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 
21 /**
22  * Base interface for a remotable object, the core part of a lightweight
23  * remote procedure call mechanism designed for high performance when
24  * performing in-process and cross-process calls.  This
25  * interface describes the abstract protocol for interacting with a
26  * remotable object.  Do not implement this interface directly, instead
27  * extend from {@link Binder}.
28  *
29  * <p>The key IBinder API is {@link #transact transact()} matched by
30  * {@link Binder#onTransact Binder.onTransact()}.  These
31  * methods allow you to send a call to an IBinder object and receive a
32  * call coming in to a Binder object, respectively.  This transaction API
33  * is synchronous, such that a call to {@link #transact transact()} does not
34  * return until the target has returned from
35  * {@link Binder#onTransact Binder.onTransact()}; this is the
36  * expected behavior when calling an object that exists in the local
37  * process, and the underlying inter-process communication (IPC) mechanism
38  * ensures that these same semantics apply when going across processes.
39  *
40  * <p>The data sent through transact() is a {@link Parcel}, a generic buffer
41  * of data that also maintains some meta-data about its contents.  The meta
42  * data is used to manage IBinder object references in the buffer, so that those
43  * references can be maintained as the buffer moves across processes.  This
44  * mechanism ensures that when an IBinder is written into a Parcel and sent to
45  * another process, if that other process sends a reference to that same IBinder
46  * back to the original process, then the original process will receive the
47  * same IBinder object back.  These semantics allow IBinder/Binder objects to
48  * be used as a unique identity (to serve as a token or for other purposes)
49  * that can be managed across processes.
50  *
51  * <p>The system maintains a pool of transaction threads in each process that
52  * it runs in.  These threads are used to dispatch all
53  * IPCs coming in from other processes.  For example, when an IPC is made from
54  * process A to process B, the calling thread in A blocks in transact() as
55  * it sends the transaction to process B.  The next available pool thread in
56  * B receives the incoming transaction, calls Binder.onTransact() on the target
57  * object, and replies with the result Parcel.  Upon receiving its result, the
58  * thread in process A returns to allow its execution to continue.  In effect,
59  * other processes appear to use as additional threads that you did not create
60  * executing in your own process.
61  *
62  * <p>The Binder system also supports recursion across processes.  For example
63  * if process A performs a transaction to process B, and process B while
64  * handling that transaction calls transact() on an IBinder that is implemented
65  * in A, then the thread in A that is currently waiting for the original
66  * transaction to finish will take care of calling Binder.onTransact() on the
67  * object being called by B.  This ensures that the recursion semantics when
68  * calling remote binder object are the same as when calling local objects.
69  *
70  * <p>When working with remote objects, you often want to find out when they
71  * are no longer valid.  There are three ways this can be determined:
72  * <ul>
73  * <li> The {@link #transact transact()} method will throw a
74  * {@link RemoteException} exception if you try to call it on an IBinder
75  * whose process no longer exists.
76  * <li> The {@link #pingBinder()} method can be called, and will return false
77  * if the remote process no longer exists.
78  * <li> The {@link #linkToDeath linkToDeath()} method can be used to register
79  * a {@link DeathRecipient} with the IBinder, which will be called when its
80  * containing process goes away.
81  * </ul>
82  *
83  * @see Binder
84  */
85 public interface IBinder {
86     /**
87      * The first transaction code available for user commands.
88      */
89     int FIRST_CALL_TRANSACTION  = 0x00000001;
90     /**
91      * The last transaction code available for user commands.
92      */
93     int LAST_CALL_TRANSACTION   = 0x00ffffff;
94 
95     /**
96      * IBinder protocol transaction code: pingBinder().
97      */
98     int PING_TRANSACTION        = ('_'<<24)|('P'<<16)|('N'<<8)|'G';
99 
100     /**
101      * IBinder protocol transaction code: dump internal state.
102      */
103     int DUMP_TRANSACTION        = ('_'<<24)|('D'<<16)|('M'<<8)|'P';
104 
105     /**
106      * IBinder protocol transaction code: interrogate the recipient side
107      * of the transaction for its canonical interface descriptor.
108      */
109     int INTERFACE_TRANSACTION   = ('_'<<24)|('N'<<16)|('T'<<8)|'F';
110 
111     /**
112      * IBinder protocol transaction code: send a tweet to the target
113      * object.  The data in the parcel is intended to be delivered to
114      * a shared messaging service associated with the object; it can be
115      * anything, as long as it is not more than 130 UTF-8 characters to
116      * conservatively fit within common messaging services.  As part of
117      * {@link Build.VERSION_CODES#HONEYCOMB_MR2}, all Binder objects are
118      * expected to support this protocol for fully integrated tweeting
119      * across the platform.  To support older code, the default implementation
120      * logs the tweet to the main log as a simple emulation of broadcasting
121      * it publicly over the Internet.
122      *
123      * <p>Also, upon completing the dispatch, the object must make a cup
124      * of tea, return it to the caller, and exclaim "jolly good message
125      * old boy!".
126      */
127     int TWEET_TRANSACTION   = ('_'<<24)|('T'<<16)|('W'<<8)|'T';
128 
129     /**
130      * IBinder protocol transaction code: tell an app asynchronously that the
131      * caller likes it.  The app is responsible for incrementing and maintaining
132      * its own like counter, and may display this value to the user to indicate the
133      * quality of the app.  This is an optional command that applications do not
134      * need to handle, so the default implementation is to do nothing.
135      *
136      * <p>There is no response returned and nothing about the
137      * system will be functionally affected by it, but it will improve the
138      * app's self-esteem.
139      */
140     int LIKE_TRANSACTION   = ('_'<<24)|('L'<<16)|('I'<<8)|'K';
141 
142     /** @hide */
143     int SYSPROPS_TRANSACTION = ('_'<<24)|('S'<<16)|('P'<<8)|'R';
144 
145     /**
146      * Flag to {@link #transact}: this is a one-way call, meaning that the
147      * caller returns immediately, without waiting for a result from the
148      * callee. Applies only if the caller and callee are in different
149      * processes.
150      */
151     int FLAG_ONEWAY             = 0x00000001;
152 
153     /**
154      * Get the canonical name of the interface supported by this binder.
155      */
getInterfaceDescriptor()156     public String getInterfaceDescriptor() throws RemoteException;
157 
158     /**
159      * Check to see if the object still exists.
160      *
161      * @return Returns false if the
162      * hosting process is gone, otherwise the result (always by default
163      * true) returned by the pingBinder() implementation on the other
164      * side.
165      */
pingBinder()166     public boolean pingBinder();
167 
168     /**
169      * Check to see if the process that the binder is in is still alive.
170      *
171      * @return false if the process is not alive.  Note that if it returns
172      * true, the process may have died while the call is returning.
173      */
isBinderAlive()174     public boolean isBinderAlive();
175 
176     /**
177      * Attempt to retrieve a local implementation of an interface
178      * for this Binder object.  If null is returned, you will need
179      * to instantiate a proxy class to marshall calls through
180      * the transact() method.
181      */
queryLocalInterface(String descriptor)182     public IInterface queryLocalInterface(String descriptor);
183 
184     /**
185      * Print the object's state into the given stream.
186      *
187      * @param fd The raw file descriptor that the dump is being sent to.
188      * @param args additional arguments to the dump request.
189      */
dump(FileDescriptor fd, String[] args)190     public void dump(FileDescriptor fd, String[] args) throws RemoteException;
191 
192     /**
193      * Like {@link #dump(FileDescriptor, String[])} but always executes
194      * asynchronously.  If the object is local, a new thread is created
195      * to perform the dump.
196      *
197      * @param fd The raw file descriptor that the dump is being sent to.
198      * @param args additional arguments to the dump request.
199      */
dumpAsync(FileDescriptor fd, String[] args)200     public void dumpAsync(FileDescriptor fd, String[] args) throws RemoteException;
201 
202     /**
203      * Perform a generic operation with the object.
204      *
205      * @param code The action to perform.  This should
206      * be a number between {@link #FIRST_CALL_TRANSACTION} and
207      * {@link #LAST_CALL_TRANSACTION}.
208      * @param data Marshalled data to send to the target.  Must not be null.
209      * If you are not sending any data, you must create an empty Parcel
210      * that is given here.
211      * @param reply Marshalled data to be received from the target.  May be
212      * null if you are not interested in the return value.
213      * @param flags Additional operation flags.  Either 0 for a normal
214      * RPC, or {@link #FLAG_ONEWAY} for a one-way RPC.
215      */
transact(int code, Parcel data, Parcel reply, int flags)216     public boolean transact(int code, Parcel data, Parcel reply, int flags)
217         throws RemoteException;
218 
219     /**
220      * Interface for receiving a callback when the process hosting an IBinder
221      * has gone away.
222      *
223      * @see #linkToDeath
224      */
225     public interface DeathRecipient {
binderDied()226         public void binderDied();
227     }
228 
229     /**
230      * Register the recipient for a notification if this binder
231      * goes away.  If this binder object unexpectedly goes away
232      * (typically because its hosting process has been killed),
233      * then the given {@link DeathRecipient}'s
234      * {@link DeathRecipient#binderDied DeathRecipient.binderDied()} method
235      * will be called.
236      *
237      * <p>You will only receive death notifications for remote binders,
238      * as local binders by definition can't die without you dying as well.
239      *
240      * @throws RemoteException if the target IBinder's
241      * process has already died.
242      *
243      * @see #unlinkToDeath
244      */
linkToDeath(DeathRecipient recipient, int flags)245     public void linkToDeath(DeathRecipient recipient, int flags)
246             throws RemoteException;
247 
248     /**
249      * Remove a previously registered death notification.
250      * The recipient will no longer be called if this object
251      * dies.
252      *
253      * @return {@code true} if the <var>recipient</var> is successfully
254      * unlinked, assuring you that its
255      * {@link DeathRecipient#binderDied DeathRecipient.binderDied()} method
256      * will not be called;  {@code false} if the target IBinder has already
257      * died, meaning the method has been (or soon will be) called.
258      *
259      * @throws java.util.NoSuchElementException if the given
260      * <var>recipient</var> has not been registered with the IBinder, and
261      * the IBinder is still alive.  Note that if the <var>recipient</var>
262      * was never registered, but the IBinder has already died, then this
263      * exception will <em>not</em> be thrown, and you will receive a false
264      * return value instead.
265      */
unlinkToDeath(DeathRecipient recipient, int flags)266     public boolean unlinkToDeath(DeathRecipient recipient, int flags);
267 }
268