Like this article? We recommend
Like this article? We recommend
Like this article? We recommend
XML-RPC
As mentioned earlier, XML-RPC was introduced by UserLand Software with two goals in mind: simplicity and openness. At the wire level, XML-RPC applications perform remote procedure calls using XML as the data-encoding format and HTTP as the transport mechanism. A sample procedure call might look like this:
<?xml version="1.0"?>
<methodCall>
<methodName>informIT.getUserAddress</methodName>
<params>
<param>
<value>
<int>198172</int>
</value>
</param>
</params>
</methodCall>
In the call above, the server-based "procedure" name is informIT.getUserAddress. This procedure call passes in one integer value set to 198172. XML-RPC defines the int datatype, along with string, boolean, double, dateTime.iso8601, base64, array, and struct. A server response is packaged as XML, as you would expect, and is just as straightforward. For example, the server reply to our informIT.getUserAddress might be as follows:
<?xml version="1.0"?>
<methodResponse>
<params>
<param>
<value>
<string>123 N. Elm Street Fargo, North Dakota</string>
</value>
</param>
</params>
</methodResponse>
If you're interested in getting started, you may be surprised that you now have an adequate knowledge base to begin! XML-RPC implementations are available for a variety of programming languages, including Java, PHP, Perl, and Python. These packages hide the XML construction and parsing specifics from the developer, allowing simple method calls in the native language.