XML request and response processing
You are recommended to use IBM® Developer for Z or the CICS Web services assistant as the strategic method for parsing modeled requests. This approach provides XML parsing and generation for both the request header and body.
The CICS Web services assistant is described in detail in The CICS web services assistant. For information on using the tooling to perform XML processing, see the IBM Developer for Z help that is provided with the tool.
For backwards compatibility, CICS Service Flow Runtime provides an internal XML parsing function, which is nonstrategic.
XML request and response support consists of two main functions:
- The XML parsing function parses an inbound XML request message and maps XML elements to a fixed format COMMAREA. See XML message formats for a sample of a request message in XML format.
- The XML generation function generates an XML response message from a fixed format COMMAREA.
In the runtime environment, the processing associated with XML
request and response messages varies according to the way the service
requester incorporates the XML into the request message. The request
message can be divided into two main parts:
- The message header DFHMAH
- The application data
The following table indicates the message composition formats for
XML requests and whether or not the runtime environment supports the
message composition format:
XML location | Supported |
---|---|
In the message header and in the application data | Yes |
In the application data only | Yes |
In the message header only | No |
See XML message formats for samples of the XML that can be used in request and reply messages.