[Quickfix-developers] Unexpected feature of Message.toString()

[Timothy Y. <Tim...@pa...>]

I have a quickfix application that effectively operates purely at the
session level.  It uses quickfix to read FIX messages from a FIX session
then converts each message to a string and sticks it on a JMS queue.

The application revealed an interesting feature of quickfix repeating group
support.  If you parse a message containing a repeating group then call
toString() on the message the result is not a correctly ordered message.
(This is because quickfix contructs a Group object internally that has
'default' field ordering.)

I noticed this problem because the upstream component that extracts the
message from the JMS queue is probably too pedantic and insists on correct
group ordering.

Here's a test program that demonstrates the problem.  (I am using quickfix
1.7.0, but I don't think anything has been changed in the latest version).

-----------------
#include <Message.h>
#include <DataDictionary.h>

using namespace FIX;
using namespace std;

int main(int argc, char* argv[]) {
	try {
		DataDictionary dd("FIX43.xml");
		string
msgStr("8=FIX.4.3\0019=199\00135=E\00134=126\00149=BUYSIDE\00150=00303\00152
=20040916-16:19:18.328\00156=SELLSIDE\00166=1095350459\00168=2\00173=2\00111
=1095350459\00167=1\0011=00303\00155=fred\00154=1\00140=1\00159=3\00111=1095
350460\00167=2\0011=00303\00155=fred\00154=1\00140=1\00159=3\001394=3\00110=
138\001");
		Message m(msgStr, dd);
		cout << m.toString() << endl;
	} catch (InvalidMessage& e) {
		cout << "Invalid message:" << e.what() << endl;

	} catch (...) {
		cout << "An exception occurred" << endl;
	}
	return 0;

}
----------------

Here's the program output:

8=FIX.4.3?9=199?35=E?34=126?49=BUYSIDE?50=00303?52=20040916-16:19:18.328?56=
SELL
SIDE?66=1095350459?68=2?73=2?11=1095350459?1=00303?40=1?54=1?55=fred?59=3?67
=1?1
1=1095350460?1=00303?40=1?54=1?55=fred?59=3?67=2?394=3?10=138?

Tim Yates
Lead Developer 
Patsystems (US) LLC 
141 West Jackson Boulevard
Chicago 60604, USA 
Tel +1 (312) 542-1336 
www.patsystems.com