Issue - 112 - Input/Output Elements on Messaging Activities

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Issue - 112 - Input/Output Elements on Messaging Activities
Status: open

Categories: Data handling

Date added: 25 Mar 2004

Submitter: Yaron Y. Goland

Date submitted: 25 March 2004

Description: 

A common BPEL use case is that a programmer has a number of variables that contain data that will be used to create a
message. When sending a message the programmer will create a temporary message variable, copy the values from the variables
into the temporary message and then submit the temporary message variable. At which point the temporary message variable is
discarded.

Similarly, when receiving a message the programmer may actually want the data in the message to be recorded in a number of
variables. Currently the programmer has to create a temporary message variable, receive the message into the temporary
message variable just to immediately turn around and pull the data out, record the data into individual variables and then
discard the temporary message variable.

In both cases the temporary message variable is a transient storage location whose only purpose is to push data in and pull
data out of message activities.

It would be extremely friendly if we could provide a macro that would allow programmers to build up a message as part of an
invoke/reply from a set of variables rather than having to create a temporary variable for that purpose. Similarly, it would
be great if it were possible on pick/receive to pull data directly out of an incoming message and record the data into
variables rather than having to put the data into a temporary message variable whose only purpose is to get ripped to
pieces.

To be clear, this is a request for a macro, not for a new BPEL feature.

Changes: 25 Mar 2004 - new issue

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