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authorTimothy Warren <tim@timshomepage.net>2011-10-06 03:47:59 +0200
committerTimothy Warren <tim@timshomepage.net>2011-10-06 03:47:59 +0200
commitfb7ff742949e0474dfba30be45be513b3b4f63cc (patch)
tree87b150fd502d0789f9660ca4dc2ace44817813c3 /user_guide_src/source/libraries/xmlrpc.rst
parentf7a8d86dbc6805a4e52964bbea76738df75b5f35 (diff)
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Merge branch 'develop' of git://github.com/EllisLab/CodeIgniter into develop
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+##################################
+XML-RPC and XML-RPC Server Classes
+##################################
+
+CodeIgniter's XML-RPC classes permit you to send requests to another
+server, or set up your own XML-RPC server to receive requests.
+
+****************
+What is XML-RPC?
+****************
+
+Quite simply it is a way for two computers to communicate over the
+internet using XML. One computer, which we will call the client, sends
+an XML-RPC **request** to another computer, which we will call the
+server. Once the server receives and processes the request it will send
+back a **response** to the client.
+
+For example, using the MetaWeblog API, an XML-RPC Client (usually a
+desktop publishing tool) will send a request to an XML-RPC Server
+running on your site. This request might be a new weblog entry being
+sent for publication, or it could be a request for an existing entry for
+editing. When the XML-RPC Server receives this request it will examine
+it to determine which class/method should be called to process the
+request. Once processed, the server will then send back a response
+message.
+
+For detailed specifications, you can visit the
+`XML-RPC <http://www.xmlrpc.com/>`_ site.
+
+Initializing the Class
+======================
+
+Like most other classes in CodeIgniter, the XML-RPC and XML-RPCS classes
+are initialized in your controller using the $this->load->library
+function:
+
+To load the XML-RPC class you will use::
+
+ $this->load->library('xmlrpc');
+
+Once loaded, the xml-rpc library object will be available using:
+$this->xmlrpc
+
+To load the XML-RPC Server class you will use::
+
+ $this->load->library('xmlrpc');
+ $this->load->library('xmlrpcs');
+
+Once loaded, the xml-rpcs library object will be available using:
+$this->xmlrpcs
+
+.. note:: When using the XML-RPC Server class you must load BOTH the
+ XML-RPC class and the XML-RPC Server class.
+
+Sending XML-RPC Requests
+========================
+
+To send a request to an XML-RPC server you must specify the following
+information:
+
+- The URL of the server
+- The method on the server you wish to call
+- The *request* data (explained below).
+
+Here is a basic example that sends a simple Weblogs.com ping to the
+`Ping-o-Matic <http://pingomatic.com/>`_
+
+::
+
+ $this->load->library('xmlrpc');
+
+ $this->xmlrpc->server('http://rpc.pingomatic.com/', 80);
+ $this->xmlrpc->method('weblogUpdates.ping');
+
+ $request = array('My Photoblog', 'http://www.my-site.com/photoblog/');
+ $this->xmlrpc->request($request);
+
+ if ( ! $this->xmlrpc->send_request())
+ {
+ echo $this->xmlrpc->display_error();
+ }
+
+Explanation
+-----------
+
+The above code initializes the XML-RPC class, sets the server URL and
+method to be called (weblogUpdates.ping). The request (in this case, the
+title and URL of your site) is placed into an array for transportation,
+and compiled using the request() function. Lastly, the full request is
+sent. If the send_request() method returns false we will display the
+error message sent back from the XML-RPC Server.
+
+Anatomy of a Request
+====================
+
+An XML-RPC request is simply the data you are sending to the XML-RPC
+server. Each piece of data in a request is referred to as a request
+parameter. The above example has two parameters: The URL and title of
+your site. When the XML-RPC server receives your request, it will look
+for parameters it requires.
+
+Request parameters must be placed into an array for transportation, and
+each parameter can be one of seven data types (strings, numbers, dates,
+etc.). If your parameters are something other than strings you will have
+to include the data type in the request array.
+
+Here is an example of a simple array with three parameters::
+
+ $request = array('John', 'Doe', 'www.some-site.com');
+ $this->xmlrpc->request($request);
+
+If you use data types other than strings, or if you have several
+different data types, you will place each parameter into its own array,
+with the data type in the second position::
+
+ $request = array (
+ array('John', 'string'),
+ array('Doe', 'string'),
+ array(FALSE, 'boolean'),
+ array(12345, 'int')
+ );
+ $this->xmlrpc->request($request);
+
+The `Data Types <#datatypes>`_ section below has a full list of data
+types.
+Creating an XML-RPC Server
+==========================
+
+An XML-RPC Server acts as a traffic cop of sorts, waiting for incoming
+requests and redirecting them to the appropriate functions for
+processing.
+
+To create your own XML-RPC server involves initializing the XML-RPC
+Server class in your controller where you expect the incoming request to
+appear, then setting up an array with mapping instructions so that
+incoming requests can be sent to the appropriate class and method for
+processing.
+
+Here is an example to illustrate::
+
+ $this->load->library('xmlrpc');
+ $this->load->library('xmlrpcs');
+
+ $config['functions']['new_post'] = array('function' => 'My_blog.new_entry'),
+ $config['functions']['update_post'] = array('function' => 'My_blog.update_entry');
+ $config['object'] = $this;
+
+ $this->xmlrpcs->initialize($config);
+ $this->xmlrpcs->serve();
+
+The above example contains an array specifying two method requests that
+the Server allows. The allowed methods are on the left side of the
+array. When either of those are received, they will be mapped to the
+class and method on the right.
+
+The 'object' key is a special key that you pass an instantiated class
+object with, which is necessary when the method you are mapping to is
+not part of the CodeIgniter super object.
+
+In other words, if an XML-RPC Client sends a request for the new_post
+method, your server will load the My_blog class and call the new_entry
+function. If the request is for the update_post method, your server
+will load the My_blog class and call the update_entry function.
+
+The function names in the above example are arbitrary. You'll decide
+what they should be called on your server, or if you are using
+standardized APIs, like the Blogger or MetaWeblog API, you'll use their
+function names.
+
+There are two additional configuration keys you may make use of when
+initializing the server class: debug can be set to TRUE in order to
+enable debugging, and xss_clean may be set to FALSE to prevent sending
+data through the Security library's xss_clean function.
+
+Processing Server Requests
+==========================
+
+When the XML-RPC Server receives a request and loads the class/method
+for processing, it will pass an object to that method containing the
+data sent by the client.
+
+Using the above example, if the new_post method is requested, the
+server will expect a class to exist with this prototype::
+
+ class My_blog extends CI_Controller {
+
+ function new_post($request)
+ {
+
+ }
+ }
+
+The $request variable is an object compiled by the Server, which
+contains the data sent by the XML-RPC Client. Using this object you will
+have access to the *request parameters* enabling you to process the
+request. When you are done you will send a Response back to the Client.
+
+Below is a real-world example, using the Blogger API. One of the methods
+in the Blogger API is getUserInfo(). Using this method, an XML-RPC
+Client can send the Server a username and password, in return the Server
+sends back information about that particular user (nickname, user ID,
+email address, etc.). Here is how the processing function might look::
+
+ class My_blog extends CI_Controller {
+
+ function getUserInfo($request)
+ {
+ $username = 'smitty';
+ $password = 'secretsmittypass';
+
+ $this->load->library('xmlrpc');
+
+ $parameters = $request->output_parameters();
+
+ if ($parameters['1'] != $username AND $parameters['2'] != $password)
+ {
+ return $this->xmlrpc->send_error_message('100', 'Invalid Access');
+ }
+
+ $response = array(array('nickname' => array('Smitty','string'),
+ 'userid' => array('99','string'),
+ 'url' => array('http://yoursite.com','string'),
+ 'email' => array('jsmith@yoursite.com','string'),
+ 'lastname' => array('Smith','string'),
+ 'firstname' => array('John','string')
+ ),
+ 'struct');
+
+ return $this->xmlrpc->send_response($response);
+ }
+ }
+
+Notes:
+------
+
+The output_parameters() function retrieves an indexed array
+corresponding to the request parameters sent by the client. In the above
+example, the output parameters will be the username and password.
+
+If the username and password sent by the client were not valid, and
+error message is returned using send_error_message().
+
+If the operation was successful, the client will be sent back a response
+array containing the user's info.
+
+Formatting a Response
+=====================
+
+Similar to *Requests*, *Responses* must be formatted as an array.
+However, unlike requests, a response is an array **that contains a
+single item**. This item can be an array with several additional arrays,
+but there can be only one primary array index. In other words, the basic
+prototype is this::
+
+ $response = array('Response data', 'array');
+
+Responses, however, usually contain multiple pieces of information. In
+order to accomplish this we must put the response into its own array so
+that the primary array continues to contain a single piece of data.
+Here's an example showing how this might be accomplished::
+
+ $response = array (
+ array(
+ 'first_name' => array('John', 'string'),
+ 'last_name' => array('Doe', 'string'),
+ 'member_id' => array(123435, 'int'),
+ 'todo_list' => array(array('clean house', 'call mom', 'water plants'), 'array'),
+ ),
+ 'struct'
+ );
+
+Notice that the above array is formatted as a struct. This is the most
+common data type for responses.
+
+As with Requests, a response can be one of the seven data types listed
+in the `Data Types <#datatypes>`_ section.
+
+Sending an Error Response
+=========================
+
+If you need to send the client an error response you will use the
+following::
+
+ return $this->xmlrpc->send_error_message('123', 'Requested data not available');
+
+The first parameter is the error number while the second parameter is
+the error message.
+
+Creating Your Own Client and Server
+===================================
+
+To help you understand everything we've covered thus far, let's create a
+couple controllers that act as XML-RPC Client and Server. You'll use the
+Client to send a request to the Server and receive a response.
+
+The Client
+----------
+
+Using a text editor, create a controller called xmlrpc_client.php. In
+it, place this code and save it to your applications/controllers/
+folder::
+
+ <?php
+
+ class Xmlrpc_client extends CI_Controller {
+
+ function index()
+ {
+ $this->load->helper('url');
+ $server_url = site_url('xmlrpc_server');
+
+ $this->load->library('xmlrpc');
+
+ $this->xmlrpc->server($server_url, 80);
+ $this->xmlrpc->method('Greetings');
+
+ $request = array('How is it going?');
+ $this->xmlrpc->request($request);
+
+ if ( ! $this->xmlrpc->send_request())
+ {
+ echo $this->xmlrpc->display_error();
+ }
+ else
+ {
+ echo '<pre>';
+ print_r($this->xmlrpc->display_response());
+ echo '</pre>';
+ }
+ }
+ }
+ ?>
+
+.. note:: In the above code we are using a "url helper". You can find more
+ information in the :doc:`Helpers Functions <../general/helpers>` page.
+
+The Server
+----------
+
+Using a text editor, create a controller called xmlrpc_server.php. In
+it, place this code and save it to your applications/controllers/
+folder::
+
+ <?php
+
+ class Xmlrpc_server extends CI_Controller {
+
+ function index()
+ {
+ $this->load->library('xmlrpc');
+ $this->load->library('xmlrpcs');
+
+ $config['functions']['Greetings'] = array('function' => 'Xmlrpc_server.process');
+
+ $this->xmlrpcs->initialize($config);
+ $this->xmlrpcs->serve();
+ }
+
+
+ function process($request)
+ {
+ $parameters = $request->output_parameters();
+
+ $response = array(
+ array(
+ 'you_said' => $parameters['0'],
+ 'i_respond' => 'Not bad at all.'),
+ 'struct');
+
+ return $this->xmlrpc->send_response($response);
+ }
+ }
+ ?>
+
+
+Try it!
+-------
+
+Now visit the your site using a URL similar to this::
+
+ example.com/index.php/xmlrpc_client/
+
+You should now see the message you sent to the server, and its response
+back to you.
+
+The client you created sends a message ("How's is going?") to the
+server, along with a request for the "Greetings" method. The Server
+receives the request and maps it to the "process" function, where a
+response is sent back.
+
+Using Associative Arrays In a Request Parameter
+===============================================
+
+If you wish to use an associative array in your method parameters you
+will need to use a struct datatype::
+
+ $request = array(
+ array(
+ // Param 0
+ array(
+ 'name'=>'John'
+ ),
+ 'struct'
+ ),
+ array(
+ // Param 1
+ array(
+ 'size'=>'large',
+ 'shape'=>'round'
+ ),
+ 'struct'
+ )
+ );
+ $this->xmlrpc->request($request);
+
+You can retrieve the associative array when processing the request in
+the Server.
+
+::
+
+ $parameters = $request->output_parameters();
+ $name = $parameters['0']['name'];
+ $size = $parameters['1']['size'];
+ $size = $parameters['1']['shape'];
+
+**************************
+XML-RPC Function Reference
+**************************
+
+$this->xmlrpc->server()
+=======================
+
+Sets the URL and port number of the server to which a request is to be
+sent::
+
+ $this->xmlrpc->server('http://www.sometimes.com/pings.php', 80);
+
+$this->xmlrpc->timeout()
+========================
+
+Set a time out period (in seconds) after which the request will be
+canceled::
+
+ $this->xmlrpc->timeout(6);
+
+$this->xmlrpc->method()
+=======================
+
+Sets the method that will be requested from the XML-RPC server::
+
+ $this->xmlrpc->method('method');
+
+Where method is the name of the method.
+
+$this->xmlrpc->request()
+========================
+
+Takes an array of data and builds request to be sent to XML-RPC server::
+
+ $request = array(array('My Photoblog', 'string'), 'http://www.yoursite.com/photoblog/');
+ $this->xmlrpc->request($request);
+
+$this->xmlrpc->send_request()
+==============================
+
+The request sending function. Returns boolean TRUE or FALSE based on
+success for failure, enabling it to be used conditionally.
+
+$this->xmlrpc->set_debug(TRUE);
+================================
+
+Enables debugging, which will display a variety of information and error
+data helpful during development.
+
+$this->xmlrpc->display_error()
+===============================
+
+Returns an error message as a string if your request failed for some
+reason.
+
+::
+
+ echo $this->xmlrpc->display_error();
+
+$this->xmlrpc->display_response()
+==================================
+
+Returns the response from the remote server once request is received.
+The response will typically be an associative array.
+
+::
+
+ $this->xmlrpc->display_response();
+
+$this->xmlrpc->send_error_message()
+=====================================
+
+This function lets you send an error message from your server to the
+client. First parameter is the error number while the second parameter
+is the error message.
+
+::
+
+ return $this->xmlrpc->send_error_message('123', 'Requested data not available');
+
+$this->xmlrpc->send_response()
+===============================
+
+Lets you send the response from your server to the client. An array of
+valid data values must be sent with this method.
+
+::
+
+ $response = array(
+ array(
+ 'flerror' => array(FALSE, 'boolean'),
+ 'message' => "Thanks for the ping!"
+ )
+ 'struct');
+ return $this->xmlrpc->send_response($response);
+
+Data Types
+==========
+
+According to the `XML-RPC spec <http://www.xmlrpc.com/spec>`_ there are
+seven types of values that you can send via XML-RPC:
+
+- *int* or *i4*
+- *boolean*
+- *string*
+- *double*
+- *dateTime.iso8601*
+- *base64*
+- *struct* (contains array of values)
+- *array* (contains array of values)
+