How to POST XML using RestTemplate

I intend to POST an XML message using Spring Rest Template. After a number of failures, I am starting to doubt whether Spring Rest Template can POST an XML message. This is a Restful client that I developed. The RestTemplate is intended to do an HTTP post of an XML to a RestFul webservice: ``` Class RestClient{ public static void main(String[] args) { RestTemplate restTemplate = new RestTemplate(); List<HttpMessageConverter<?>> messageConverters = new ArrayList<HttpMessageConverter<?>>(); //This JAXB Message converter is intended to marshal an XML message over HTTP. //However, I find this converter is not doing the intended function. Jaxb2RootElementHttpMessageConverter jaxbMessageConverter = new Jaxb2RootElementHttpMessageConverter(); List<MediaType> mediaTypes = new ArrayList<MediaType>(); mediaTypes.add(MediaType.TEXT_HTML); jaxbMessageConverter.setSupportedMediaTypes(mediaTypes); messageConverters.add(jaxbMessageConverter); restTemplate.setMessageConverters(messageConverters); restTemplate.postForLocation("http://localhost:8080/RecipeProject/restCallConsumer", "<add><somefield></somefield></add>",String.class); } ``` } This controller is intended to consume the XML message. The controller was written to test that the client can send the XML message appropriately: ``` @RequestMapping("/") @Controller public class HomeController { @RequestMapping(value = "/restCallConsumer", method = RequestMethod.POST) public String restCallConsumer(String anXML) { System.out.println("anXML: " + anXML); return "aView"; } } ``` Most of the example I found around using XML with RestTemplate involves using an object mapping tool. This tool maps object to an XML and vice versa. In my case, I only have an XML string that I want to send via HTTP post. Has anyone accomplished what I am trying to do ? It could be that RestFul client is not intended for what I am trying to do. Any answer would be appreciated :) EDIT THe XML message is produced by serializing a Map using Xstream. This is the code that does that: ``` com.google.common.collect.LinkedListMultimap.ListMultimap<String, String> multimap = com.google.common.collect.LinkedListMultimap.LinkedListMultimap.create(); multimap.put("x", "1"); multimap.put("x", "2"); multimap.put("y", "3"); XStream xStream = new XStream(new DomDriver()); xStream.registerConverter(new MapEntryConverter(xStream.getMapper())); xStream.alias("add", multimap.getClass()); String xml = xStream.toXML(multimap); System.out.println(xml); ``` This code is intended to convert the multimap into an XML string using a converter named MapEntryConverter. This is the code for the Converter: ``` public static class MapEntryConverter extends MapConverter { public MapEntryConverter(Mapper mapper) { super(mapper); } public boolean canConvert(Class clazz) { return ListMultimap.class.isAssignableFrom(clazz); } public void marshal(Object value, HierarchicalStreamWriter writer, MarshallingContext context) { ListMultimap<String, String> map = (ListMultimap<String, String>) value; for (String key : map.keys()) { writer.startNode(key); writer.setValue(map.get(key).get(0)); writer.endNode(); } } } ``` EDIT I change my code as per @artbristol recommended. I saw this in the log file: DEBUG: org.springframework.web.client.RestTemplate - Writing [ 1 1 3 ] using [org.springframework.http.converter.StringHttpMessageConverter@1d34263a] It looks like the restTemplate is POST-ing the XML message. However, the anXML parameter in the controller is null. Does this mean that the XML message could not reach the controller ? Could it be that the controller is not implemented correctly ?