Sending and receiving XML

in a Java application

Sean C. Sullivan
sean <at> seansullivan <dot> com
September 2003
Agenda

• XML
• XML via HTTP
• XML via JMS
• XML via JavaMail
• XML via FTP
Agenda

• XML
• XML via HTTP
• XML via JMS
• XML via JavaMail
• XML via FTP
XML

XML is a syntax for describing and structuring data

<?xml version=“1.0”>
<company>
<name>Sun Microsystems</name>
<stocksymbol>SUNW</stocksymbol>
</company>
Application integration

“[If you look at] where XML is really, truly

being used right now, it's [for] lightweight,
quick and dirty enterprise application
integration. […] you could achieve
remarkably acceptable results in enterprise
application integration simply by binding a
set of XML messages to ship back and
forth.”

Tim Bray, 9/23/2003, news.com interview
Data exchange

Application A Application B
XML request

<?xml version=“1.0”>
<raterequest>
<origin>97210</origin>
<destination>12208</destination>
<weight>35</weight>
<service>OVERNIGHT</service>
</raterequest>
XML response

<?xml version=“1.0”>
<rateresponse>
<rate>68.00</rate>
</rateresponse>
Agenda

• XML
• XML via HTTP
• XML via JMS
• XML via JavaMail
• XML via FTP
HTTP protocol

request
HTTP HTTP
client server
HTTP protocol

request
HTTP HTTP
client server
response
HTTP protocol methods

• GET
• POST
• HEAD
• …
HTTP headers

• Content-Type
• Accept
MIME types for XML

• text/xml
• application/xml
• text/xml-external-parsed-entity
• application/xml-external-parsed-entity
• application/xml-dtd
• application/soap+xml
Jakarta Commons HTTPClient
 Example: HTTP POST

import org.apache.commons.httpclient.*;
import
org.apache.commons.httpclient.methods*;

PostMethod post = new PostMethod(

“http://www.foo.com/bar”);
post.setRequestBody(strXML);
post.setRequestHeader(
“Content-type”,
“application/xml”);
Example: HTTP POST

post.setRequestHeader(
“Accept”,
“application/xml”);
HttpClient client = new HttpClient();
int result = client.executeMethod(post);
// …
String strXMLResponse =
post.getResponseBodyAsString();
post.releaseConnection();
Receiving XML using a Servlet

public class XMLServlet extends

javax.servlet.http.HttpServlet
{
protected void doPost(
HttpServletRequest req,
HttpServletResponse resp)
{
// … method implementation …
}
}
doPost method

// …
String type = req.getContentType();
int contentLength =
req.getContentLength();
char[] xmlData = new
char[contentLength];
BufferedReader reader =
httpRequest.getReader();
// …
doPost (continued)

do
{
n = reader.read(xmlData, bytesRead,
xmlData.length - bytesRead);
if (n > 0)
{
bytesRead += n;
}
} while ( (n != -1)
&& (bytesRead < contentLength) )
Agenda

• XML
• XML via HTTP
• XML via JMS
• XML via JavaMail
• XML via FTP
Java Message Service

• messaging API for J2EE platform

• Point-to-point
– JMS Queue
• Publish-Subscribe
– JMS Topic
• “at most once” delivery mode
• transactional
JMS message queue

Message Queue
Message Message
3 2 1
Producer Consumer
 Sending XML using JMS

import javax.jms.*;
import javax.naming.*;

Queue queue;
ConnectionFactory cf;

queue = /* lookup via JNDI */;

cf = /* lookup via JNDI */;

Connection conn = cf.createConnection();

Session session = conn.createSession(…);
 Sending XML using JMS

MessageProducer producer;
producer = session.createProducer(queue);
TextMessage msg;
msg = session.createTextMessage();
msg.setText(strXML);
producer.send(msg);
session.commit();
Receiving XML via JMS

Choose one:
• javax.jms.MessageConsumer
• Message Driven Bean (MDB)
Example: Message Driven Bean

public void onMessage(Message msg)

{
// …
if (msg instanceof TextMessage)
{
TextMessage tm = (Message) msg;
String strXML = tm.getText();
}
// …
}
Agenda

• XML
• XML via HTTP
• XML via JMS
• XML via JavaMail
• XML via FTP
JavaMail
Example: XML via JavaMail

import javax.mail.*;
import javax.mail.internet.*;
Session sess = /* JNDI lookup */;
MimeMessage msg = new
MimeMessage(sess);
msg.setFrom(from);
// …
Example: XML via JavaMail

// …
msg.setRecipients(
Message.RecipientType.TO,
recipients);
msg.setSubject(“Hello XML”);
// …
Example: XML via JavaMail

// …
MimeBodyPart mbp = new MimeBodyPart();
mbp.setContent(strXML,
“application/xml”);
Multipart mp = new MimeMultipart();
mp.addBodyPart(mbp);
msg.setContent(mp);
Transport.send(msg);
// …
Agenda

• XML
• XML via HTTP
• XML via JMS
• XML via JavaMail
• XML via FTP
FTP with Jakarta Commons Net
Example: XML via FTP

import org.apache.commons.net.ftp.*;

FTPClient ftp = new FTPClient();

ftp.connect(“ftp.example.com”);
ftp.login(username, password);
Example: XML via FTP

ftp.setFileType(FTP.BINARY_FILE_TYPE);
ftp.enterLocalPassiveMode();
ftp.storeFile(“foo.xml”,
xmlInputStream);
ftp.logout();
ftp.disconnect();
Additional topics…

• Sockets
• SOAP
• XML-RPC
• Binary encodings for XML
Additional resources

• http://www.w3.org/XML/
• http://www.xml.com/
• http://java.sun.com/xml/
• http://xml.apache.org/
• http://ws.apache.org/axis/
• http://jakarta.apache.org/
Summary

Use XML for data exchange between

heterogeneous applications.

Sending and receiving XML is easy.