A framework implementing XML-RPC in Objective-C.
The Mulle XMLRPC framework consists of a bunch of classes involved in managing the protocol aspects such as XML parsing/creating and transporting. As a user of the framework, you usually get in touch with a few classes and two Objective-C protocols only.
Although the framework itself provides enough abstraction to make several things like the transport layer exchangeable, most of its classes make use of objects/categories from EDCommon and EDMessage frameworks.
- If you want to implement XML-RPC (client or server) in Objective-C, sure here you are.
- If you're just looking for a cool, scalable server - again, here you are. Mulle XMLRPC implements several extensions (multicall, introspection) that most other servers do not have. Also, there are hooks (and documentation) for integrating Mulle XMLRPC into WebObjects, a highly scalable Application server.
- If you have a "legacy" app and want to replace/extend NSConnections with a similar but also language neutral interface. Here you go. By the way, that's my initial reason for writing this framework. Mulle XMLRPC's XRConnection class provides a very easy way to form "reliable" connections which are able to tell that the remote end has gone away. The whole interface of XRConnection is compatible with NSConnection and can be used as a drop in replacement.
| 06/30/2003 | Just realized that the last update to these pages was quite some time ago. In the meantime, the XML-RPC framework got several bugfixes and minor changes, but nothing serious. |
| 06/08/2002 | I've commited a new version to the CVS repository. The new version implements method polymorphism and automatic type checking. I further corrected a bug where empty strings could be interpreted as *nil* values by a Mulle XMLRPC server. |
| 04/14/2002 | In order to get in touch with the developer base, I've set up a mailing list. If you're interested in general discussion, future development or bug reports, send an email to xmlrpc-dev-subscribe@mulle-kybernetik.com. |
| 04/14/2002 | I've ported all of these projects to GNUstep lateley, making this framework no longer a Mac OS X solution only. I've built all frameworks with gcc 3.0.4 and tested it on FreeBSD 4.5-STABLE and on Linux 2.4.x (SUSE). |
Please note that in order to compile the source code, you also need to get the latest copies of the EDCommon and EDInternet frameworks. At the time of this writing, EDCommon v32 and EDMessage v16 were ok.
IMPORTANT: Because we use wrappers in our projects, you may need to install a special version of CVS on your machine in order to check out our projects correctly. Make sure you read our CVS pages which explain all steps necessary.
So, in order to check out the project, do the following:
% cd <your-favourite-source-directory>
% cvs -z3 -d :pserver:anoncvs@cvs.mulle-kybernetik.com:/cvsroot login
(Logging in to anoncvs@cvs.mulle-kybernetik.com)
CVS password: anoncvs
% cvs -z3 -d :pserver:anoncvs@cvs.mulle-kybernetik.com:/cvsroot co ed/EDCommon
cvs server: Updating ed/EDCommon
...
% cvs -z3 -d :pserver:anoncvs@cvs.mulle-kybernetik.com:/cvsroot co ed/EDMessage
cvs server: Updating ed/EDMessage
...
% cvs -z3 -d :pserver:anoncvs@cvs.mulle-kybernetik.com:/cvsroot co znek/XMLRPC
cvs server: Updating znek/XMLRPC
...
Then
you'll have to build EDCommon, EDMessage and XMLRPC in that order.PROBLEMS: If you have trouble building any of the above projects, make sure you read our techinfo on a bug in PBX and how to circumvent that bug.
The initial version took 2 1/2 days to complete and was roughly 90% of what you see now. The remaining 10% took about 1 week to implement. In the meantime Mulle XMLRPC got integrated into another Mulle project dubbed "BigBrother" which provided a good basis for refining the API in the places where it wasn't as good as I thought in the first place.
There's still some space for improvements, especially in the coder objects. These offer some interesting opportunities as can be read in the TODO file included in the project source.