XML entites automatically escaped, although in a CDATA

[JSB]

Hi all,

I'm facing a problem using Spring WS WebServiceTemplate to implement a WS client.
Basically, I'm injecting some XML as a String in my request, it is enclosed in a CDATA tag (this is required by the remote service), but it's entities get escaped. I'm looking for a way to bypass this encoding (which I didn't expect, since CDATA content shouldn't be interpreted in any way, right ?).
More details after the break

I have to reach an external application using SOAP, with this kind of structure :

<soap:Envelope xmlns:soap="http://www.w3.org/2003/05/soap-envelope" xmlns:abc="http://abc.remote.com">
  <soap:Header/>
  <soap:Body>
    <abc:action>
      <abc:params>
        <![CDATA[
          <subaction>
            <name>NAME</name>
            <infos>
              <info1>INFO1</info1>
              <info2>INFO2</info2>
            </infos>
          </subaction>
        ]]>
      </abc:params>
    </abc:action>
  </soap:Body>
</soap:Envelope>

When I use this markup with soapui, I get the correct answer.
Using Wireshark, I see this exact markup being sent over the wire by soapui.
However, when I use my WebServiceTemplate, I noticed that what is sent is this markup, but with XML entities escaped (< etc.).
The remote service then answers with an error (I absolutely don't know anything about nor can't do anything on the remote implementation).

Relevant code example :

public SubactionResponseDocument subaction() {
  // build the XML to send with SOAP
  SubactionDocument request = buildRequest();
  SubactionResponseDocument answer = (SubactionResponseDocument)myWSTemplate.marshalSendAndReceive(request);
  return answer;
}

with the same XmlBeansMarshaller as marshaller and unmarshaller for myWSTemplate, and buildRequest() returning a markup like :

<abc:action>
  <abc:params>
    <![CDATA[
      <subaction>
        <name>NAME</name>
        <infos>
          <info1>INFO1</info1>
          <info2>INFO2</info2>
        </infos>
      </subaction>
    ]]>
  </abc:params>
</abc:action>

According to Wireshark, it results in this kind of markup being sent :

<soap:Envelope xmlns:soap="http://www.w3.org/2003/05/soap-envelope" xmlns:abc="http://abc.remote.com">
  <soap:Header/>
  <soap:Body>
    <abc:action>
      <abc:params>
        <![CDATA[
          &lt;subaction&gt;
          etc.
        ]]>
      </abc:params>
    </abc:action>
  </soap:Body>
</soap:Envelope>

Digging through the huge actual function call hierarchy (Spring / DOM / SOAP / ...) with Eclipse hasn't led me to the place where this escaping happens

However I can tell that :
* when calling marshalSendAndReceive(request), request text is not escaped.
* in XmlBeansMarshaller.marshalDomNode(Object graph, Node node), graph's text is still unescaped too

I think I gave all what I thought relevant, of course feel free to ask any information I forgot

Thanks in advance for any contribution !

[javaxmlsoapdev]

did you find a solutions for this. I am facing same situation where I have xml string in CDATA but web serviceTemplate doesn't understand CDATA and keep treating as XML and boms out..

[JSB]

In fact, after more digging and several tests, I understood that the documentation of the remote service was wrong so I was using it wrong. The problem wasn't about escaped-or-not XML in CDATA section... so I didn't continue looking for a way to customize this behavior... sorry