JMS message conversion

Message data conversion in JMS is performed when sending and receiving messages. IBM MQ performs most data conversion automatically. It converts text and numeric data when transferring a message between JMS applications. Text is converted when exchanging a JMSTextMessage between a JMS application and an IBM MQ application.

If you are planning to do more complex message exchanges, the following topics are of interest you. Complex message exchanges include:

  • Transferring non-text messages between an IBM MQ application and a JMS application.
  • Exchanging text data in byte format.
  • Converting the text in our application.


JMS message data

Data conversion is necessary to exchange text and numeric data between applications, even between two JMS applications. The internal representation of text and numbers must be encoded so they can be transferred in a message. Encoding forces a decision about how numbers and text are represented. IBM MQ manages the encoding of text and numbers in JMS messages, except for JMSObjectMessage, see JMSObjectMessage. It uses three message attributes. The three attributes are CodedCharacterSetId, Encoding, and Format.

These three message attributes are normally stored in the JMS header, MQRFH2, fields of a JMS message. If the message type is an MQ, rather than JMS type of message, the attributes are stored in the message descriptor, MQMD. The attributes are used to convert the JMS message data. JMS message data is transferred in the message data part of an IBM MQ message.


JMS message properties

JMS message properties, such as JMS_IBM_CHARACTER_SET, are exchanged in the MQRFH2 header part of a JMS message, unless the message has been sent without an MQRFH2. Only JMSTextMessage and JMSBytesMessage can be sent without an MQRFH2. If a JMS property is stored as an IBM MQ message property in the message descriptor, MQMD, it is converted as part of the MQMD conversion. If a JMS property is stored in the MQRFH2, it is stored in the character set specified by MQRFH2.NameValueCCSID. When a message is sent or received, message properties are converted to and from their internal representation in the JVM. The conversion is to and from the character set of the message descriptor or MQRFH2.NameValueCCSID. Numeric data is converted to text.


JMS message conversion

The following topics contain examples and tasks that are useful if you plan to exchange more complex messages that require conversion.