android-xml-converter 0.2.2

# android-xml-converter

This is just an experimental code to convert between android xml formats (abx and xml). functionality is not guaranteed.

#### android's default `abx2xml` and `xml2abx`

- `abx2xml` and `xml2abx` binaries found generally in /system/bin/ of android devices is just a shell script that acts as a wrapper for executing abx.jar. It depends on Java and app_process, making it reliant on Android's runtime environment. Since it invokes Java code, it cannot run independently in environments where Java isn't available and also the overhead of launching a Java process adds extra execution time.

## Standalone `abx2xml` and `xml2abx`

- This `abx2xml` and `xml2abx` binary performs the same function—converting between ABX and XML but in a fully standalone manner. Unlike default android binaries, this binary does not require Java, or abx.jar to function.

**Note:** This may not be a perfect alternative implementation of Android's `xml2abx` and `abx2xml`, as Android manages many things internally that may not be possible to replicate in a standalone version.

### Command line usage

- Similar to default abx2xml and xml2abx

- `abx2xml [-i] input [output]`

- `xml2abx [-i] [--collapse-whitespace] input [output]`

**Note:** `abx2xml` may output unformatted XML (with broken indentation) depending on how the original ABX format was structured. You can use `xmllint` or any other XML formatter to pretty-print the output if needed. While we could have added a built-in pretty printer to `abx2xml`, it would significantly affect performance.

## Implementation

This project was initially started in C++, but has since been migrated to Rust for improved memory safety and performance. The C++ implementation still exists in the repository for reference purposes and ease of comparison.

## Installation 

- Can be installed directly by running
```bash
cargo install android-xml-converter
# Needs Cargo
```

## Building Manually 

- Clone the repo

```bash
git clone --depth 1 https://github.com/rhythmcache/android-xml-converter.git
cd android-xml-converter
```

- Build Rust Version (Recommended)

```bash
cargo build --release
```

- Build C++ version (via Meson)

```bash
meson setup builddir
meson compile -C builddir
```

## Performance Benchmarks

Performance comparison across different platforms:

### Android
![Android Benchmark](https://raw.githubusercontent.com/rhythmcache/android-xml-converter/main/images/benchmark_android.png)

### Linux
![Linux Benchmark](https://raw.githubusercontent.com/rhythmcache/android-xml-converter/main/images/benchmark_linux.png)

### Windows
![Windows Benchmark](https://raw.githubusercontent.com/rhythmcache/android-xml-converter/main/images/benchmark_windows.png)

### macOS
![macOS Benchmark](https://raw.githubusercontent.com/rhythmcache/android-xml-converter/main/images/benchmark_macos.png)

**Note:** The Android benchmark includes Android's official `abx2xml` and `xml2abx` binaries for comparison, demonstrating the performance advantages of standalone native implementations over Java-based solutions. The Linux, Windows, and macOS benchmarks (run in GitHub Actions) compare the C++ and Rust implementations.

---

### References 

- [BinaryXmlPullParser.java](https://cs.android.com/android/platform/superproject/main/+/main:/frameworks/libs/modules-utils/java/com/android/modules/utils/BinaryXmlPullParser.java)


- [BinaryXmlSerializer.java](https://cs.android.com/android/platform/superproject/main/+/main:/frameworks/libs/modules-utils/java/com/android/modules/utils/BinaryXmlSerializer.java)


### License
- Licensed under [Apache-2](https://raw.githubusercontent.com/rhythmcache/android-xml-converter/main/LICENSE)