How to check the size of a topic's TypeCode/TypeObject using RTI Admin Console

This article quickly illustrates how the RTI Admin Console can be used to determine the TypeCode and TypeObject sizes (note 2).  

In the example below,  the RTI Shapes Demo is publishing Circles, Squares, and Triangles.

The Admin Console displays the TypeCode and TypeObject sizes in several places.

In the example above,  the TypeCode = 378 and the TypeObject = 1,060.  

Since type information is passed during Discovery,  Admin Console does not need to be subscribed to the topics.

If the type information is not present in Admin Console,  this typically means the application is not publishing it; this is an indication that you need to increase typeobject_max_serialized_size if the intention is to propagate type information during discovery.  

By default, RTI Connext is configured to send TypeCodes with a maximum serialized size of 2kB and TypeObjects with a maximum serialized size of 3kB. You can change this default behavior by modifying the DomainParticipantResourceLimitsQos:

XML QoS Example:  Resource Limits for supporting TypeCodes and TypeObjects up to 4kB.

See How to send big TypeCodes and TypeObjects for additional information. 

 Notes: 

1. The sum of the individual values,  as illustrated in the surrounding green box,  do not add up arithmetically to the final TypeCode and TypeObject values.    This is due to padding and format information. These values can be used to determine relative sizes that contribute to the total. 

2. TypeObject is the primary method of describing type information -- TypeCodes are legacy constructs used primarily in pre-5.x vintage versions of Connext.

The RTI Community Knowledgebase contains an extensive collection of articles related to TypeCode and TypeObject.  Some particularly useful articles include: