Problem with array of beans in 1.2RC2 (wrapped/literal)

• Key: AXIS-1673
• Type: Bug
• Status: Resolved
• Resolution: Fixed
• Priority: Blocker
• Assignee: Unassigned
• Reporter: Julien Wajsberg
• Component/s: Serialization/Deserialization
• Affects Version/s: 1.2RC2

Environment

Server : Windows 2000
Client : Windows Xp
JVM : Sun 1.4.2

Description

There's a strange bug in axis 1.2RC2, dealing with array of beans.

The signature of the called method is :
public ArrayBean echoArrayBean(ArrayBean param);

ArrayBean is defined like this :
public class ArrayBean implements Serializable {
   private String stringData;
   private SimpleBean[] simpleBeanArrayData;
... accessors ...
}

And SimpleBean :
public class SimpleBean implements Serializable {
   private String stringData;
   private int intData;
... accessors ...
}

The corresponding part of the WSDL generated by Axis follows (in different namespaces, but we don't care here) :
  <element name="echoArrayBean">
   <complexType>
    <sequence>
     <element name="in0" type="tns1:ArrayBean"/>
    </sequence>
   </complexType>
  </element>
  <complexType name="ArrayOf_tns1_SimpleBean">
   <sequence>
    <element maxOccurs="unbounded" minOccurs="0" name="item" type="tns1:SimpleBean"/>
   </sequence>
  </complexType>
  <complexType name="SimpleBean">
   <sequence>
    <element name="intData" type="xsd:int"/>
    <element name="stringData" nillable="true" type="xsd:string"/>
   </sequence>
  </complexType>
  <complexType name="ArrayBean">
   <sequence>
    <element name="simpleBeanArrayData" nillable="true" type="impl:ArrayOf_tns1_SimpleBean"/>
    <element name="stringData" nillable="true" type="xsd:string"/>
   </sequence>
  </complexType>

What's important here is that "item" is correctly specified as an element of Array_Of_tns1_SimpleBean.

When I try to invoke this operation with a Weblogic client, I get the following exception :
java.rmi.RemoteException: SOAP Fault:javax.xml.rpc.soap.SOAPFaultException: org.xml.sax.SAXException: Invalid element in test.bean.SimpleBean - item

The corresponding part in the soap message is :
<n1:echoArrayBean><n1:in0><n2:simpleBeanArrayData xsi:type="n1:ArrayOf_tns1_SimpleBean">
<n1:item xsi:type="n2:SimpleBean"><n2:intData>-123456</n2:intData><n2:stringData>ces données sontcomplexes [à@}]</n2:stringData></n1:item>
<n1:item xsi:type="n2:SimpleBean"><n2:intData>-123456</n2:intData><n2:stringData>ces données sontcomplexes [à@}]</n2:stringData></n1:item>
</n2:simpleBeanArrayData><n3:stringData>data</n3:stringData></n1:in0></n1:echoArrayBean>

This message seems to be correct, according to the WSDL. Yet, Axis doesn't like it :/

Note : we just tried with an Axis client: same soap message, same behaviour.
--
Julien Wajsberg

Comments

Quoted from the mailing list :

"I have encountered this same situation with .NET. To fix the problem we had
to make the array property a Java Bean Indexed Property. Your ArrayBean
needs to have not only the simple getter and setter from simpleBeanArrayData
but also a getter and setter by index, getSimpleBeanArrayData(int i) and
setSimpleBeanArrayData(int i, SimpleBean bean).

This keeps Axis from generating the ArrayOf_ type (which is not valid based
on the WS-I spec)."

This workaround works perfectly. The WSDL is slightly different, for the description of ArrayBean :

   <complexType name="ArrayBean">
    <sequence>
     <element maxOccurs="unbounded" name="simpleBeanArrayData" nillable="true" type="tns1:SimpleBean"/>
     <element name="stringData" nillable="true" type="xsd:string"/>
    </sequence>
   </complexType>
  </schema>

Here, there isn't any wrapping element "item".

I think however that the initial behavior is a bug. I can think of two different correct behaviors :
 - without this getter and setter, axis generates the same WSDL as this one
 - it should accept the SOAP message that is described in the generated WSDL

I tried implementing the service with beans without accessor, using the client to the other service (therefore without "item" elements): the service accepted the message, but it wasn't correctly deserialized (I only got one item in the array).

[Jongjin Choi]

I remember that the wrapped/literal array problem has been arisen several times.

When starting from WSDL, I think, Axis can handle both cases (ArrayOf_XXX or complex-type embeded unbounded element). The generated classes from WSDL which has ArrayOf_XXX complex type contains the class ArrayOf_XXX.java, which is needed in the deserialization and serialization process.

When starting from Java class, the problem may occurs. The javabean which has no indexed properties is mapped to ArrayOf_XXX complexType in WSDL and the client will send the unexpected element 'item' to server in this case.

I think that your option 1 would be right.
Accroding to JAX-RPC 1.1 '5.4.1 XML Mapping', there is no standard mapping of indexed properties. If Axis depends on the indexed properties to handle the wrapped/literal array properly, it may hurt the JAX-RPC 1.1 compliance.

The org.apache.axis.utils.BeanPropertyDescriptor depends on indexed properties for array handling. I patched it and got the same wsdl.

The patch will be attached.

[Jongjin Choi]

The patch for org.apache.axis.utils.BeanPropertyDescriptor is attached.

[Davanum Srinivas]

Can you please submit a test case? and have you run "ant clean all-tests"?

thanks,
dims

[Jongjin Choi]

Dims, I ran the all-tests and passed.
I'll upload the testcase.

A few comments...
Had we some interop problem with .NET on this issue?
I think we need more interop test with .NET on this.
As far as I remember, The .NET interop of wrapped array was one of the customization points of Axis to my company's was TmaxSoft's JEUS last year.
I will test it more.

[Jongjin Choi]

.NET client works well with the generated WSDL.

[Julien Wajsberg]

This bug is still present in Axis 1.2RC3; do you plan to fix it before Axis 1.2 final ?

[Davanum Srinivas]

blocker??

[Julien Wajsberg]

Because :
- it's a regression (IIRC in 1.2RC1 it worked)
- there seems to be a working patch

[Davanum Srinivas]

just tried latest CVS. works fine. only change was a typo in server-config.wsdd.

<parameter name="allowedMethods" value="echoSimpleBeanArray echoArrayBean"/>

thanks,
dims