Database.com Metadata API Developer's Guide - Salesforce.com

CRUD-Based CallsreadMetadata()nf.setType(FieldType.Text);nf.setLabel(co.getFullName() + " Name");co.setNameField(nf);SaveResult[] results = metadataConnection.createMetadata(new Metadata[] { co });}for (SaveResult r : results) {if (r.isSuccess()) {System.out.println("Created component: " + r.getFullName());} else {System.out.println("Errors were encountered while creating "+ r.getFullName());for (Error e : r.getErrors()) {System.out.println("Error message: " + e.getMessage());System.out.println("Status code: " + e.getStatusCode());}}}} catch (ConnectionException ce) {ce.printStackTrace();}ArgumentsNamemetadataTypeMetadata[]DescriptionArray of one or more metadata components.Limit: 10.You must submit arrays of only one type of component. For example, you could submitan array of 10 custom objects or 10 profiles, but not a mix of both types.ResponseSaveResult[]readMetadata()Returns one or more metadata components from your organization synchronously.SyntaxReadResult = metadataConnection.readMetadata(string metadataType, string[] fullNames);UsageUse the readMetadata() call to get one or more metadata components from your organization. This call executessynchronously, meaning the call returns only when the operation completes.You can use this call to retrieve any of the objects that extend Metadata. For more details, see Metadata Components andTypes.VersionAvailable in API version 30.0 and later.48