Understanding routine name, method name, and method ID

Whether you load data from an XML file or use the MDU to populate the SMC, you will be dealing with the routine name, method name, and perhaps method ID. This topic explains the roles of these three identifiers and offers some suggestions on how best to use them depending with the different xfNetLink clients.

The routine name is simply the name of your Synergy subroutine or function.

The method name is a 50-character value that you create to reference the Synergy routine. It is used by xfNetLink Java and xfNetLink .NET to invoke the Synergy routine within your client code. (xfNetLink Synergy uses the method ID instead; see below.) Methods are grouped into interfaces for inclusion in a Synergy component; consequently, the method name must be unique within an interface. When you generate a JAR file or assembly, the interface name becomes the class name, and the method name becomes the name of the generated method within that class.

The method ID is a unique, 31-character value that is used to identify the Synergy routine. xfServerPlus uses this value to look up the routine to call in the SMC; consequently, the method ID must be unique within the method catalog. By default, the method ID is generated from the method name. (This is the case both when entering data directly in the MDU and when using attributes to define your methods.) Keep in mind that while the method name may be up to 50 characters long, the method ID is limited to 31 characters. If the method name is longer than 31 characters, it will be truncated when it is copied to the method ID. You can change the generated method ID if desired.

The method ID is used in different ways depending on the client: