Index: includes/common.inc
===================================================================
RCS file: /cvs/drupal/drupal/includes/common.inc,v
retrieving revision 1.756.2.97
diff -u -p -r1.756.2.97 common.inc
--- includes/common.inc	11 Aug 2010 21:10:41 -0000	1.756.2.97
+++ includes/common.inc	14 Aug 2010 13:04:44 -0000
@@ -2618,16 +2618,22 @@ function drupal_valid_token($token, $val
 /**
  * Performs one or more XML-RPC request(s).
  *
+ * Usage example:
+ * @code
+ * $result = xmlrpc('http://example.com/xmlrpc.php', array(
+ *   'service.methodName' => array($parameter, $second, $third),
+ * ));
+ * @endcode
+ *
  * @param $url
  *   An absolute URL of the XML-RPC endpoint.
- *     Example:
- *     http://www.example.com/xmlrpc.php
- * @param ...
- *   For one request:
- *     The method name followed by a variable number of arguments to the method.
- *   For multiple requests (system.multicall):
- *     An array of call arrays. Each call array follows the pattern of the single
- *     request: method name followed by the arguments to the method.
+ * @param $args
+ *   An associative array whose keys are the methods to call and whose values
+ *   are the arguments to pass to the respective method. If multiple methods
+ *   are specified, a system.multicall is performed.
+ * @param $options
+ *   (optional) An array of options to pass along to drupal_http_request().
+ *
  * @return
  *   For one request:
  *     Either the return value of the method on success, or FALSE.
@@ -2637,10 +2643,30 @@ function drupal_valid_token($token, $val
  *     returned by the method called, or an xmlrpc_error object if the call
  *     failed. See xmlrpc_error().
  */
-function xmlrpc($url) {
+function xmlrpc($url, $args, $options = array()) {
   require_once './includes/xmlrpc.inc';
-  $args = func_get_args();
-  return call_user_func_array('_xmlrpc', $args);
+
+  // Backwards compatibility for function arguments used in Drupal <6.20.
+  if (is_string($args) || isset($args[0][0])) {
+    $old_args = func_get_args();
+    array_shift($old_args);
+    $options = array();
+    // Old single request syntax ($args is method name to call).
+    if (is_string($args)) {
+      $method = array_shift($old_args);
+      $args = array($method => $old_args);
+    }
+    // Old multicall syntax ($args is an indexed array).
+    elseif (isset($args[0][0])) {
+      $args = array();
+      foreach (array_shift($old_args) as $call_args) {
+        $method = array_shift($call_args);
+        $args[$method] = array($call_args);
+      }
+    }
+  }
+
+  return _xmlrpc($url, $args, $options);
 }
 
 function _drupal_bootstrap_full() {
Index: includes/xmlrpc.inc
===================================================================
RCS file: /cvs/drupal/drupal/includes/xmlrpc.inc,v
retrieving revision 1.47.2.6
diff -u -p -r1.47.2.6 xmlrpc.inc
--- includes/xmlrpc.inc	2 Jun 2010 12:22:02 -0000	1.47.2.6
+++ includes/xmlrpc.inc	14 Aug 2010 12:57:53 -0000
@@ -424,23 +424,25 @@ function xmlrpc_base64_get_xml($xmlrpc_b
  * @return
  *   A $xmlrpc_message object if the call succeeded; FALSE if the call failed
  */
-function _xmlrpc() {
-  $args = func_get_args();
-  $url = array_shift($args);
+function _xmlrpc($url, $args, $options = array()) {
   xmlrpc_clear_error();
-  if (is_array($args[0])) {
-    $method = 'system.multicall';
+  if (count($args) > 1) {
     $multicall_args = array();
-    foreach ($args[0] as $call) {
-      $multicall_args[] = array('methodName' => array_shift($call), 'params' => $call);
+    foreach ($args as $method => $call) {
+      $multicall_args[] = array('methodName' => $method, 'params' => $call);
     }
+    $method = 'system.multicall';
     $args = array($multicall_args);
   }
   else {
-    $method = array_shift($args);
+    $method = key($args);
+    $args = $args[$method];
   }
   $xmlrpc_request = xmlrpc_request($method, $args);
-  $result = drupal_http_request($url, array("Content-Type" => "text/xml"), 'POST', $xmlrpc_request->xml);
+  // Required options which will replace any that are passed in.
+  $options['headers']['Content-Type'] = 'text/xml';
+  $retry = (isset($options['retry']) ? $options['retry'] : 3);
+  $result = drupal_http_request($url, $options['headers'], 'POST', $xmlrpc_request->xml, $retry);
   if ($result->code != 200) {
     xmlrpc_error($result->code, $result->error);
     return FALSE;