public interface IBinder
Binder.
The key IBinder API is transact() matched by
Binder.onTransact(). These
methods allow you to send a call to an IBinder object and receive a
call coming in to a Binder object, respectively. This transaction API
is synchronous, such that a call to transact() does not
return until the target has returned from
Binder.onTransact(); this is the
expected behavior when calling an object that exists in the local
process, and the underlying inter-process communication (IPC) mechanism
ensures that these same semantics apply when going across processes.
The data sent through transact() is a Parcel, a generic buffer
of data that also maintains some meta-data about its contents. The meta
data is used to manage IBinder object references in the buffer, so that those
references can be maintained as the buffer moves across processes. This
mechanism ensures that when an IBinder is written into a Parcel and sent to
another process, if that other process sends a reference to that same IBinder
back to the original process, then the original process will receive the
same IBinder object back. These semantics allow IBinder/Binder objects to
be used as a unique identity (to serve as a token or for other purposes)
that can be managed across processes.
The system maintains a pool of transaction threads in each process that it runs in. These threads are used to dispatch all IPCs coming in from other processes. For example, when an IPC is made from process A to process B, the calling thread in A blocks in transact() as it sends the transaction to process B. The next available pool thread in B receives the incoming transaction, calls Binder.onTransact() on the target object, and replies with the result Parcel. Upon receiving its result, the thread in process A returns to allow its execution to continue. In effect, other processes appear to use as additional threads that you did not create executing in your own process.
The Binder system also supports recursion across processes. For example if process A performs a transaction to process B, and process B while handling that transaction calls transact() on an IBinder that is implemented in A, then the thread in A that is currently waiting for the original transaction to finish will take care of calling Binder.onTransact() on the object being called by B. This ensures that the recursion semantics when calling remote binder object are the same as when calling local objects.
When working with remote objects, you often want to find out when they are no longer valid. There are three ways this can be determined:
transact() method will throw a
RemoteException exception if you try to call it on an IBinder
whose process no longer exists.
#pingBinder() method can be called, and will return false
if the remote process no longer exists.
linkToDeath() method can be used to register
a IBinder.DeathRecipient with the IBinder, which will be called when its
containing process goes away.
Binder| Modifier and Type | Interface and Description |
|---|---|
static interface |
IBinder.DeathRecipient
Interface for receiving a callback when the process hosting an IBinder
has gone away.
|
| Modifier and Type | Field and Description |
|---|---|
static int |
DUMP_TRANSACTION
IBinder protocol transaction code: dump internal state.
|
static int |
FIRST_CALL_TRANSACTION
The first transaction code available for user commands.
|
static int |
FLAG_ONEWAY
Flag to
#transact: this is a one-way call, meaning that the
caller returns immediately, without waiting for a result from the
callee. |
static int |
INTERFACE_TRANSACTION
IBinder protocol transaction code: interrogate the recipient side
of the transaction for its canonical interface descriptor.
|
static int |
LAST_CALL_TRANSACTION
The last transaction code available for user commands.
|
static int |
LIKE_TRANSACTION
IBinder protocol transaction code: tell an app asynchronously that the
caller likes it.
|
static int |
MAX_IPC_SIZE
Limit that should be placed on IPC sizes to keep them safely under the
transaction buffer limit.
|
static int |
PING_TRANSACTION
IBinder protocol transaction code: pingBinder().
|
static int |
SYSPROPS_TRANSACTION |
static int |
TWEET_TRANSACTION
IBinder protocol transaction code: send a tweet to the target
object.
|
static final int FIRST_CALL_TRANSACTION
static final int LAST_CALL_TRANSACTION
static final int PING_TRANSACTION
static final int DUMP_TRANSACTION
static final int INTERFACE_TRANSACTION
static final int TWEET_TRANSACTION
Build.VERSION_CODES#HONEYCOMB_MR2, all Binder objects are
expected to support this protocol for fully integrated tweeting
across the platform. To support older code, the default implementation
logs the tweet to the main log as a simple emulation of broadcasting
it publicly over the Internet.
Also, upon completing the dispatch, the object must make a cup of tea, return it to the caller, and exclaim "jolly good message old boy!".
static final int LIKE_TRANSACTION
There is no response returned and nothing about the system will be functionally affected by it, but it will improve the app's self-esteem.
static final int SYSPROPS_TRANSACTION
static final int FLAG_ONEWAY
#transact: this is a one-way call, meaning that the
caller returns immediately, without waiting for a result from the
callee. Applies only if the caller and callee are in different
processes.static final int MAX_IPC_SIZE