How to marshal JAXBElement into Response?

Question

My CXF provided REST services usually return javax.ws.rs.core.Response for the usual reason, to encapsulate the result entity data marshaled as XML and a return code:

@GET
@Path("/getPojo")
@Produces("application/xml")
public Response getPojo() {

    SomePojo resultObj = ...;

    Response result = Response.status(200).entity(resultObj).build();

    return result;
}

which requires that SomePojo contains proper annotations:

@XmlRootElement(name = "somePojo")
@XmlAccessorType(XmlAccessType.FIELD)
public class SomePojo implements Serializable {
    ...
}

However, now I am facing a scenario where the annotation convention does not work for me and I have to build my own JAXBElement. How can I include the custom-marshaled JAXBElement in the Response instead of using Response.ResponseBuilder.entity(resultObj), which relies on the annotation configuration? I am marshaling something similar to what is explained here but he's just printing the marshaled XML into the console and I would like to print it into the Response (and not just HttpResponse out).

Fatuity

Do you want to marshall yourself and return directly the XML, or do you want to configure CXF to apply a custom marshaller your result objects? – Mullane

I'm not 100% sure I understand the question but my gut feeling is to go with the former, marshal myself BUT I still would like to use Response because I want to encapsulate both a return code + object – Fatuity

Answer 1

You can marshall the xml using your custom marshaller and set the resultant XML in the entity of the Response, as String or InputStream

@GET
@Path("/getXML")
@Produces("application/xml")
public Response getXML() {

    String xml = // custom marshall

    Response result = Response.
           status(200).
           entity(xml).
           type("application/xml").
           build();

    return result;
}

Mullane

why is type(application/xml") necessary when we declare it in the annotation ? – Fatuity

You are building directly the response, not the CFX Response wrapper, so I am not sure whether in this case CXF will update the header properly. To be sure i would have to review the specification ( or test it) – Mullane

Reviewed. In this case it is not needed A method for which there is a single-valued Produces is not required to set the media type of representations that it produces: the container will use the value of the Produces when sending a response. see docs.oracle.com/javaee/6/api/javax/ws/rs/Produces.html – Mullane