Processor and Endpoint difference?

[anielson]

1. What is the main difference between a Processor and an Endpoint?

2. When should I use a processor? And and Endpoint?

3. For instance, to extract some XML data, using XPath, and to add this data to an ArrayList: which type should I use?

[janstey]

Endpoints are typically places you get messages from or send messages to. Processors are used to manipulate/mediate messages between endpoints.

For extracting XML data from a message you can use a custom processor like:

from("direct:in")
    .process(new Processor() {
        public void process(Exchange exchange) {
            // do stuff to the exchange
        }
    }).to("mock:result");

A bit nicer way of extracting things via XPath would be to use a custom bean though:

from("direct:in").beanRef("myBean");

This bean extracts a node list from the message body as the list parameter.

    public class MyBean {
        public void foo(@XPath("/employees/employee") NodeList list) {
            // do something here
        }
    }

Edited by: janstey on Dec 11, 2008 11:07 PM