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Usage Modes

Overview

Dispatch objects have two usage modes:

  • Message mode
  • Message Payload mode (Payload mode)

The usage mode you specify for a Dispatch object determines the amount of detail is passed to the user level code.

Message mode

In message mode, a Dispatch object works with complete messages. A complete message includes any binding specific headers and wrappers. For example, a consumer interacting with a service that requires SOAP messages would need to provide the Dispatch object's invoke() method a fully specified SOAP message. The invoke() method will also return a fully specified SOAP message. The consumer code is responsible for completing and reading the SOAP message's headers and the SOAP message's envelope information.

Message mode is not ideal when you wish to work with JAXB objects.

You specify that a Dispatch object uses message mode by providing the value java.xml.ws.Service.Mode.MESSAGE when creating the Dispatch object.

Payload mode

In payload mode, also called message payload mode, a Dispatch object works with only the payload of a message. For example, a Dispatch object working in payload mode works only with the body of a SOAP message. The binding layer processes any binding level wrappers and headers. When a result is returned from invoke() the binding level wrappers and headers are already striped away and only the body of the message is left.

When working with a binding that does not use special wrappers, such as the Artix ESB XML binding, payload mode and message mode provide the same results.

You specify that a Dispatch object uses payload mode by providing the value java.xml.ws.Service.Mode.PAYLOAD when creating the Dispatch object.

Data Types

Overview

Dispatch objects, because they are low-level objects, are not optimized for using the same JAXB generated types as the higher level consumer APIs. Dispatch objects work with the following types of objects:

  • javax.xml.transform.Source
  • javax.xml.soap.SOAPMessage
  • javax.activation.DataSource
  • JAXB

Using Source objects

A Dispatch object can accept and return objects that are derived from the javax.xml.transform.Source interface. Source objects are low level objects that hold XML documents. Each Source implementation provides methods that access the stored XML documents and manipulate its contents. The following objects implement the Source interface:

  • DOMSource
  • SAXSource
  • StreamSource

When using Source objects the developer is responsible for ensuring that all required binding specific wrappers are added to the message. For example, when interacting with a service expecting SOAP messages, the developer must ensure that the required SOAP envelope is added to the outgoing request and that the SOAP envelope's contents are correct.

Using SOAPMessage objects

Dispatch objects can use javax.xml.soap.SOAPMessage objects when the following conditions are true:

  • the Dispatch object is using the SOAP binding.
  • the Dispatch object is using message mode.

Using DataSource objects

Dispatch objects can use objects that implement the javax.activation.DataSource interface when the following conditions are true:

  • the Dispatch object is using the HTTP binding.
  • the Dispatch object is using message mode.

DataSource objects provide a mechanism for working with MIME typed data from a variety of sources including URLs, files, and byte arrays.

Using JAXB objects

While Dispatch objects are intended to be low level API that allows you to work with raw messages, they also allow you to work with JAXB objects. To work with JAXB objects a Dispatch object must be passed a JAXBContext that knows how to marshal and unmarshal the JAXB objects in use. The JAXBContext is passed when the Dispatch object is created.

You can pass any JAXB object understood by the JAXBContext object as the parameter to the invoke() method. You can also cast the returned message into any JAXB object understood by the {{JAXBContext} object.

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