Does RTI Connext support the IDL data-types "interface" and "valuetype"?

Note: Applies to RTI Connext 4.x and above

RTI Connext does not support the IDL interface data type because it corresponds to remote procedure calls, a concept that does not apply to the data-centric, publish-subscribe (DCPS) communications model of the DDS standard. 

The valuetype data type is partially supported. A valuetype may contain both data and operations for remote procedure calls. You cannot use operations in a valuetype with RTI Connext, but you can use it for other important purposes, such as: 

• Data types with inheritance. Valuetypescan be derived from other valuetypes. (IDL structs do not provide this functionality.)  Here is an example:

  valuetype Shape {
      public double area;
  };
  
  valuetype Square : Shape {
      public double side_length;
  };

• Interoperability with non-RTI Connext applications that use valuetypes. For example, a system that uses both Connext and CORBA could declare some of its types as valuetypes. Instances of those types could be sent and received using RTI Connext.

Note: In RTI Connext 5.0.0 and newer valuetype is a synonym for struct.