RFC 6350, "vCard Format Specification", August 2011

Errata ID: 3136
Status: Verified
Type: Technical
Publication Format(s) : TEXT
Reported By: Kai Giebeler
Date Reported: 2012-02-25
Verifier Name: Peter Saint-Andre
Date Verified: 2012-02-27

Section 3.3. says:

   QSAFE-CHAR = WSP / "!" / %x23-7E / NON-ASCII
     ; Any character except CTLs, DQUOTE

   SAFE-CHAR = WSP / "!" / %x23-39 / %x3C-7E / NON-ASCII
     ; Any character except CTLs, DQUOTE, ";", ":"

   VALUE-CHAR = WSP / VCHAR / NON-ASCII
     ; Any textual character

It should say:

   QSAFE-CHAR = WSP / "!" / %x23-7E / NON-ASCII
     ; Any character except CTLs, DQUOTE but including HTAB

   SAFE-CHAR = WSP / "!" / %x23-39 / %x3C-7E / NON-ASCII
     ; Any character except CTLs, DQUOTE, ";", ":" but including HTAB

   VALUE-CHAR = WSP / VCHAR / NON-ASCII
     ; Any textual character including HTAB

Notes:

The ABNF is inconsistent with the textual decription regarding the HTAB character which is part of WSP and CTL

Alternatively HTAB could be excluded by replacing WSP by SP in at least QSAFE-CHAR and SAFE-CHAR.

PSA: During discussion on the VCARDDAV list, Barry Leiba noted: "His point for the first two is that HTAB is a CTL (according to RFC 5234), so the comment "any character except CTLs" excludes HTAB. But the grammar uses WSP, which *includes* HTAB (also RFC 5234). So the comment is not consistent with the grammar. Either change WSP to SP (thus excluding HTAB, as the comment says) or make the change he suggests to the comment, so it's consistent with the grammar. For the third item, VALUE-CHAR, I think the point is that it's not
clear whether HTAB is a "textual character", since that term isn't
formally defined. By saying "including HTAB" in the comment (since
it's included by WSP), it's clearer." Agreement on list that this is a correct erratum. -- Peter Saint-Andre

Report New Errata