RemoteProcedureCall''''''ing using the HyperTextTransferProtocol as the transport and the ExtensibleMarkupLanguage as the encoding. XML-RPC is designed to be as simple as possible, while allowing complex data structures to be transmitted, processed and returned. : -- From http://www.xmlrpc.org ''DaveWiner, the creator of the protocol, complained about people that called it XML RPC, and not XML-RPC. Now some people call it XML-TPC.'' ---- Contrast with: SimpleObjectAccessProtocol * XML-RPC is somewhat older and more limited than SOAP. Especially the support of datatypes in the XML payloads is stronger in SOAP. ''or, to spin it the other way:'' * XML-RPC is somewhat more solidified and simpler than SOAP. Especially the support of datatypes in the XML payloads is more complicated in SOAP ;) For more: * http://www.xml.com/pub/1999/10/open/index.html -- A good general read on "''XML Inter-Application Protocols''". * http://www.oreillynet.com/seek/xml_search -- try the keywords "xml-rpc soap". * http://www.perisic.com/xmlrpc -- some material teaching XML-RPC in a distributed computing lecture; contains also examples on how to use XML-RPC with Java. * http://www.xml.com/pub/a/ws/2002/12/18/endpoints.html -- migration from XmlRpc to SimpleObjectAccessProtocol, using "profile" on SOAP. It also discussed a schema for XML-RPC, and pecularities of the protocol (e.g. does not use attributes). ---- '''XmlRpc Implementation on Various Platforms''' * On DotNet, an example is http://www.xml-rpc.net/faq/xmlrpcnetfaq.html * ''On DistributedInternetArchitecture COM world'' ** ''I cannot find examples. Help'' * In Python, client and server support is included in the standard library: ** Client: http://docs.python.org/lib/module-xmlrpclib.html ** Simple server: http://docs.python.org/lib/module-SimpleXMLRPCServer.html ** Self-documenting server: http://docs.python.org/lib/module-DocXMLRPCServer.html ---- "XML-RPC was a "pre-release" of SOAP because DaveWiner got tired of waiting for MSFT to allow their folks to sign-off on SOAP" Above sourced from XML RPC http://mail.python.org/pipermail/xml-sig/2003-March/009227.html Also it was claimed SOAP 1.2 is much worse than SOAP 1.1 due to the TooManyCooksPattern. As a cook on SOAP/1.1 and barely on 1.2, I can say with some authority that SOAP/1.2 has way fewer errors and ambiguities than 1.1. Moreover, SOAP/1.2 took several of the "dumber" features we put into SOAP/1.1 and annexed them out and/or radically simplified them. --DonBox ''Above has been one of WikiVipVisits on 7Jul04, by 65-101-142-22.tukw.qwest.net. This entry made for benefit of QuickDiff users'' ---- See also: FormEncodingOverHttp ---- Yeah, I think XML-RPC is cool. Simpler than SOAP but unfortunately not as popular. I am building a distributed software framework where I plan on selling an "XML Integration" product that includes both SOAP and XML-RPC adapters. In essence, each node runs a lightweight web server that uses a thread pool to serve requests. Multiple forms of internode communication can occur simultaneously. XML-RPC and SOAP are nifty ways to do that. I'm hip on (and agree with) all the points made above. --PhilipEskelin ---- XML-RPC is cool when you control both sides of the wire and want to do rpc simply and easily. It doesn't support x-language runtime 'discovery' of interfaces and so doesn't have the complex typing baggage required to provide this (compare to soap/xmlschema/wsdl/uddi). - PhilDawes ---- I like XML-RPC for teaching the basics of distributed computing. The easy learning curve allows a quick creation of simple applications. - Marc Conrad (see the perisic link in the link list) ---- So, does anyone know of any XmlRpcWikiProtocol project? I mean, you get XmlRpc apis for blogging so why not for wikis? -- MilkMiruku * Yes, kind of. http://www.flyingmeat.com/vpwikispec-0.1.txt has been implemented in TWikiWiki and in a couple of others. There is an updated spec at http://flyingmeat.com/vpwiki_api.html , but I don't know of anyone that has used it (other than VoodooPad itself) (oh, and the .NET client I was playing with for testing :) ) I am mucking around with making a dotNET clone of VoodooPad, and hope that more wiki's support some kind of programatic interface --SvenDowideit * All other major WikiEngines however negotiated more or less on MeatBall:XmlRpcToWiki, which originated in JspWiki. ---- '''QuickQuestions''' '''Q''' Two questions from an IwannaLearnWebServices beginner -- dl 1 - Any net resources and links and forums for persons wanting to do XmlRpc for VbClassic or VbDotNet? 2 - Statement made in XmlRpcVsCobra which implied XmlRpc unsuited for nontext streams. PleaseComment 3 - How is XmlRpc compared to the ''new'' Microsoft "RPC over HTTP" which seems to be associated with Exchange? '''A''' ---- CategoryXml