Serializers are processors with no XML output. A serializer, just like any processor, can access files, connect to databases, and take actions depending on its inputs. See also the HTTP serializer.

The URL serializer mirrors the functionality of the URL generator. Instead of reading from of URL, it writes its data input as XML into a URL.

The URL serializer takes a config input with a single url element containing the URL to write to. The data input is serialized according the rules of the XML serializer.

The File serializer supports decoding binary or text data encapsulated in XML documents and writing it to a file on disk.

The configuration consists of the following elements:

Element Name	Type	Purpose	Default Value
file	Absolute or relative path to a file	Specifies the file to write to.	none
directory	Optional absolute path to a directory	Specifies the path relative to which the file element is resolved.	none
append	boolean	If the file already exists: appends content to the file if true, or replaces the file if false.	false
make-directories	boolean	If the file is located in a directory that doesn't exist: creates the necessary directories if true, or raises an error if false.	false
content-type	content type, without any attributes	Indicates the content type to use.	application/octet-stream for binary mode, text/plain for text mode
force-content-type	boolean	Indicates whether the content type provided has precedence. This requires a content-type element.	false
ignore-document-content-type	boolean	Indicates whether the content type provided by the input document should be ignored.	false
encoding	valid encoding name	Indicates the text encoding to use.	utf-8
force-encoding	boolean	Indicates whether the encoding provided has precedence. This requires an encoding element.	false
ignore-document-encoding	boolean	Indicates whether the encoding provided by the input document should be ignored.	false
cache-control/use-local-cache	boolean	Whether the resulting stream must be locally cached. For documents or binaries that are large or known to change at every request, it is recommended to set this to false.	true

Here is how you serialize a document produced by a pipeline to a file on disk:

Note the use of the XML converter processor, which serializes the XML document produced by the pipeline to a textual representation of XML.

Here is how you can copy a file specified with a URL from one location to the other, by using the URL generator and the File serializer:

The File serializer is most useful in a command-line application, but can be used in web applications as well.

The Scope serializer can store documents into the application, session and request scopes. It works together with the Scope generator.

The Scope serializer has a config input in the following format:

key	The <key> element contains a string used to identify the document. The same key must be used to store and retrieve a document.
scope	The <scope> element specifies in what scope the document is to be stored. The available scopes are: application - The application scope starts when the Web application is deployed. It ends when the Web application is undeployed. The application scope provides an efficient storage for data that does not need to be persisted and that is common for all users. It is typically used to cache information (e.g. configuration data for the application read from a database). session - The session scope is attached to a given user of the Web application. It is typically used to store information that does not need to be persisted and is specific to a given user. It is typically used to cache the user's profile. request - The request scope starts when an HTTP request is sent to the server. It ends when the corresponding HTTP response is sent back to the client. The request scope can be used to integrate a Orbeon Forms application with legacy J2EE servlets.
session-scope	The <session-scope> element specifies in what session scope the document is to be stored. This element is only allowed when the <scope> element is set to session. The available session scopes are: application - access the entire application session. This is always a valid value. portlet - access the local portlet session. This is only valid if the processor is run within a portlet. If the element is missing, a default value is used: application when the processor runs within a servlet, and portlet when the processor runs within a portlet.

In addition to the config input, the Scope serializer has a data input receiving the document to store.

The Null serializer acts as a black hole. The data input is read and ignored. This processor is useful when a pipeline or a branch of a p:choose element doesn't have to return any document.

All serializers (XML, HTML, text, and FOP) will flush their output stream when they encounter the following processing instruction: <?oxf-serializer flush?>

This instruction allows the browser to display a Web page incrementally. Incremental display is typically useful when sending large tables or when the first part of a Web page could be displayed, while the rest of the page cannot until a time consuming action is performed.

These serializers share a common functionality: writing their data input to an HTTP response. Typically, this means sending data back to a client web browser. This can be done in a Servlet environment or a Portlet environment. All share the same configuration, but differ in how they convert their input data. The following describes the common configuration, then the specifics for each serializer.

All serializers send the cache control HTTP headers, including Last-Modified, Expires and Cache-Control. The content type and content length headers are also supported.

7.1. Configuration

7.2. XML Serializer

7.3. HTML Serializer

7.4. Text Serializer