Java & XML Data Binding

Chapter 7. Zeus

Beginning in this chapter and continuing through Chapter 8 and Chapter 9, I’ll look briefly at three alternate data binding implementations. All three are free, open source packages, and are therefore available for both commercial and private use. I should also make it clear that I do not recommend one implementation over another, nor do I intend to steer you away from using Sun’s JAXB reference implementation. However, I firmly believe in choices when it comes to programming, and several are available.

In this first chapter on alternate implementations, I cover the newest data binding implementation, Zeus. Zeus can be found online at http://zeus.enhydra.org. Zeus was developed by this author, originally for a short data binding series of article for IBM DeveloperWorks (http://www.ibm.com/developer). The Lutris Enhydra Application Server project needed a data binding implementation, though, and this project became a full-fledged effort as open source early in 2001 and moved to SourceForge when Lutris ceased operation. The result is a lightweight data binding implementation that follows the basic guidelines already examined with regard to JAXB, but with some important enhancements.

Process Flow

In this chapter, I begin by examining the process flow of Zeus, particularly how it differs from the JAXB processing you are already familiar with. While the input and output of a Zeus process are largely the same as in JAXB, the internal processes are quite different. Understanding ...