def make_webhdfs_url(host, user, hdfs_path, op, port=50070):
    """ Forms the URL for httpfs requests.
 
    INPUT
    -----
    host : str
        The host to connect to for httpfs access to HDFS. (Can be 'localhost'.)
    user : str
        The user to use for httpfs connections.
    hdfs_path : str
        The full path of the file or directory being checked.
    op : str
        The httpfs operation string. E.g., 'GETFILESTATUS'.
    port : int
        The port to use for httpfs connections.
 
    OUTPUT
    ------
    str : The string to use for an HTTP request to httpfs.
    """
    url = 'http://' + host + ':' + str(port) + '/webhdfs/v1'
    url += hdfs_path + '?user.name=' + user + '&op=' + op
 
    return url