JavaLibsA4L

A collection of Java libraries to help implement the Schools Interoperability Framework (SIF) Specifications.

Core Components and Functionality

1. SIF Version Handling

The library provides robust version handling through the SIFVersion class, which:

• Supports both SIF 2.x format (e.g., "2.0r1") and SIF 3.x format (e.g., "3.0.1")
• Implements wildcard matching for flexible version comparisons (like "", "2.", etc.)
• Provides immutable objects for thread safety
• Includes custom comparison methods optimized for SIF version semantics

2. Reference ID Management

The SIFRefId class manages unique identifiers within the SIF ecosystem:

• Generates and parses UUIDs that comply with SIF specifications
• Supports both standard UUID format and SIF-specific format (without dashes)
• Includes hardware address and timestamp components for guaranteed uniqueness
• Validates all components to ensure proper UUID compliance

3. XML-JSON Conversion

The XMLJSON package offers multiple approaches to XML-JSON conversion:

• GoessnerNative: Pure Java implementation of the Goessner algorithm
• GoessnerReference: JavaScript-based reference implementation via Java scripting
• JacksonNative: Advanced implementation with better type preservation and round-trip support
• PESCNative: Support for Postsecondary Electronic Standards Council JSON notation
• All implementations share the same interface for consistent usage

4. SIF Messaging

The library provides comprehensive messaging capabilities for different SIF versions:

• SIF2MessageXML: Handles SIF 2.x messaging with support for both HTTP and SOAP
• SIF3Message: Implements SIF 3.x messaging with REST-based approach
• Both support message creation, parsing, validation, and transport conversion
• Includes payload management with format-specific handling

5. XML Database Integration

The querying package enables interaction with XML databases, particularly eXist:

• EXistXQuery: XML:DB API-based implementation for traditional XML database access
• EXistXQueryREST: REST-based implementation for modern deployments
• Provides efficient result iteration and pagination for large datasets
• Includes resource management for collections, documents, and queries

6. Schema Processing

The schema package offers tools for working with XML schemas:

• XML schema traversal and analysis capabilities
• Visitor pattern implementations for different schema exploration needs
• Support for SIF-specific schema annotations and metadata
• Enhanced XPath functionality for complex queries

7. Utility Components

Various utility classes provide supporting functionality:

• File and URL operations specialized for SIF contexts
• XML manipulation with XOM library integration
• Authentication utilities for secure messaging
• Logging implementations for message tracking
• JSON structure creation and manipulation

Build Commands

• Clean and build: ant clean build
• Run tests: ant test
• Run single test: ant test-single -Dtest.includes=org/sifassociation/messaging/SIFVersionTest.java
• Generate javadocs: ant javadoc