Using XML-RPC compliant types in your API

If you use types in your remote calls which are XML-RPC compliant things are very easy:

Server side

• The server side defines an API to be used remotely over XML-RPC. Additionally an implementation of the API is hosted on the server-side

interface Api {
  String getStatusMessage( int code );
  int[] getInts();
}

class Impl implements Api {
  public String getStatusMessage( int code ) {...}
  public int[] getInts() { return new int[]{ 1,2,3 }; }
}

• register implementation as XML-RPC handler with the server

WebServer xmlRpcServer = new WebServer( port );
xmlRpcServer.addHandler( "handlerId", XmlRpcHandlerFactory.createHandlerFor( new Impl() ) );
xmlRpcServer.start();

Client side

• create a remote client the use the API by simply calling a method like a local call.

Api remote_api = XmlRpc.createClient( Api.class, "handlerId", host, port );
String msg = remote_api.getStatusMessage( 42 );
int[] ints = remote_api.getInts();
...

Special type treatment

• conversions for types Integer, Double and Boolean to their primitive counterparts and vice versa is done automatically

• instead of solely using java type Vector for XML-RPC type ARRAY, also every type implementing Collection can be used (i.e., as return values).

• instead of solely using java type Hashtable for XML-RPC type STRUCT, also java type Map can be used.

• arrays of convertible types including their primitive counterparts (such as Integer, int, ...) can be used out-of-the-box