The Jabber protocols have long included a method for sending roster items to another entity. This method makes use of the 'jabber:x:roster' namespace and has been documented variously in Internet-Drafts and elsewhere. Because this protocol is not required by RFC 2779 [1], the 'jabber:x:roster' namespace was removed from XMPP IM [2]. This specification fills the void for canonical documentation.
NOTE WELL: This document has been superseded by Roster Item Exchange (XEP-0144) [3].
The 'jabber:x:roster' namespace (which is not to be confused with the 'jabber:iq:roster' namespace) is used to send roster items from one Jabber entity to another. A roster item is sent by adding to the <message/> element an <x/> child scoped by the 'jabber:x:roster' namespace. This <x/> element MUST contain at least one <item/> child elements (one for each roster item to be sent).
Each <item/> element may possess the following attributes:
Each <item/> element MAY also contain one or more <group/> children specifying the natural-language name of a user-specified group, for the purpose of categorizing this contact into one or more roster groups.
<message to='hamlet@denmark' from='horatio@denmark'>
<subject>Visitors</subject>
<body>This message contains roster items.</body>
<x xmlns='jabber:x:roster'>
<item jid='rosencrantz@denmark'
name='Rosencrantz'>
<group>Visitors</group>
</item>
<item jid='guildenstern@denmark'
name='Guildenstern'>
<group>Visitors</group>
</item>
</x>
</message>
There are no security features or concerns related to this proposal.
This document requires no interaction with the Internet Assigned Numbers Authority (IANA) [4].
The 'jabber:x:roster' namespace is registered in the protocol namespaces registry maintained by the XMPP Registrar [5].
<?xml version='1.0' encoding='UTF-8'?>
<xs:schema
xmlns:xs='http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema'
targetNamespace='jabber:x:roster'
xmlns='jabber:x:roster'
elementFormDefault='qualified'>
<xs:annotation>
<xs:documentation>
The protocol documented by this schema is defined in
XEP-0093: http://www.xmpp.org/extensions/xep-0093.html
NOTE WELL: This protocol has been superseded by XEP-0144
http://www.xmpp.org/extensions/xep-0144.html
</xs:documentation>
</xs:annotation>
<xs:element name='x'>
<xs:complexType>
<xs:sequence>
<xs:element ref='item' minOccurs='1' maxOccurs='unbounded'/>
</xs:sequence>
</xs:complexType>
</xs:element>
<xs:element name='item'>
<xs:complexType>
<xs:sequence>
<xs:element name='group' type='xs:string' minOccurs='0' maxOccurs='unbounded'/>
</xs:sequence>
<xs:attribute name='jid' type='xs:string' use='required'/>
<xs:attribute name='name' type='xs:string' use='optional'/>
</xs:complexType>
</xs:element>
</xs:schema>
This document in other formats: XML PDF
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The Extensible Messaging and Presence Protocol (XMPP) is defined in the XMPP Core (RFC 6120) and XMPP IM (RFC 6121) specifications contributed by the XMPP Standards Foundation to the Internet Standards Process, which is managed by the Internet Engineering Task Force in accordance with RFC 2026. Any protocol defined in this document has been developed outside the Internet Standards Process and is to be understood as an extension to XMPP rather than as an evolution, development, or modification of XMPP itself.
The primary venue for discussion of XMPP Extension Protocols is the <standards@xmpp.org> discussion list.
Discussion on other xmpp.org discussion lists might also be appropriate; see <https://xmpp.org/community/> for a complete list.
Errata can be sent to <editor@xmpp.org>.
The key words "MUST", "MUST NOT", "REQUIRED", "SHALL", "SHALL NOT", "SHOULD", "SHOULD NOT", "RECOMMENDED", "NOT RECOMMENDED", "MAY", and "OPTIONAL" in this document are to be interpreted as described in BCP 14 [RFC2119] [RFC8174] when, and only when, they appear in all capitals, as shown here.
1. RFC 2779: A Model for Presence and Instant Messaging <http://tools.ietf.org/html/rfc2779>.
2. RFC 6121: Extensible Messaging and Presence Protocol (XMPP): Instant Messaging and Presence <http://tools.ietf.org/html/rfc6121>.
3. XEP-0144: Roster Item Exchange <https://xmpp.org/extensions/xep-0144.html>.
4. The Internet Assigned Numbers Authority (IANA) is the central coordinator for the assignment of unique parameter values for Internet protocols, such as port numbers and URI schemes. For further information, see <http://www.iana.org/>.
5. The XMPP Registrar maintains a list of reserved protocol namespaces as well as registries of parameters used in the context of XMPP extension protocols approved by the XMPP Standards Foundation. For further information, see <https://xmpp.org/registrar/>.
Note: Older versions of this specification might be available at https://xmpp.org/extensions/attic/
@report{saint-andre2003x-roster,
title = {Roster Item Exchange},
author = {Saint-Andre, Peter},
type = {XEP},
number = {0093},
version = {1.2},
institution = {XMPP Standards Foundation},
url = {https://xmpp.org/extensions/xep-0093.html},
date = {2003-05-22/2005-08-26},
}END