How to correctly use built-in XMLRPC in Ruby? - ruby

Question

I'm trying to use built-in XMLRPC in Ruby 1.9. Unfortunately, XMLRPC is not documented on ruby-docs.org, so i have tried to build a test code based on examples found by google:
# Server.rb
require "xmlrpc/server"
server = XMLRPC::Server.new( 1234 )
server.add_handler( "test" ) { |msg| return "responce for #{msg}" }
server.serve()
# Client.rb
require "xmlrpc/client"
server = XMLRPC::Client.new( "localhost", "/", 1234 )
server.call( "test", 42 ) == "responce for 42"
Unfortunately, this is not working on both Windows and OSX. Server.rb fails with cryptic error:
C:/Ruby193/lib/ruby/1.9.1/xmlrpc/client.rb:414:in `call': Uncaught exception unexpected return in method test (XMLRPC::FaultException)
from client.rb:6:in `<main>'
Maybe anyone knows what is my error?

Answer 1

Its another way with block:
#server.rb:
require "xmlrpc/server"
server = XMLRPC::Server.new( 1234 )
server.add_handler('my_test.test') { |msg|"responce for #{msg}" }
#client.rb
require "xmlrpc/client"
client = XMLRPC::Client.new( "localhost", "/", 1234 )
s = client.call('my_test.test','asd')

Answer 2

You got it almost right. Here is a tutorial you can use. Your example needs a little modification, you have to pass an object to add_handler that will be used to serve your RPC calls:
# server.rb
require "xmlrpc/server"
class MyClass
def dosomething(a)
"response for #{a}"
end
end
server = XMLRPC::Server.new( 1234 )
server.add_handler( "test", MyClass.new )
server.serve
# client.rb
require "xmlrpc/client"
server = XMLRPC::Client.new( "localhost", "/", 1234 )
puts server.call( "test.dosomething", 42 ) == "response for 42"

Answer 3

Please note: the default xmlrpc/client.rb impl. doesn't support client certificates based https connections. If you want it you must either use different lib or patch client.rb with something like:
# HG changeset patch
# User Anonymous Coward <anonymous#gmail.com>
# Date 1338149770 -10800
# Node ID f0557306c8e4f113507fb3bab8567391949fa302
# Parent 3eae8e8f9e065ff6cdf1c95092ad5cca635c9eac
patch client.rb to support https with client certificate.
diff -r 3eae8e8f9e06 -r f0557306c8e4 client.rb
--- a/client.rb Sun May 27 22:20:18 2012 +0300
+++ b/client.rb Sun May 27 23:16:10 2012 +0300
## -292,8 +292,8 ##
# Constructors -------------------------------------------------------------------
- def initialize(host=nil, path=nil, port=nil, proxy_host=nil, proxy_port=nil,
- user=nil, password=nil, use_ssl=nil, timeout=nil)
+ def initialize(host=nil, path=nil, port=nil, proxy_host=nil, proxy_port=nil,
+ user=nil, password=nil, use_ssl=nil, timeout=nil, cacert=nil, cert=nil, key=nil)
#http_header_extra = nil
#http_last_response = nil
## -311,6 +311,10 ##
if use_ssl
require "net/https"
#port = port || 443
+ #cacert = cacert
+ #cert = cert
+ #key = key
+
else
#port = port || 80
end
## -325,8 +329,19 ##
# HTTP object for synchronous calls
Net::HTTP.version_1_2
- #http = Net::HTTP.new(#host, #port, #proxy_host, #proxy_port)
- #http.use_ssl = #use_ssl if #use_ssl
+ #http = Net::HTTP.new(#host, #port, #proxy_host, #proxy_port)
+ if #use_ssl
+ #http.use_ssl = #use_ssl
+ if nil != #cacert
+ #http.ca_file = #cacert
+ #http.verify_mode = OpenSSL::SSL::VERIFY_PEER
+ #http.verify_depth = 5
+ else
+ #http.verify_mode = OpenSSL::SSL::VERIFY_NONE
+ end
+ #http.cert = #cert
+ #http.key = #key
+ end
#http.read_timeout = #timeout
#http.open_timeout = #timeout
## -366,7 +381,7 ##
hash.each { |k,v| h[k.to_s.downcase] = v }
self.new(h['host'], h['path'], h['port'], h['proxy_host'], h['proxy_port'], h['user'], h['password'],

Answer 4

I think this could help:
http://www.ntecs.de/ruby/xmlrpc4r/howto.html
#server.rb
require "xmlrpc/server"
server = XMLRPC::Server.new( 1234 )
class MyHandler
def test(msg)
"message #{msg}"
end
end
server.add_handler(XMLRPC::iPIMethods("my_test"), MyHandler.new)
server.serve
#client.rb
require "xmlrpc/client"
server = XMLRPC::Client.new( "localhost", "/", 1234 )
s = server.call('my_test.test','hello!')