javax.xml.soap

## Class SOAPMessage

- java.lang.Object
- - javax.xml.soap.SOAPMessage

    public abstract class SOAPMessage
    extends Object

The root class for all SOAP messages. As transmitted on the "wire", a SOAP message is an XML document or a MIME message whose first body part is an XML/SOAP document.

A `SOAPMessage` object consists of a SOAP part and optionally one or more attachment parts. The SOAP part for a `SOAPMessage` object is a `SOAPPart` object, which contains information used for message routing and identification, and which can contain application-specific content. All data in the SOAP Part of a message must be in XML format.

A new `SOAPMessage` object contains the following by default:

- A `SOAPPart` object
- A `SOAPEnvelope` object
- A `SOAPBody` object
- A `SOAPHeader` object

The SOAP part of a message can be retrieved by calling the method `SOAPMessage.getSOAPPart()`. The `SOAPEnvelope` object is retrieved from the `SOAPPart` object, and the `SOAPEnvelope` object is used to retrieve the `SOAPBody` and `SOAPHeader` objects.

         SOAPPart sp = message.getSOAPPart();
         SOAPEnvelope se = sp.getEnvelope();
         SOAPBody sb = se.getBody();
         SOAPHeader sh = se.getHeader();

In addition to the mandatory `SOAPPart` object, a `SOAPMessage` object may contain zero or more `AttachmentPart` objects, each of which contains application-specific data. The `SOAPMessage` interface provides methods for creating `AttachmentPart` objects and also for adding them to a `SOAPMessage` object. A party that has received a `SOAPMessage` object can examine its contents by retrieving individual attachment parts.

Unlike the rest of a SOAP message, an attachment is not required to be in XML format and can therefore be anything from simple text to an image file. Consequently, any message content that is not in XML format must be in an `AttachmentPart` object.

A `MessageFactory` object may create `SOAPMessage` objects with behavior that is specialized to a particular implementation or application of SAAJ. For instance, a `MessageFactory` object may produce `SOAPMessage` objects that conform to a particular Profile such as ebXML. In this case a `MessageFactory` object might produce `SOAPMessage` objects that are initialized with ebXML headers.

In order to ensure backward source compatibility, methods that are added to this class after version 1.1 of the SAAJ specification are all concrete instead of abstract and they all have default implementations. Unless otherwise noted in the JavaDocs for those methods the default implementations simply throw an `UnsupportedOperationException` and the SAAJ implementation code must override them with methods that provide the specified behavior. Legacy client code does not have this restriction, however, so long as there is no claim made that it conforms to some later version of the specification than it was originally written for. A legacy class that extends the SOAPMessage class can be compiled and/or run against succeeding versions of the SAAJ API without modification. If such a class was correctly implemented then it will continue to behave correctly relative to the version of the specification against which it was written.

See Also:
  `MessageFactory`, `AttachmentPart`

### Field Summary

Fields
`static String` `CHARACTER_SET_ENCODING` Specifies the character type encoding for the SOAP Message.
`static String` `WRITE_XML_DECLARATION` Specifies whether the SOAP Message will contain an XML declaration when it is sent.

### Constructor Summary

Constructors
Constructor and Description
`SOAPMessage()`

### Method Summary

Methods
`abstract void` `addAttachmentPart(AttachmentPart AttachmentPart)` Adds the given `AttachmentPart` object to this `SOAPMessage` object.
`abstract int` `countAttachments()` Gets a count of the number of attachments in this message.
`abstract AttachmentPart` `createAttachmentPart()` Creates a new empty `AttachmentPart` object.
`AttachmentPart` `createAttachmentPart(DataHandler dataHandler)` Creates an `AttachmentPart` object and populates it using the given `DataHandler` object.
`AttachmentPart` `createAttachmentPart(Object content, String contentType)` Creates an `AttachmentPart` object and populates it with the specified data of the specified content type.
`abstract AttachmentPart` `getAttachment(SOAPElement element)` Returns an `AttachmentPart` object that is associated with an attachment that is referenced by this `SOAPElement` or `null` if no such attachment exists.
`abstract Iterator` `getAttachments()` Retrieves all the `AttachmentPart` objects that are part of this `SOAPMessage` object.
`abstract Iterator` `getAttachments(MimeHeaders headers)` Retrieves all the `AttachmentPart` objects that have header entries that match the specified headers.
`abstract String` `getContentDescription()` Retrieves a description of this `SOAPMessage` object's content.
`abstract MimeHeaders` `getMimeHeaders()` Returns all the transport-specific MIME headers for this `SOAPMessage` object in a transport-independent fashion.
`Object` `getProperty(String property)` Retrieves value of the specified property.
`SOAPBody` `getSOAPBody()` Gets the SOAP Body contained in this `SOAPMessage` object.
`SOAPHeader` `getSOAPHeader()` Gets the SOAP Header contained in this `SOAPMessage` object.
`abstract SOAPPart` `getSOAPPart()` Gets the SOAP part of this `SOAPMessage` object.
`abstract void` `removeAllAttachments()` Removes all `AttachmentPart` objects that have been added to this `SOAPMessage` object.
`abstract void` `removeAttachments(MimeHeaders headers)` Removes all the `AttachmentPart` objects that have header entries that match the specified headers.
`abstract void` `saveChanges()` Updates this `SOAPMessage` object with all the changes that have been made to it.
`abstract boolean` `saveRequired()` Indicates whether this `SOAPMessage` object needs to have the method `saveChanges` called on it.
`abstract void` `setContentDescription(String description)` Sets the description of this `SOAPMessage` object's content with the given description.
`void` `setProperty(String property, Object value)` Associates the specified value with the specified property.
`abstract void` `writeTo(OutputStream out)` Writes this `SOAPMessage` object to the given output stream.

### Methods inherited from class java.lang.Object

`clone, equals, finalize, getClass, hashCode, notify, notifyAll, toString, wait, wait, wait`

### Field Detail

#### CHARACTER_SET_ENCODING

    public static final String CHARACTER_SET_ENCODING

Specifies the character type encoding for the SOAP Message. Valid values include "utf-8" and "utf-16". See vendor documentation for additional supported values. The default is "utf-8".

Since:
  SAAJ 1.2
See Also:
  `SOAPMessage.setProperty`, Constant Field Values

#### WRITE_XML_DECLARATION

    public static final String WRITE_XML_DECLARATION

Specifies whether the SOAP Message will contain an XML declaration when it is sent. The only valid values are "true" and "false". The default is "false".

Since:
  SAAJ 1.2
See Also:
  `SOAPMessage.setProperty`, Constant Field Values

### Constructor Detail

#### SOAPMessage

    public SOAPMessage()

### Method Detail

#### setContentDescription

    public abstract void setContentDescription(String description)

Sets the description of this `SOAPMessage` object's content with the given description.

Parameters:
  `description` - a `String` describing the content of this message
See Also:
  `getContentDescription()`

#### getContentDescription

    public abstract String getContentDescription()

Retrieves a description of this `SOAPMessage` object's content.

Returns:
  a `String` describing the content of this message or `null` if no description has been set
See Also:
  `setContentDescription(java.lang.String)`

#### getSOAPPart

    public abstract SOAPPart getSOAPPart()

Gets the SOAP part of this `SOAPMessage` object.

`SOAPMessage` object contains one or more attachments, the SOAP Part must be the first MIME body part in the message.

Returns:
  the `SOAPPart` object for this `SOAPMessage` object

#### getSOAPBody

    public SOAPBody getSOAPBody()
                         throws SOAPException

Gets the SOAP Body contained in this `SOAPMessage` object.

Returns:
  the `SOAPBody` object contained by this `SOAPMessage` object
Throws:
  `SOAPException` - if the SOAP Body does not exist or cannot be retrieved
Since:
  SAAJ 1.2

#### getSOAPHeader

    public SOAPHeader getSOAPHeader()
                             throws SOAPException

Gets the SOAP Header contained in this `SOAPMessage` object.

Returns:
  the `SOAPHeader` object contained by this `SOAPMessage` object
Throws:
  `SOAPException` - if the SOAP Header does not exist or cannot be retrieved
Since:
  SAAJ 1.2

#### removeAllAttachments

    public abstract void removeAllAttachments()

Removes all `AttachmentPart` objects that have been added to this `SOAPMessage` object.

This method does not touch the SOAP part.

#### countAttachments

    public abstract int countAttachments()

Gets a count of the number of attachments in this message. This count does not include the SOAP part.

Returns:
  the number of `AttachmentPart` objects that are part of this `SOAPMessage` object

#### getAttachments

    public abstract Iterator getAttachments()

Retrieves all the `AttachmentPart` objects that are part of this `SOAPMessage` object.

Returns:
  an iterator over all the attachments in this message

#### getAttachments

    public abstract Iterator getAttachments(MimeHeaders headers)

Retrieves all the `AttachmentPart` objects that have header entries that match the specified headers. Note that a returned attachment could have headers in addition to those specified.

Parameters:
  `headers` - a `MimeHeaders` object containing the MIME headers for which to search
Returns:
  an iterator over all attachments that have a header that matches one of the given headers

#### removeAttachments

    public abstract void removeAttachments(MimeHeaders headers)

Removes all the `AttachmentPart` objects that have header entries that match the specified headers. Note that the removed attachment could have headers in addition to those specified.

Parameters:
  `headers` - a `MimeHeaders` object containing the MIME headers for which to search
Since:
  SAAJ 1.3

#### getAttachment

    public abstract AttachmentPart getAttachment(SOAPElement element)
                                          throws SOAPException

Returns an `AttachmentPart` object that is associated with an attachment that is referenced by this `SOAPElement` or `null` if no such attachment exists. References can be made via an `href` attribute as described in SOAP Messages with Attachments, or via a single `Text` child node containing a URI as described in the WS-I Attachments Profile 1.0 for elements of schema type ref:swaRef(ref:swaRef). These two mechanisms must be supported. The support for references via `href` attribute also implies that this method should also be supported on an element that is an xop:Include element ( XOP). other reference mechanisms may be supported by individual implementations of this standard. Contact your vendor for details.

Parameters:
  `element` - The `SOAPElement` containing the reference to an Attachment
Returns:
  the referenced `AttachmentPart` or null if no such `AttachmentPart` exists or no reference can be found in this `SOAPElement`.
Throws:
  `SOAPException` - if there is an error in the attempt to access the attachment
Since:
  SAAJ 1.3

#### addAttachmentPart

    public abstract void addAttachmentPart(AttachmentPart AttachmentPart)

Adds the given `AttachmentPart` object to this `SOAPMessage` object. An `AttachmentPart` object must be created before it can be added to a message.

Parameters:
  `AttachmentPart` - an `AttachmentPart` object that is to become part of this `SOAPMessage` object
Throws:
  `IllegalArgumentException`

#### createAttachmentPart

    public abstract AttachmentPart createAttachmentPart()

Creates a new empty `AttachmentPart` object. Note that the method `addAttachmentPart` must be called with this new `AttachmentPart` object as the parameter in order for it to become an attachment to this `SOAPMessage` object.

Returns:
  a new `AttachmentPart` object that can be populated and added to this `SOAPMessage` object

#### createAttachmentPart

    public AttachmentPart createAttachmentPart(DataHandler dataHandler)

Creates an `AttachmentPart` object and populates it using the given `DataHandler` object.

Parameters:
  `dataHandler` - the `javax.activation.DataHandler` object that will generate the content for this `SOAPMessage` object
Returns:
  a new `AttachmentPart` object that contains data generated by the given `DataHandler` object
Throws:
  `IllegalArgumentException` - if there was a problem with the specified `DataHandler` object
See Also:
  `DataHandler`, `DataContentHandler`

#### getMimeHeaders

    public abstract MimeHeaders getMimeHeaders()

Returns all the transport-specific MIME headers for this `SOAPMessage` object in a transport-independent fashion.

Returns:
  a `MimeHeaders` object containing the `MimeHeader` objects

#### createAttachmentPart

    public AttachmentPart createAttachmentPart(Object content,
                                      String contentType)

Creates an `AttachmentPart` object and populates it with the specified data of the specified content type. The type of the `Object` should correspond to the value given for the `Content-Type`.

Parameters:
  `content` - an `Object` containing the content for the `AttachmentPart` object to be created
  `contentType` - a `String` object giving the type of content; examples are "text/xml", "text/plain", and "image/jpeg"
Returns:
  a new `AttachmentPart` object that contains the given data
Throws:
  `IllegalArgumentException` - may be thrown if the contentType does not match the type of the content object, or if there was no `DataContentHandler` object for the given content object
See Also:
  `DataHandler`, `DataContentHandler`

#### saveChanges

    public abstract void saveChanges()
                              throws SOAPException

Updates this `SOAPMessage` object with all the changes that have been made to it. This method is called automatically when `writeTo(OutputStream)` is called. However, if changes are made to a message that was received or to one that has already been sent, the method `saveChanges` needs to be called explicitly in order to save the changes. The method `saveChanges` also generates any changes that can be read back (for example, a MessageId in profiles that support a message id). All MIME headers in a message that is created for sending purposes are guaranteed to have valid values only after `saveChanges` has been called.

In addition, this method marks the point at which the data from all constituent `AttachmentPart` objects are pulled into the message.

Throws:
  ``SOAPException`` - if there was a problem saving changes to this message.
  `SOAPException`

#### saveRequired

    public abstract boolean saveRequired()

Indicates whether this `SOAPMessage` object needs to have the method `saveChanges` called on it.

Returns:
  `true` if `saveChanges` needs to be called; `false` otherwise.

#### writeTo

    public abstract void writeTo(OutputStream out)
                          throws SOAPException,
                                 IOException

Writes this `SOAPMessage` object to the given output stream. The externalization format is as defined by the SOAP 1.1 with Attachments specification.

If there are no attachments, just an XML stream is written out. For those messages that have attachments, `writeTo` writes a MIME-encoded byte stream.

Note that this method does not write the transport-specific MIME Headers of the Message

Parameters:
  `out` - the `OutputStream` object to which this `SOAPMessage` object will be written
Throws:
  `IOException` - if an I/O error occurs
  `SOAPException` - if there was a problem in externalizing this SOAP message

#### setProperty

    public void setProperty(String property,
                   Object value)
                     throws SOAPException

Associates the specified value with the specified property. If there was already a value associated with this property, the old value is replaced.

The valid property names include `WRITE_XML_DECLARATION` and `CHARACTER_SET_ENCODING`. All of these standard SAAJ properties are prefixed by "javax.xml.soap". Vendors may also add implementation specific properties. These properties must be prefixed with package names that are unique to the vendor.

Setting the property `WRITE_XML_DECLARATION` to `"true"` will cause an XML Declaration to be written out at the start of the SOAP message. The default value of "false" suppresses this declaration.

The property `CHARACTER_SET_ENCODING` defaults to the value `"utf-8"` which causes the SOAP message to be encoded using UTF-8. Setting `CHARACTER_SET_ENCODING` to `"utf-16"` causes the SOAP message to be encoded using UTF-16.

Some implementations may allow encodings in addition to UTF-8 and UTF-16. Refer to your vendor's documentation for details.

Parameters:
  `property` - the property with which the specified value is to be associated.
  `value` - the value to be associated with the specified property
Throws:
  `SOAPException` - if the property name is not recognized.
Since:
  SAAJ 1.2

#### getProperty

    public Object getProperty(String property)
                       throws SOAPException

Retrieves value of the specified property.

Parameters:
  `property` - the name of the property to retrieve
Returns:
  the value associated with the named property or `null` if no such property exists.
Throws:
  `SOAPException` - if the property name is not recognized.
Since:
  SAAJ 1.2

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