restful XML, JSON and schema validation

[Willard, Jonathan]

Hi all,

Hi, I am providing this xml to a restful servlet whose job it is to convert the 
xml to json.  Here is the servlet code, it is using the JAXB beans created from 
my schema.
It will simple return the JSON version of the xml

    @POST
    @Path("/convert")
    @Produces({"application/json"})
    @Consumes({"application/xml"})
    public JAXBElement<ModelRequest> _POST_getModelsAsJson(
                                ModelRequest request,
                                @Context UriInfo uriInfo,
                                @Context HttpServletRequest servletReq )
                                     throws WebApplicationException
    {
        try
        {
            JAXBElement<ModelRequest> modelr = 
requestObjfactory.createModelRequest( request );
            return modelr ;
        }
        catch( Throwable e )
        {
            processException( e );
        }

        return null;
    };


Here is my xml: POST BODY:

<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>

<rs:model-request throttlesize="10"
  xmlns:rs="http://www.ca.com/spectrum/restful/schema/request";
  xmlns:xsi="http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema-instance";
  xsi:schemaLocation="http://www.ca.com/spectrum/restful/schema/request 
../../../xsd/Request.xsd ">


    <rs:target-models>
      <rs:models-search>
        <rs:search-criteria-file>
          topo/config/search-devices-criteria.xml
        </rs:search-criteria-file>
      </rs:models-search>
    </rs:target-models>

    <rs:requested-attribute id="0x1006e" />
    <rs:requested-attribute id="0x10000" />
    <rs:requested-attribute id="0x10032" />
    <rs:requested-attribute id="0x12de2" />

</rs:model-request>


Here is the JSON result:

{
  "ns2.model-request" : {
    "@throttlesize" : "10",
    "ns2.target-models" : {
      "ns2.models-search" : {
        "ns2.search-criteria-file" : "\n          
topo/config/search-devices-criteria.xml\n        "
      }
    },
    "ns2.requested-attribute" : [ {
      "@id" : "0x1006e"
    }, {
      "@id" : "0x10000"
    }, {
      "@id" : "0x10032"
    }, {
      "@id" : "0x12de2"
    } ]
  }
}

Now if I take that JSON and POST it into another servlet (a servlet that 
successfully processes the equivalent xml) I am getting a NPE before it gets 
into my servlet.  I am using the following class to set the schema locations to 
work around a bug in the restful CXF code.  This bug has probably been fixed 
... this work around is now a few years old.  Earlier today it actually worked 
but I think I had the schema locations disabled.

public class CXFNonSpringJaxrsServlet extends
                             
org.apache.cxf.jaxrs.servlet.CXFNonSpringJaxrsServlet
{
    protected void setSchemasLocations( JAXRSServerFactoryBean bean,
                                        ServletConfig servletConfig )
    {
        List<String> list = new ArrayList<String>();
        list.add( servletConfig.getServletContext().getRealPath(
                                   "WEB-INF/restful/schemas/Filter.xsd" ) );
        list.add( servletConfig.getServletContext().getRealPath(
                                   "WEB-INF/restful/schemas/Request.xsd" ) );
        list.add( servletConfig.getServletContext().getRealPath(
                                   "WEB-INF/restful/schemas/Response.xsd" ) );

        bean.setSchemaLocations( list );
    }
}

Here is my question - I want users to provide a POST body of either XML or 
JSON.  I would like the xml to be validated against the schema.  Will the 
schema also validate the JSON? What is the right set up for this to work.  I 
have seen had a few problems getting it to work and I am confused.  For obvious 
reasons I want my clients to be able to use either xml or json as both input 
and output and I want the input to be validate as much as possible.

Thanks,

Jon