XML Retrieval - through function calls or temp files?

Question

We are creating an application for a client's website. The website will make a function call to our application to generate XML data. The web service then must retrieve this data. Would it be best for us to return the XML data as a part of our function, or would we be better to create temp files? If creating temp files is the better option, how should we go about naming them, and where should we store them? Furthermore, how should we go about destroying them so we don't clutter the server?

Answer 1

I would return XML.

With files there are all that questions, which one will have to handle and imho it could be error prone.

Answer 2

Returning XML will save a lot of overhead for you and client both. First identify how the client expects the output. If the size of xml is not very large, you can return it as string.