As a follow-up to last week's article on SimpleXMLRPCServer, this week covers the client-side library xmlrpclib.
Module: xmlrpclib
Purpose: Client-side library for XML-RPC communication.
Python Version: 2.2 and later
Description:
Last week we looked at the library for creating an XML-RPC server. The xmlrpclib module lets you communicate from Python with any XML-RPC server written in any language. All of the examples below use the server defined in xmlrpclib_server.py, available in the source distribution and repeated here for reference:
Connecting to a Server:
The simplest way to connect a client to a server is to instantiate a ServerProxy object, giving it the URI of the server. For example, the demo server runs on port 9000 of localhost:
import xmlrpclib
server = xmlrpclib.ServerProxy('http://localhost:9000')
print 'Ping:', server.ping()
In this case, the
ping() method of the service takes no arguments and returns a single boolean value.
$ python xmlrpclib_ServerProxy.py
Ping: True
Other options are available to support alternate transport. Both HTTP and HTTPS are supported out of the box, as are basic authentication. You would only need to provide a transport class if your communication channel was not one of the supported types. It would be an interesting exercise, for example, to implement XML-RPC over SMTP. Not terribly useful, but interesting.
The
verbose option gives you debugging information useful for working out where communication errors might be happening.
import xmlrpclib
server = xmlrpclib.ServerProxy('http://localhost:9000', verbose=True)
print 'Ping:', server.ping()
$ python xmlrpclib_ServerProxy_verbose.py
Ping: connect: (localhost, 9000)
connect fail: ('localhost', 9000)
connect: (localhost, 9000)
connect fail: ('localhost', 9000)
connect: (localhost, 9000)
send: 'POST /RPC2 HTTP/1.0\r\nHost: localhost:9000\r\nUser-Agent: xmlrpclib.py/1.0.1 (by www.pythonware.com)\r\nContent-Type: text/xml\r\nContent-Length: 98\r\n\r\n'
send: "<?xml version='1.0'?>\n<methodCall>\n<methodName>ping</methodName>\n<params>\n</params>\n</methodCall>\n"
reply: 'HTTP/1.0 200 OK\r\n'
header: Server: BaseHTTP/0.3 Python/2.5.1
header: Date: Sun, 06 Jul 2008 19:56:13 GMT
header: Content-type: text/xml
header: Content-length: 129
body: "<?xml version='1.0'?>\n<methodResponse>\n<params>\n<param>\n<value><boolean>1</boolean></value>\n</param>\n</params>\n</methodResponse>\n"
True
You can change the default
encoding from UTF-8 if you need to use an alternate system.
import xmlrpclib
server = xmlrpclib.ServerProxy('http://localhost:9000', encoding='ISO-8859-1')
print 'Ping:', server.ping()
The server should automatically detect the correct encoding.
$ python xmlrpclib_ServerProxy_encoding.py
Ping: True
The
allow_none option controls whether Python's
None value is automatically translated to a nil value or if it causes an error.
import xmlrpclib
server = xmlrpclib.ServerProxy('http://localhost:9000', allow_none=True)
print 'Allowed:', server.show_type(None)
server = xmlrpclib.ServerProxy('http://localhost:9000', allow_none=False)
print 'Not allowed:', server.show_type(None)
Note that the error is raised locally if the client does not allow None, but can also be raised from within the server if it is not configured to allow None.
$ python xmlrpclib_ServerProxy_allow_none.py
Allowed: ['None', "<type 'NoneType'>", None]
Not allowed:
Traceback (most recent call last):
File "/Users/dhellmann/Documents/PyMOTW/in_progress/xmlrpclib/xmlrpclib_ServerProxy_allow_none.py", line 17, in <module>
print 'Not allowed:', server.show_type(None)
File "/Library/Frameworks/Python.framework/Versions/2.5/lib/python2.5/xmlrpclib.py", line 1147, in __call__
return self.__send(self.__name, args)
File "/Library/Frameworks/Python.framework/Versions/2.5/lib/python2.5/xmlrpclib.py", line 1431, in __request
allow_none=self.__allow_none)
File "/Library/Frameworks/Python.framework/Versions/2.5/lib/python2.5/xmlrpclib.py", line 1080, in dumps
data = m.dumps(params)
File "/Library/Frameworks/Python.framework/Versions/2.5/lib/python2.5/xmlrpclib.py", line 623, in dumps
dump(v, write)
File "/Library/Frameworks/Python.framework/Versions/2.5/lib/python2.5/xmlrpclib.py", line 635, in __dump
f(self, value, write)
File "/Library/Frameworks/Python.framework/Versions/2.5/lib/python2.5/xmlrpclib.py", line 639, in dump_nil
raise TypeError, "cannot marshal None unless allow_none is enabled"
TypeError: cannot marshal None unless allow_none is enabled
The
use_datetime option lets you pass datetime.datetime and related objects in to the proxy or receive them from the server. If use_datetime is False, the internal DateTime class is used to represent dates instead.
Data Types:The XML-RPC protocol recognizes a limited set of common data types. The types can be passed as arguments or return values and combined to create more complex data structures.
import xmlrpclib
import datetime
server = xmlrpclib.ServerProxy('http://localhost:9000')
for t, v in [ ('boolean', True),
('integer', 1),
('floating-point number', 2.5),
('string', 'some text'),
('datetime', datetime.datetime.now()),
('array', ['a', 'list']),
('array', ('a', 'tuple')),
('structure', {'a':'dictionary'}),
]:
print '%-22s:' % t, server.show_type(v)
The simple types:
$ python xmlrpclib_types.py
boolean : ['True', "<type 'bool'>", True]
integer : ['1', "<type 'int'>", 1]
floating-point number : ['2.5', "<type 'float'>", 2.5]
string : ['some text', "<type 'str'>", 'some text']
datetime : ['20080706T16:22:49', "<type 'instance'>", <DateTime '20080706T16:22:49' at a5d030>]
array : ["['a', 'list']", "<type 'list'>", ['a', 'list']]
array : ["['a', 'tuple']", "<type 'list'>", ['a', 'tuple']]
structure : ["{'a': 'dictionary'}", "<type 'dict'>", {'a': 'dictionary'}]
And of course, they can be nested to create values of arbitrary complexity:
import xmlrpclib
import datetime
import pprint
server = xmlrpclib.ServerProxy('http://localhost:9000')
data = { 'boolean':True,
'integer': 1,
'floating-point number': 2.5,
'string': 'some text',
'datetime': datetime.datetime.now(),
'array': ['a', 'list'],
'array': ('a', 'tuple'),
'structure': {'a':'dictionary'},
}
arg = []
for i in range(3):
d = {}
d.update(data)
d['integer'] = i
arg.append(d)
print 'Before:'
pprint.pprint(arg)
print
print 'After:'
pprint.pprint(server.show_type(arg)[-1])
$ python xmlrpclib_types_nested.py
Before:
[{'array': ('a', 'tuple'),
'boolean': True,
'datetime': datetime.datetime(2008, 7, 6, 16, 24, 52, 348849),
'floating-point number': 2.5,
'integer': 0,
'string': 'some text',
'structure': {'a': 'dictionary'}},
{'array': ('a', 'tuple'),
'boolean': True,
'datetime': datetime.datetime(2008, 7, 6, 16, 24, 52, 348849),
'floating-point number': 2.5,
'integer': 1,
'string': 'some text',
'structure': {'a': 'dictionary'}},
{'array': ('a', 'tuple'),
'boolean': True,
'datetime': datetime.datetime(2008, 7, 6, 16, 24, 52, 348849),
'floating-point number': 2.5,
'integer': 2,
'string': 'some text',
'structure': {'a': 'dictionary'}}]
After:
[{'array': ['a', 'tuple'],
'boolean': True,
'datetime': <DateTime '20080706T16:24:52' at a5be18>,
'floating-point number': 2.5,
'integer': 0,
'string': 'some text',
'structure': {'a': 'dictionary'}},
{'array': ['a', 'tuple'],
'boolean': True,
'datetime': <DateTime '20080706T16:24:52' at a5bf30>,
'floating-point number': 2.5,
'integer': 1,
'string': 'some text',
'structure': {'a': 'dictionary'}},
{'array': ['a', 'tuple'],
'boolean': True,
'datetime': <DateTime '20080706T16:24:52' at a5bf80>,
'floating-point number': 2.5,
'integer': 2,
'string': 'some text',
'structure': {'a': 'dictionary'}}]
Instances of Python classes are treated as structures and passed as a dictionary, with the attributes of the object as values in the dictionary.
import xmlrpclib
class MyObj:
def __init__(self, a, b):
self.a = a
self.b = b
def __repr__(self):
return 'MyObj(%s, %s)' % (repr(self.a), repr(self.b))
server = xmlrpclib.ServerProxy('http://localhost:9000')
o = MyObj(1, 'b goes here')
print 'o=', o
print server.show_type(o)
o2 = MyObj(2, o)
print 'o2=', o2
print server.show_type(o2)
Round-tripping the value gives a dictionary on the client, since there is nothing encoded in the values to tell the server (or client) that it should be instantiated as part of a class.
$ python xmlrpclib_types_object.py
o= MyObj(1, 'b goes here')
["{'a': 1, 'b': 'b goes here'}", "<type 'dict'>", {'a': 1, 'b': 'b goes here'}]
o2= MyObj(2, MyObj(1, 'b goes here'))
["{'a': 2, 'b': {'a': 1, 'b': 'b goes here'}}", "<type 'dict'>", {'a': 2, 'b': {'a': 1, 'b': 'b goes here'}}]
All values passed to the server are encoded and escaped automatically. However, some data types may contain characters that are not valid XML. For example, binary image data may include byte values in the ASCII control range 0 to 31. If you need to pass binary data, it is best to use the Binary class to encode it for transport.
import xmlrpclib
server = xmlrpclib.ServerProxy('http://localhost:9000')
s = 'This is a string with control characters' + '\0'
print 'Local string:', s
data = xmlrpclib.Binary(s)
print 'As binary:', server.send_back_binary(data)
print 'As string:', server.show_type(s)
If we pass the string containing a NULL byte to show_type(), an exception is raised in the XML parser:
$ python xmlrpclib_Binary.py
Local string: This is a string with control characters
As binary: This is a string with control characters
As string:
Traceback (most recent call last):
File "/Users/dhellmann/Documents/PyMOTW/in_progress/xmlrpclib/xmlrpclib_Binary.py", line 21, in <module>
print 'As string:', server.show_type(s)
File "/Library/Frameworks/Python.framework/Versions/2.5/lib/python2.5/xmlrpclib.py", line 1147, in __call__
return self.__send(self.__name, args)
File "/Library/Frameworks/Python.framework/Versions/2.5/lib/python2.5/xmlrpclib.py", line 1437, in __request
verbose=self.__verbose
File "/Library/Frameworks/Python.framework/Versions/2.5/lib/python2.5/xmlrpclib.py", line 1201, in request
return self._parse_response(h.getfile(), sock)
File "/Library/Frameworks/Python.framework/Versions/2.5/lib/python2.5/xmlrpclib.py", line 1340, in _parse_response
return u.close()
File "/Library/Frameworks/Python.framework/Versions/2.5/lib/python2.5/xmlrpclib.py", line 787, in close
raise Fault(**self._stack[0])
xmlrpclib.Fault: <Fault 1: "<class 'xml.parsers.expat.ExpatError'>:not well-formed (invalid token): line 6, column 55">
Binary data can also be used to send objects using pickles. The normal security issues related to sending what amounts to executable code over the wire apply here (i.e., don't do this unless you're sure your communication channel is secure).
import xmlrpclib
import cPickle as pickle
class MyObj:
def __init__(self, a, b):
self.a = a
self.b = b
def __repr__(self):
return 'MyObj(%s, %s)' % (repr(self.a), repr(self.b))
server = xmlrpclib.ServerProxy('http://localhost:9000')
o = MyObj(1, 'b goes here')
print 'Local:', o, id(o)
print 'As object:', server.show_type(o)
p = pickle.dumps(o)
b = xmlrpclib.Binary(p)
r = server.send_back_binary(b)
o2 = pickle.loads(r.data)
print 'From pickle:', o2, id(o2)
Remember, the data attribute of the Binary instance contains the pickled version of the object, so it has to be unpickled before it can be used. That results in a different object (with a new id value).
$ python xmlrpclib_Binary_pickle.py
Local: MyObj(1, 'b goes here') 9620936
As object: ["{'a': 1, 'b': 'b goes here'}", "<type 'dict'>", {'a': 1, 'b': 'b goes here'}]
From pickle: MyObj(1, 'b goes here') 11049200
Since the XML-RPC server might be written in any language, exception classes cannot be transmitted directly. Instead, exceptions raised in the server are converted to Fault objects and raised as exceptions locally.
import xmlrpclib
server = xmlrpclib.ServerProxy('http://localhost:9000')
try:
server.raises_exception('A message')
except Exception, err:
print 'Fault code:', err.faultCode
print 'Message :', err.faultString
$ python xmlrpclib_exception.py
Fault code: 1
Message : <type 'exceptions.RuntimeError'>:A message
Multicall is an extension to the XML-RPC protocol to allow more than one call to be sent at the same time, with the responses collected and returned to the caller. The
MultiCall class was added to xmlrpclib in Python 2.4. To use a MultiCall instance, invoke the methods on it as with a ServerProxy, then call the object with no arguments. The result is an iterator with the results.
import xmlrpclib
server = xmlrpclib.ServerProxy('http://localhost:9000')
multicall = xmlrpclib.MultiCall(server)
multicall.ping()
multicall.show_type(1)
multicall.show_type('string')
for i, r in enumerate(multicall()):
print i, r
$ python xmlrpclib_MultiCall.py
0 True
1 ['1', "<type 'int'>", 1]
2 ['string', "<type 'str'>", 'string']
If one of the calls causes a Fault or otherwise raises an exception, the exception is raised when the result is produced from the iterator and no more results are available.
import xmlrpclib
server = xmlrpclib.ServerProxy('http://localhost:9000')
multicall = xmlrpclib.MultiCall(server)
multicall.ping()
multicall.show_type(1)
multicall.raises_exception('Next to last call stops execution')
multicall.show_type('string')
for i, r in enumerate(multicall()):
print i, r
$ python xmlrpclib_MultiCall_exception.py
0 True
1 ['1', "<type 'int'>", 1]
Traceback (most recent call last):
File "/Users/dhellmann/Documents/PyMOTW/in_progress/xmlrpclib/xmlrpclib_MultiCall_exception.py", line 21, in <module>
for i, r in enumerate(multicall()):
File "/Library/Frameworks/Python.framework/Versions/2.5/lib/python2.5/xmlrpclib.py", line 949, in __getitem__
raise Fault(item['faultCode'], item['faultString'])
xmlrpclib.Fault: <Fault 1: "<type 'exceptions.RuntimeError'>:Next to last call stops execution">
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