Since: API Level 1
public interface

XmlSerializer

org.xmlpull.v1.XmlSerializer

Class Overview

Define an interface to serialization of XML Infoset. This interface abstracts away if serialized XML is XML 1.0 compatible 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):

  • IllegalArgumentException - for almost all methods to signal that argument is illegal
  • IllegalStateException - to signal that call has good arguments but is not expected here (violation of contract) and for features/properties when requesting setting unimplemented feature/property (UnsupportedOperationException would be better but it is not in MIDP)

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 recommended to use an optional feature to signal that implementation is not supporting this kind of output.

Summary

Public Methods
abstract XmlSerializer attribute(String namespace, String name, String value)
Write an attribute.
abstract void cdsect(String text)
abstract void comment(String text)
abstract void docdecl(String text)
abstract void endDocument()
Finish writing.
abstract XmlSerializer endTag(String namespace, String name)
Write end tag.
abstract void entityRef(String text)
abstract void flush()
Write all pending output to the stream.
abstract int getDepth()
Returns the current depth of the element.
abstract boolean getFeature(String name)
Return the current value of the feature with given name.
abstract String getName()
Returns the name of the current element as set by startTag().
abstract String getNamespace()
Returns the namespace URI of the current element as set by startTag().
abstract 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.
abstract Object getProperty(String name)
Look up the value of a property.
abstract void ignorableWhitespace(String text)
abstract void processingInstruction(String text)
abstract void setFeature(String name, boolean state)
Set feature identified by name (recommended to be URI for uniqueness).
abstract void setOutput(OutputStream os, String encoding)
Set to use binary output stream with given encoding.
abstract void setOutput(Writer writer)
Set the output to the given writer.
abstract void setPrefix(String prefix, String namespace)
Binds the given prefix to the given namespace.
abstract void setProperty(String name, Object value)
Set the value of a property.
abstract 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.
abstract XmlSerializer startTag(String namespace, String name)
Writes a start tag with the given namespace and name.
abstract XmlSerializer text(String text)
Writes text, where special XML chars are escaped automatically
abstract XmlSerializer text(char[] buf, int start, int len)
Writes text, where special XML chars are escaped automatically

Public Methods

public abstract XmlSerializer attribute (String namespace, String name, String value)

Since: API Level 1

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.

public abstract void cdsect (String text)

Since: API Level 1

public abstract void comment (String text)

Since: API Level 1

public abstract void docdecl (String text)

Since: API Level 1

public abstract void endDocument ()

Since: API Level 1

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()

public abstract XmlSerializer endTag (String namespace, String name)

Since: API Level 1

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 serializer will make sure that default empty namespace is declared (in XML 1.0 xmlns='').

public abstract void entityRef (String text)

Since: API Level 1

public abstract void flush ()

Since: API Level 1

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 flushing output call method text() with empty string (text("")).

Throws
IOException

public abstract int getDepth ()

Since: API Level 1

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
 

public abstract boolean getFeature (String name)

Since: API Level 1

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.
Throws
IllegalArgumentException if feature string is null

public abstract String getName ()

Since: API Level 1

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

public abstract String getNamespace ()

Since: API Level 1

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

NOTE: that means in particular 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

public abstract String getPrefix (String namespace, boolean generatePrefix)

Since: API Level 1

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.

NOTE: if the prefix is empty string "" and default namespace is bound to this prefix then empty string ("") is returned.

NOTE: prefixes "xml" and "xmlns" are already bound will have values as defined Namespaces in XML specification

public abstract Object getProperty (String name)

Since: API Level 1

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.

public abstract void ignorableWhitespace (String text)

Since: API Level 1

public abstract void processingInstruction (String text)

Since: API Level 1

public abstract void setFeature (String name, boolean state)

Since: API Level 1

Set feature identified by name (recommended to be URI for uniqueness). Some well known optional features are defined in http://www.xmlpull.org/v1/doc/features.html. If feature is not recognized or can not be set then IllegalStateException MUST be thrown.

Throws
IllegalStateException If the feature is not supported or can not be set
IllegalArgumentException

public abstract void setOutput (OutputStream os, String encoding)

Since: API Level 1

Set to use binary output stream with given encoding.

public abstract void setOutput (Writer writer)

Since: API Level 1

Set the output to the given writer.

WARNING no information about encoding is available!

public abstract void setPrefix (String prefix, String namespace)

Since: API Level 1

Binds the given prefix to the given namespace. This call is valid for the next element including child elements. The prefix and namespace MUST be always declared even if prefix is not used in element (startTag() or attribute()) - for XML 1.0 it must result in declaring xmlns:prefix='namespace' (or xmlns:prefix="namespace" depending what character is used to quote attribute value).

NOTE: this method MUST be called directly before startTag() and if anything but startTag() or setPrefix() is called next there will be exception.

NOTE: prefixes "xml" and "xmlns" are already bound and can not be redefined see: Namespaces in XML Errata.

NOTE: to set default namespace use as prefix empty string.

Parameters
prefix must be not null (or IllegalArgumentException is thrown)
namespace must be not null

public abstract void setProperty (String name, Object value)

Since: API Level 1

Set the value of a property. (the property name is recommended to be URI for uniqueness). Some well known optional properties are defined in http://www.xmlpull.org/v1/doc/properties.html. If property is not recognized or can not be set then IllegalStateException MUST be thrown.

Throws
IllegalStateException if the property is not supported or can not be set
IllegalArgumentException

public abstract void startDocument (String encoding, Boolean standalone)

Since: API Level 1

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.

public abstract XmlSerializer startTag (String namespace, String name)

Since: API Level 1

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 serializer 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.

public abstract XmlSerializer text (String text)

Since: API Level 1

Writes text, where special XML chars are escaped automatically

public abstract XmlSerializer text (char[] buf, int start, int len)

Since: API Level 1

Writes text, where special XML chars are escaped automatically