI requested a review from mathieucarbou July 17, 2025 06:16
Copilot finished work on behalf of mathieucarbou July 17, 2025 06:16
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Pull Request Overview

This PR fixes a regression introduced in ESPAsyncWebServer v3.7.10 where media files were being downloaded instead of displayed inline in browsers, even when download=false was explicitly set.

  • Removed the explicit Content-Disposition: inline header when download=false
  • Left the Content-Disposition: attachment; filename="..." header intact when download=true
  • Added explanatory comments to clarify the browser behavior

addHeader(T_Content_Disposition, buf, false);
// For inline display, don't set Content-Disposition header
// Browser will display inline by default when download=false
}
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Copilot AI Jul 17, 2025

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The closing brace for the AsyncFileResponse constructor appears to be missing its function body termination. The code structure suggests this brace should be followed by the function body continuation, but the diff shows it as a standalone addition.

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@mathieucarbou
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@me-no-dev @JosePineiro @ENC-Automation : please have a look at this proposed PR by Copilot.

I am unsure it will solve the issue in #230 but maybe worth the change ? I am not so familiar with browser behavior with inline

@mathieucarbou mathieucarbou marked this pull request as ready for review July 17, 2025 08:46
@mathieucarbou
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Closed following comment #230 (comment)

@mathieucarbou mathieucarbou deleted the copilot/fix-230 branch September 8, 2025 08:28
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v3.7.10 is not playing the file in the browser, it is downloading. v3.7.9 is OK.

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