Introduction
Turning on XML-RPC Services
Resources
XML-RPC is a specification and set of implemented routines (functions) that allow software running on disparate operating systems, running in different environments to make remote procedure calls (RPC) over the Internet. A remote procedure call is just a way for one computer to call another computer and have it run commands and return the result to the first computer. XML-RPC uses HTTP as the transport and XML as the encoding. It's designed to be as simple as possible, while allowing complex data structures to be transmitted, processed and returned.
Web Crossing has the built-in ability to act as both an XML-RPC server and client. You can make full use of XML-RPC by using JavaScript functions described in the online sysop reference manual.
One great use of XML-RPC is to allow one Web Crossing server acting as a client to contact another Web Crossing server acting as a server and get authorization information about a user accessing from one server to another.
The potential uses are many, including:
The ability to create new clients, separate from a browser such as Netscape and Internet explorer. For example, it would be possible to create new clients in Java to interact with your Web Crossing server in ways that are more interactive than what a web browser can provide.
In addition to user authentication, you can use XML-RPC to share all sorts of information among cooperating servers. For example, you could create a calendaring system that automatically updates your personal calendar using information provided by your child's school calendar, running on the school's separate server.
You could create search requests among multiple cooperating servers and present the results on a single search page.
You could send purchase requests to credit-card authorization servers.
The potentials are limitless.
In the Control Panel > General Settings there is a place to turn on XML-RPC services, as shown in figure 1.
Figure 1 - turning on XML-RPC support
This checkbox is the master switch enabling your Web Crossing server to support XML-RPC. In order to actually use XML-RPC functionality, you must create Server-side JavaScript functions that make and process the procedure calls.
Also, your Web Crossing server must be operating in direct service mode.
With the growth of support for XML-RPC on the Internet we can look forward to all sorts of creative, interesting and useful applications using this new protocol.
Sysopdocs: