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      1 /*
      2  * Copyright (C) 2006 The Android Open Source Project
      3  *
      4  * Licensed under the Apache License, Version 2.0 (the "License");
      5  * you may not use this file except in compliance with the License.
      6  * You may obtain a copy of the License at
      7  *
      8  *      http://www.apache.org/licenses/LICENSE-2.0
      9  *
     10  * Unless required by applicable law or agreed to in writing, software
     11  * distributed under the License is distributed on an "AS IS" BASIS,
     12  * WITHOUT WARRANTIES OR CONDITIONS OF ANY KIND, either express or implied.
     13  * See the License for the specific language governing permissions and
     14  * limitations under the License.
     15  */
     16 
     17 package android.os;
     18 
     19 import java.io.FileDescriptor;
     20 import java.io.PrintWriter;
     21 
     22 /**
     23  * Base interface for a remotable object, the core part of a lightweight
     24  * remote procedure call mechanism designed for high performance when
     25  * performing in-process and cross-process calls.  This
     26  * interface describes the abstract protocol for interacting with a
     27  * remotable object.  Do not implement this interface directly, instead
     28  * extend from {@link Binder}.
     29  *
     30  * <p>The key IBinder API is {@link #transact transact()} matched by
     31  * {@link Binder#onTransact Binder.onTransact()}.  These
     32  * methods allow you to send a call to an IBinder object and receive a
     33  * call coming in to a Binder object, respectively.  This transaction API
     34  * is synchronous, such that a call to {@link #transact transact()} does not
     35  * return until the target has returned from
     36  * {@link Binder#onTransact Binder.onTransact()}; this is the
     37  * expected behavior when calling an object that exists in the local
     38  * process, and the underlying inter-process communication (IPC) mechanism
     39  * ensures that these same semantics apply when going across processes.
     40  *
     41  * <p>The data sent through transact() is a {@link Parcel}, a generic buffer
     42  * of data that also maintains some meta-data about its contents.  The meta
     43  * data is used to manage IBinder object references in the buffer, so that those
     44  * references can be maintained as the buffer moves across processes.  This
     45  * mechanism ensures that when an IBinder is written into a Parcel and sent to
     46  * another process, if that other process sends a reference to that same IBinder
     47  * back to the original process, then the original process will receive the
     48  * same IBinder object back.  These semantics allow IBinder/Binder objects to
     49  * be used as a unique identity (to serve as a token or for other purposes)
     50  * that can be managed across processes.
     51  *
     52  * <p>The system maintains a pool of transaction threads in each process that
     53  * it runs in.  These threads are used to dispatch all
     54  * IPCs coming in from other processes.  For example, when an IPC is made from
     55  * process A to process B, the calling thread in A blocks in transact() as
     56  * it sends the transaction to process B.  The next available pool thread in
     57  * B receives the incoming transaction, calls Binder.onTransact() on the target
     58  * object, and replies with the result Parcel.  Upon receiving its result, the
     59  * thread in process A returns to allow its execution to continue.  In effect,
     60  * other processes appear to use as additional threads that you did not create
     61  * executing in your own process.
     62  *
     63  * <p>The Binder system also supports recursion across processes.  For example
     64  * if process A performs a transaction to process B, and process B while
     65  * handling that transaction calls transact() on an IBinder that is implemented
     66  * in A, then the thread in A that is currently waiting for the original
     67  * transaction to finish will take care of calling Binder.onTransact() on the
     68  * object being called by B.  This ensures that the recursion semantics when
     69  * calling remote binder object are the same as when calling local objects.
     70  *
     71  * <p>When working with remote objects, you often want to find out when they
     72  * are no longer valid.  There are three ways this can be determined:
     73  * <ul>
     74  * <li> The {@link #transact transact()} method will throw a
     75  * {@link RemoteException} exception if you try to call it on an IBinder
     76  * whose process no longer exists.
     77  * <li> The {@link #pingBinder()} method can be called, and will return false
     78  * if the remote process no longer exists.
     79  * <li> The {@link #linkToDeath linkToDeath()} method can be used to register
     80  * a {@link DeathRecipient} with the IBinder, which will be called when its
     81  * containing process goes away.
     82  * </ul>
     83  *
     84  * @see Binder
     85  */
     86 public interface IBinder {
     87     /**
     88      * The first transaction code available for user commands.
     89      */
     90     int FIRST_CALL_TRANSACTION  = 0x00000001;
     91     /**
     92      * The last transaction code available for user commands.
     93      */
     94     int LAST_CALL_TRANSACTION   = 0x00ffffff;
     95 
     96     /**
     97      * IBinder protocol transaction code: pingBinder().
     98      */
     99     int PING_TRANSACTION        = ('_'<<24)|('P'<<16)|('N'<<8)|'G';
    100 
    101     /**
    102      * IBinder protocol transaction code: dump internal state.
    103      */
    104     int DUMP_TRANSACTION        = ('_'<<24)|('D'<<16)|('M'<<8)|'P';
    105 
    106     /**
    107      * IBinder protocol transaction code: interrogate the recipient side
    108      * of the transaction for its canonical interface descriptor.
    109      */
    110     int INTERFACE_TRANSACTION   = ('_'<<24)|('N'<<16)|('T'<<8)|'F';
    111 
    112     /**
    113      * Flag to {@link #transact}: this is a one-way call, meaning that the
    114      * caller returns immediately, without waiting for a result from the
    115      * callee. Applies only if the caller and callee are in different
    116      * processes.
    117      */
    118     int FLAG_ONEWAY             = 0x00000001;
    119 
    120     /**
    121      * Get the canonical name of the interface supported by this binder.
    122      */
    123     public String getInterfaceDescriptor() throws RemoteException;
    124 
    125     /**
    126      * Check to see if the object still exists.
    127      *
    128      * @return Returns false if the
    129      * hosting process is gone, otherwise the result (always by default
    130      * true) returned by the pingBinder() implementation on the other
    131      * side.
    132      */
    133     public boolean pingBinder();
    134 
    135     /**
    136      * Check to see if the process that the binder is in is still alive.
    137      *
    138      * @return false if the process is not alive.  Note that if it returns
    139      * true, the process may have died while the call is returning.
    140      */
    141     public boolean isBinderAlive();
    142 
    143     /**
    144      * Attempt to retrieve a local implementation of an interface
    145      * for this Binder object.  If null is returned, you will need
    146      * to instantiate a proxy class to marshall calls through
    147      * the transact() method.
    148      */
    149     public IInterface queryLocalInterface(String descriptor);
    150 
    151     /**
    152      * Print the object's state into the given stream.
    153      *
    154      * @param fd The raw file descriptor that the dump is being sent to.
    155      * @param args additional arguments to the dump request.
    156      */
    157     public void dump(FileDescriptor fd, String[] args) throws RemoteException;
    158 
    159     /**
    160      * Perform a generic operation with the object.
    161      *
    162      * @param code The action to perform.  This should
    163      * be a number between {@link #FIRST_CALL_TRANSACTION} and
    164      * {@link #LAST_CALL_TRANSACTION}.
    165      * @param data Marshalled data to send to the target.  Most not be null.
    166      * If you are not sending any data, you must create an empty Parcel
    167      * that is given here.
    168      * @param reply Marshalled data to be received from the target.  May be
    169      * null if you are not interested in the return value.
    170      * @param flags Additional operation flags.  Either 0 for a normal
    171      * RPC, or {@link #FLAG_ONEWAY} for a one-way RPC.
    172      */
    173     public boolean transact(int code, Parcel data, Parcel reply, int flags)
    174         throws RemoteException;
    175 
    176     /**
    177      * Interface for receiving a callback when the process hosting an IBinder
    178      * has gone away.
    179      *
    180      * @see #linkToDeath
    181      */
    182     public interface DeathRecipient {
    183         public void binderDied();
    184     }
    185 
    186     /**
    187      * Register the recipient for a notification if this binder
    188      * goes away.  If this binder object unexpectedly goes away
    189      * (typically because its hosting process has been killed),
    190      * then the given {@link DeathRecipient}'s
    191      * {@link DeathRecipient#binderDied DeathRecipient.binderDied()} method
    192      * will be called.
    193      *
    194      * <p>You will only receive death notifications for remote binders,
    195      * as local binders by definition can't die without you dying as well.
    196      *
    197      * @throws Throws {@link RemoteException} if the target IBinder's
    198      * process has already died.
    199      *
    200      * @see #unlinkToDeath
    201      */
    202     public void linkToDeath(DeathRecipient recipient, int flags)
    203             throws RemoteException;
    204 
    205     /**
    206      * Remove a previously registered death notification.
    207      * The recipient will no longer be called if this object
    208      * dies.
    209      *
    210      * @return Returns true if the <var>recipient</var> is successfully
    211      * unlinked, assuring you that its
    212      * {@link DeathRecipient#binderDied DeathRecipient.binderDied()} method
    213      * will not be called.  Returns false if the target IBinder has already
    214      * died, meaning the method has been (or soon will be) called.
    215      *
    216      * @throws Throws {@link java.util.NoSuchElementException} if the given
    217      * <var>recipient</var> has not been registered with the IBinder, and
    218      * the IBinder is still alive.  Note that if the <var>recipient</var>
    219      * was never registered, but the IBinder has already died, then this
    220      * exception will <em>not</em> be thrown, and you will receive a false
    221      * return value instead.
    222      */
    223     public boolean unlinkToDeath(DeathRecipient recipient, int flags);
    224 }
    225