Tools for data-handler development

Because data handlers are written in Java, data handlers can be developed on either a Windows or UNIX system. Table 63 lists the tools that IBM provides for data handler development.

Table 63. Tools for data-handler development

Development Tool Description
E-Business Development Kit (EDK) Includes the following:
  • Sample data handlers
  • Stub file for extending DataHandler class
Data Handler API Single class, DataHandler, which you extend to create a custom data handler.
Java Connector Development Kit (JCDK) Contains Java classes to work with business objects.

E-Business Development Kit

The IBM WebSphere E-Business Development Kit (EDK) provides developers with tools to develop the custom software to work with the WebSphere business integration system. As part of the IBM WebSphere Business Integration Adapters product, the EDK provides the directories in Table 64 to assist in the development of custom data handlers.


Table 64. Data-handler subdirectory of DevelopmentKits\edk

Custom software Subdirectory of DevelopmentKits\edk
Data handler DataHandler

As Table 64 shows, the tools to develop data handlers are in the DataHandler directory, under the DevelopmentKits\edk subdirectory of the product directory. This DataHandler subdirectory provides the following:

Sample data handlers

To assist with the development of a data handler, EDK includes code for several sample data handlers in the following product directory:

DevelopmentKits\edk\DataHandler\Samples

Table 65 lists the sample data handlers that the EDK provides.


Table 65. Sample data handlers included with the EDK

Name Description
delimited.java Converts business objects to Delimited strings and Delimited strings to business objects.
fixedwidth.java Converts business objects to FixedWidth strings and from FixedWidth strings to business objects.
namevalue.java Converts business objects to NameValue strings and NameValue strings to business objects.

Note:
While these samples are useful to examine, they do not provide examples of all the functionality supported in the DataHandler class.

Development files

The DevelopmentKits\edk\DataHandler directory provides several files that assist in the development of a custom data handler, including those listed in Table 66.

Table 66. Data-handler development files

Data-Handler development file For more information
StubDataHandler.java Extending the data handler base class
makeDataHandler.bat (Windows systems)
make_datahandler (UNIX systems)
Adding a data handler to the jar file

Data Handler API

The Data Handler API provides a single Java class, called DataHandler. The abstract DataHandler base class facilitates the development of a custom data handler. This class contains the methods that populate a business object with values extracted from input data, and methods that serialize a business object into a string or a stream. The class also includes utility methods that a custom data handler can use. You derive a custom data handler from the DataHandler class.

For information on the methods in the DataHandler class, see "Data Handler base class methods".

Java Connector Development Kit

To work with business objects, a data handler must use methods from the classes in the Java Connector Development Kit (JCDK). As you develop your data handler, you may need to import additional JCDK classes, such as CxCommon.CxObjectContainerInterface or CxCommon.CxObjectAttr. For reference information on the JCDK methods, see the Connector Development Guide for Java in the WebSphere Business Integration Adapters documentation set.

Note:
The JCDK is the low-level Java connector library. Documentation of its methods are contained in a separate part of the Connector Development Guide for Java.

Copyright IBM Corp. 1997, 2003