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WebLogic Tuxedo Connector Programmer's Guide


Using FML with WebLogic Tuxedo Connector

The following sections discuss the Field Manipulation Language (FML) and describe how the WebLogic Tuxedo Connector uses FML.


Overview of FML

Note: For more information about using FML, see Programming a BEA Tuxedo Application Using FML.

FML is a set of java language functions for defining and manipulating storage structures called fielded buffers. Each fielded buffer contains attribute-value pairs in fields. For each field:

There are two types of FML:


The WebLogic Tuxedo Connector FML API

Note: The WebLogic Tuxedo Connector implements a subset of FML functionality. For more information regarding FML32, refer to FML32 Considerations.

The FML application program interface (API) is documented in the package included in the Javadocs for WebLogic Server Classes.


FML Field Table Administration

Field tables are generated in a manner similar to Tuxedo field tables. The field tables are text files that provide the field name definitions, field types, and identification numbers that are common between the two systems. To interoperate with a Tuxedo system using FML, the following steps are required:

  1. Copy the field tables from the Tuxedo system to WebLogic Tuxedo Connector environment.
  2. For example: Your Tuxedo distribution contains a bank application example called bankapp. It contains a file called bankflds that has the following structure:

#Copyright (c) 1990 Unix System Laboratories, Inc.
#All rights reserved
#ident "@(#) apps/bankapp/bankflds $Revision: 1.3 $"
# Fields for database bankdb
# name                         number  type    flags   comments
ACCOUNT_ID 110 long - -
ACCT_TYPE 112 char - -
ADDRESS 109 string - -
  1. Converted the field table definition into Java source files. Use the mkfldclass utility supplied in the package. This class is a utility function that reads a FML32 Field Table and produces a Java file which implements the FldTbl interface. There are two instances of this utility:
  2. Use the correct instance of the command to convert the bankflds field table into FML32 java source. The following example uses mkfldclass.

    java bankflds

    The resulting file is called and has the following structure:

import java.lang.*;
import java.util.*;

public final class bankflds
/** number: 110 type: long */
public final static int ACCOUNT_ID = 33554542;
/** number: 112 type: char */
public final static int ACCT_TYPE = 67108976;
/** number: 109 type: string */
public final static int ADDRESS = 167772269;
/** number: 117 type: float */
  1. Compile the resulting file using the following command:
  2. javac

    The result is a bankflds.class file. When loaded, the WebLogic Tuxedo Connector uses the class file to add, retrieve and delete field entries from an FML32 field.

  3. Add the field table class file to your application CLASSPATH.
  4. Update your WTCServer MBean.
  5. For example:

  6. Restart your WebLogic Server to load the field table class definitions.

Using the DynRdHdr Property for mkfldclass32 Class

WebLogic Tuxedo Connector provides a property that provides an alternate method to compile FML tables. You may need to use the DynRdHdr utility if:

Use the following steps to use the DynRdHdr property when compiling your FML tables:

  1. Convert the field table definition into Java source files.
  2. java -DDynRdHdr=Path_to_Your_FML_Table userTable

The arguments for this command are defined as follows:




WebLogic Tuxedo Connector property used to compile an FML table.


Path name of your FML table. This may be either a fully qualified path or a relative path that can be found as a resource file using the server's CLASSPATH.

This class is a utility function that reads an FML32 Field Table and produces a Java file which implements the FldTbl interface.


Name of the .java method created by the mkfldclass32 class.

  1. Compile the userTable file using the following command:
  2. javac 
  3. Add the userTable.class file to your application CLASSPATH.
  4. Update the WTCResources MBean to reflect the fully qualified location of the userTable.class file.
  5. Target your WTCServer. The userTable.class is loaded when the WTCServer service starts.

Once you have created the userTable.class file, you can modify the FML table and deploy the changes without having to manually create an updated userTable.class. When the WTC Service is started, Weblogic Tuxedo Connector will load the updated FML table using the location specified in the Resources tab of your WTC service configuration. If the Path_to_Your_FML_Table attribute changes, you will need to use the preceding procedure to update your and userTable.class files.


tBridge XML/FML32 Translation

Note: The data type specified must be FLAT or NO. If any other data type is specified, the redirection fails.

The TranslateFML element of the WTCtBridgeRedirect MBean is used to indicate if FML32 translation is performed on the message payload. There are two types of FML32 translation: FLAT and NO.


The message payload is translated using the WebLogic Tuxedo Connector internal FML32/XML translator. Fields are converted field-by-field values without knowledge of the message structure (hierarchy) and repeated grouping.

In order to convert an FML32 buffer to XML, the tBridge pulls each instance of each field in the FML32 buffer, converts it to a string, and places it within a tag consisting of the field name. All of these fields are placed within a tag consisting of the service name. For example, an FML32 buffer consisting of the following fields:

NAME          JOE
PRICE 1.95
PRICE 2.50

The resulting XML buffer would be:



No translation is used. The tBridge maps a JMS TextMessage into a Tuxedo TypedBuffer (TypedString) and vice versa depending on the direction of the redirection. JMS BytesMessage are mapped into Tuxedo TypedBuffer (TypedCarray) and vice versa.

FML32 Considerations

Remember to consider the following information when working with FML32:


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