org.codehaus.plexus.util.xml.pull

Interface XmlSerializer

Known Implementing Classes:
MXSerializer

public interface XmlSerializer

Define an interface to serialziation of XML Infoset. This interface abstracts away if serialized XML is XML 1.0 comaptible text or other formats of XML 1.0 serializations (such as binary XML for example with WBXML).

PLEASE NOTE: This interface will be part of XmlPull 1.2 API. It is included as basis for discussion. It may change in any way.

Exceptions that may be thrown are: IOException or runtime exception (more runtime exceptions can be thrown but are not declared and as such have no semantics defined for this interface):

NOTE: writing CDSECT, ENTITY_REF, IGNORABLE_WHITESPACE, PROCESSING_INSTRUCTION, COMMENT, and DOCDECL in some implementations may not be supported (for example when serializing to WBXML). In such case IllegalStateException will be thrown and it is recommened to use an optional feature to signal that implementation is not supporting this kind of output.

Method Summary

XmlSerializer
attribute(String namespace, String name, String value)
Write an attribute.
void
cdsect(String text)
void
comment(String text)
void
docdecl(String text)
void
endDocument()
Finish writing.
XmlSerializer
endTag(String namespace, String name)
Write end tag.
void
entityRef(String text)
void
flush()
Write all pending output to the stream.
int
getDepth()
Returns the current depth of the element.
boolean
getFeature(String name)
Return the current value of the feature with given name.
String
getName()
Returns the name of the current element as set by startTag().
String
getNamespace()
Returns the namespace URI of the current element as set by startTag().
String
getPrefix(String namespace, boolean generatePrefix)
Return namespace that corresponds to given prefix If there is no prefix bound to this namespace return null but if generatePrefix is false then return generated prefix.
Object
getProperty(String name)
Look up the value of a property.
void
ignorableWhitespace(String text)
void
processingInstruction(String text)
void
setFeature(String name, boolean state)
Set feature identified by name (recommended to be URI for uniqueness).
void
setOutput(OutputStream os, String encoding)
Set to use binary output stream with given encoding.
void
setOutput(Writer writer)
Set the output to the given writer.
void
setPrefix(String prefix, String namespace)
Binds the given prefix to the given namespace.
void
setProperty(String name, Object value)
Set the value of a property.
void
startDocument(String encoding, Boolean standalone)
Write <?xml declaration with encoding (if encoding not null) and standalone flag (if standalone not null) This method can only be called just after setOutput.
XmlSerializer
startTag(String namespace, String name)
Writes a start tag with the given namespace and name.
XmlSerializer
text(String text)
Writes text, where special XML chars are escaped automatically
XmlSerializer
text(char[] buf, int start, int len)
Writes text, where special XML chars are escaped automatically

Method Details

attribute

public XmlSerializer attribute(String namespace,
                               String name,
                               String value)
            throws IOException,
                   IllegalArgumentException,
                   IllegalStateException
Write an attribute. Calls to attribute() MUST follow a call to startTag() immediately. If there is no prefix defined for the given namespace, a prefix will be defined automatically. If namespace is null or empty string no namespace prefix is printed but just name.

cdsect

public void cdsect(String text)
            throws IOException,
                   IllegalArgumentException,
                   IllegalStateException

comment

public void comment(String text)
            throws IOException,
                   IllegalArgumentException,
                   IllegalStateException

docdecl

public void docdecl(String text)
            throws IOException,
                   IllegalArgumentException,
                   IllegalStateException

endDocument

public void endDocument()
            throws IOException,
                   IllegalArgumentException,
                   IllegalStateException
Finish writing. All unclosed start tags will be closed and output will be flushed. After calling this method no more output can be serialized until next call to setOutput()

endTag

public XmlSerializer endTag(String namespace,
                            String name)
            throws IOException,
                   IllegalArgumentException,
                   IllegalStateException
Write end tag. Repetition of namespace and name is just for avoiding errors.

Background: in kXML endTag had no arguments, and non matching tags were very difficult to find... If namespace is null no namespace prefix is printed but just name. If namespace is empty string then serialzier will make sure that default empty namespace is declared (in XML 1.0 xmlns='').


entityRef

public void entityRef(String text)
            throws IOException,
                   IllegalArgumentException,
                   IllegalStateException

flush

public void flush()
            throws IOException
Write all pending output to the stream. If method startTag() or attribute() was called then start tag is closed (final >) before flush() is called on underlying output stream.

NOTE: if there is need to close start tag (so no more attribute() calls are allowed) but without flushinging output call method text() with empty string (text("")).


getDepth

public int getDepth()
Returns the current depth of the element. Outside the root element, the depth is 0. The depth is incremented by 1 when startTag() is called. The depth is decremented after the call to endTag() event was observed.
 <!-- outside -->     0
 <root>               1
   sometext                 1
     <foobar>         2
     </foobar>        2
 </root>              1
 <!-- outside -->     0
 

getFeature

public boolean getFeature(String name)
Return the current value of the feature with given name.

NOTE: unknown properties are always returned as null

Parameters:
name - The name of feature to be retrieved.
Returns:
The value of named feature.

getName

public String getName()
Returns the name of the current element as set by startTag(). It can only be null before first call to startTag() or when last endTag() is called to close first startTag().
Returns:
namespace set by startTag() that is currently in scope

getNamespace

public String getNamespace()
Returns the namespace URI of the current element as set by startTag().

NOTE: that measn in particaulr that:

  • if there was startTag("", ...) then getNamespace() returns ""
  • if there was startTag(null, ...) then getNamespace() returns null
Returns:
namespace set by startTag() that is currently in scope

getPrefix

public String getPrefix(String namespace,
                        boolean generatePrefix)
            throws IllegalArgumentException

getProperty

public Object getProperty(String name)
Look up the value of a property. The property name is any fully-qualified URI. I

NOTE: unknown properties are always returned as null

Parameters:
name - The name of property to be retrieved.
Returns:
The value of named property.

ignorableWhitespace

public void ignorableWhitespace(String text)
            throws IOException,
                   IllegalArgumentException,
                   IllegalStateException

processingInstruction

public void processingInstruction(String text)
            throws IOException,
                   IllegalArgumentException,
                   IllegalStateException

setFeature

public void setFeature(String name,
                       boolean state)
            throws IllegalArgumentException,
                   IllegalStateException

setOutput

public void setOutput(OutputStream os,
                      String encoding)
            throws IOException,
                   IllegalArgumentException,
                   IllegalStateException
Set to use binary output stream with given encoding.

setOutput

public void setOutput(Writer writer)
            throws IOException,
                   IllegalArgumentException,
                   IllegalStateException
Set the output to the given writer.

WARNING no information about encoding is available!


setPrefix

public void setPrefix(String prefix,
                      String namespace)
            throws IOException,
                   IllegalArgumentException,
                   IllegalStateException
Parameters:
prefix - must be not null (or IllegalArgumentException is thrown)
namespace - must be not null

setProperty

public void setProperty(String name,
                        Object value)
            throws IllegalArgumentException,
                   IllegalStateException

startDocument

public void startDocument(String encoding,
                          Boolean standalone)
            throws IOException,
                   IllegalArgumentException,
                   IllegalStateException
Write <?xml declaration with encoding (if encoding not null) and standalone flag (if standalone not null) This method can only be called just after setOutput.

startTag

public XmlSerializer startTag(String namespace,
                              String name)
            throws IOException,
                   IllegalArgumentException,
                   IllegalStateException
Writes a start tag with the given namespace and name. If there is no prefix defined for the given namespace, a prefix will be defined automatically. The explicit prefixes for namespaces can be established by calling setPrefix() immediately before this method. If namespace is null no namespace prefix is printed but just name. If namespace is empty string then serialzier will make sure that default empty namespace is declared (in XML 1.0 xmlns='') or throw IllegalStateException if default namespace is already bound to non-empty string.

text

public XmlSerializer text(String text)
            throws IOException,
                   IllegalArgumentException,
                   IllegalStateException
Writes text, where special XML chars are escaped automatically

text

public XmlSerializer text(char[] buf,
                          int start,
                          int len)
            throws IOException,
                   IllegalArgumentException,
                   IllegalStateException
Writes text, where special XML chars are escaped automatically