MessageEncoder docs are outdated

[wowselim]

The interface for MessageEncoder has the following encode method:

@Nullable DataBuffer encode(@NonNull Context ctx, @NonNull Object value) throws Exception;

The javadocs state the following:

/**
 * Render a route output as byte array.
 *
 * @author edgar
 * @since 2.0.0
 */

and

/**
   * MessageEncoder a value into a byte array or <code>null</code> if given object isn't supported
   * it.
   *
   * @param ctx Web context.
   * @param value Value to render.
   * @return Value as byte array or <code>null</code> if given object isn't supported it.
   * @throws Exception If something goes wrong.
   */

These are both outdated as the class does not return byte[] but DataBuffer instead.

The website is also outdated on message encoders: https://jooby.io/#context-response-body-message-encoder
Here, a String is produced and returned. This also doesn't use the DataBuffer class.

In general there is very little info about how to work with data buffers.

[jknack]

@wowselim thanks and yes you're right it is outdated, will try to update. The goal behind the data buffer was:

• hide internal buffers from server implementations (specially pool of buffers) and provide a common contract between them.
• improve performance

The data buffer was just too much. It mimics the java.nio.ByteBuffer class which makes everything complex. Most of the external libraries requires an outputstream like class. #2100

I recommend to not use it unless you want to write a message decoder (of course).

DataBuffer is going to be removed in 4.x (see #3604), we just need something more simply.