Mechanism for validating the message format for message channels

An apparatus for validating a message in a message queuing environment wherein the message is validated before the message is sent to a recipient program, the apparatus comprising:

• acquiring the message;
• comparing the message header to the validating criteria;
• comparing the message body to the validating criteria;
• and
• wherein the validating criteria specifies a data that the recipient program will accept;
• comparing a message property to a validating criteria property;
• wherein the message is valid only if the message property matches the validating criteria property;
• comparing a message value to a validating criteria value;
• wherein the message is valid only if the message value matches the validating criteria value;
• comparing a message type to a validating criteria type;
• wherein the message is valid only if the message type matches the validating criteria type;
• comparing a message character set to a validating criteria character set;
• wherein the message is valid only if the message character set matches the validating criteria character set;
• comparing a message format to a validating criteria format;
• wherein the message is valid only if the message format matches the validating criteria format;
• determining whether the message is valid;
• responsive to the determination that the message is valid, forwarding the message to a message queue for distribution to the recipient program;
• and
• responsive to the determination that the message is not valid, indicating an error to a sender program without forwarding the message to the message queue for distribution to the recipient program.