Pols Consulting

I have been playing with XStream for converting java classes into xml.

We can convert a class such as this:

Error: Could not open NotVeryUsefulBean.java

into xml that looks like this.

Error: Could not open NotVeryUsefulBean1.xml

The xml is nice and clean. Like most implementations, XStream embeds the name of the class in the xml. This can cause problems when you rename a class, or move it to a different package. The xml could be on a customers’ machine, well away from my refactoring IDE. I have been bitten by this lately.

Then I realised that XStream has aliases. Joe added aliases to make it easier to read the xml. You have to map an alias to a class in your code. Here is an example of using a “MyAlias” for the “NotVeryUsefulBean” class.

Error: Could not open XstreamDemoUsingAnAlias.java

And the xml now looks like this

Error: Could not open NotVeryUsefulBean2.xml

Not a class name in sight. When I rename classes and move them into different packages, the refactoring tool will update the alias without breaking the xml. Nice!