XMLHttpRequest: overrideMimeType() method

The XMLHttpRequest method overrideMimeType() specifies a MIME type other than the one provided by the server to be used instead when interpreting the data being transferred in a request.

This may be used, for example, to force a stream to be treated and parsed as "text/xml", even if the server does not report it as such. This method must be called before calling send().

Syntax

js
overrideMimeType(mimeType)

Parameters

mimeType

A string specifying the MIME type to use instead of the one specified by the server. If the server doesn't specify a type, XMLHttpRequest assumes "text/xml".

Return value

None (undefined).

Examples

This example specifies a MIME type of "text/plain", overriding the server's stated type for the data being received.

Note: If the server doesn't provide a Content-Type header, XMLHttpRequest assumes that the MIME type is "text/xml". If the content isn't valid XML, an "XML Parsing Error: not well-formed" error occurs. You can avoid this by calling overrideMimeType() to specify a different type.

js
// Interpret the received data as plain text

req = new XMLHttpRequest();
req.overrideMimeType("text/plain");
req.addEventListener("load", callback, false);
req.open("get", url);
req.send();

Specifications

Specification
XMLHttpRequest Standard
# the-overridemimetype()-method

Browser compatibility

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See also