Introduction to WebObjects XML Serialization Guide

This document explains how to you can use XML serialization in your applications. Binary serialization is a simple and efficient way of serializing data. To see this appealing format, invoke the cat command on an executable file. Binary is a wonderful format for computers to use, but it's not easy for people to understand. XML (Extensible Markup Language) is a specification that defines a format that can be used to represent data in a way that is more understandable to human beings than binary is.

The Java language has an excellent API for binary serialization. WebObjects extends that API to provide you with XML serialization.

Encoding objects and data into XML documents allows you to easily view and modify objects and data in their serialized form. It also lets you share information between applications, systems, and even organizations using a standard format. In addition, when receiving streams of serialized data over the Internet, you may want to make sure that the document is valid before deserializing it. XML serialization provides you with facilities to accomplish this.

What You Should Already Know

This document assumes that you are familiar with XML, binary serialization in Java, and Sun's security manager. If you plan on using the XSLT processor included with WebObjects or one of your own, you should have enough knowledge of Extensible Stylesheet Language Transformations (XSLT) to develop XSLT stylesheets. Additional Resources provides a list of resources that get you started in Java binary serialization and XSLT.

You should also have experience developing WebObjects applications. In particular, you need to know how to create applications using Project Builder (the project-management tool of WebObjects). See Additional Resources for a list of documents that address this and other essential subjects.

Organization of This Document

The document contains the following chapters and appendixes:

This document also contains a glossary of terms and an index.

Serializing Objects and Data and Transforming XML Documents walk you through developing applications that use binary and XML serialization. The projects created in those chapters are included in /Developer/Documentation/WebObjects/XML_Serialization/Projects. As a companion to the document, there is a compressed version of the projects at http://developer.apple.com/documentation/WebObjects.

See Also

If you need to learn the basics about developing WebObjects applications, you can find that information in the following documents:

For additional WebObjects documentation and links to other resources, visit http://developer.apple.com/webobjects.

Additional Resources

In addition to WebObjects development experience, you also need to be acquainted with the Java binary serialization API and XML.

The following resources provide information on serialization and XML:

Other related resources: