A WSDL file describes a webservice in terms of Inputs/Outputs. On Wm Developer we can create a client (webservice connector) based on a WSDL file.

My question is: How can we create a flow service to act as the server based on a WSDL file. Since the WSDL is independent of client and server implementation, we should be able to create the client and/or the server.

On a project that I’m involved there is a client that already accesses many servers for a specific service. This service is described by a WSDL and implemented on all servers; In order to Wm IS become another server we have to implement a flow service based on the WSDL to act as a server. How can I accomplish this on the WmDeveloper?

That is the best practice which is WSDL or contract design first then create the service that implements it. Yes you can create a flow service in developer to provide the implementation for the WSDL described interface.

Mark C has posted several examples (see the sticky in this forum for one) of how to construct a flow service to be a web service. The only difference is you will need to construct your input and output documents according to the schema types described in the WSDL. You can import the schema via developer but I have found that to be problematic in some cases. Either way your documents will need to match the schema defined types.

You will also need to insure your namespaces conform to what is defined in the WSDL as well.

Ok, so there is no simple way to do it

What a nice feature to include on future developer versions…

Webservice server generator

So having it generate a service stub would be helpful kind of like Axis2 will do for you? Then you would have to provide the actual implementation (no way to auto do that because WSDL just defines the inputs and outputs not the actual implementation).

They are working on adding enhanced support in the future version, it will be out in the spring of 2007, it’s release 7.1 for now. It will support the latest standards, basic profile, security and including enhanced schema support etc. I do not believe it will have the feature you are asking for but that would make for a good feature request.

Sure. That’s it, just create a hollow flow service with I/O fields and the correct namespace.

I think this is a must-have for future versions . I know middleware software that suports it now.

Some of the web services testing tools I reviewed recently are able to generate service stubs to simulate the server component of the service. This comes in handy when you need to start client testing (or develope client test cases) before the service has been implemented.

It would be a nice feature, but it’s also not difficult. Just generate a web services connector from the operation you want to “host” then build a service that accepts soap messages containing those document types and performs the desired function.

Is this some kind of an uptime or server health service that all soap servers in your organization must implement?

Mark C

Just as an exemple:

Think of a e-marketplace where there are multiple clients and multiple suppliers. The e-marketplace defines standards for communication between all them, this definition comes in the form of WSDL.

If a new supplier chooses to become part of the e-marketplase, it has to create a server that implements for exemple (search product WSDL) while all the clients are able to perform a search for that supplier as for all other suppliers (because they use the same WSDL).

Imagine if each new supplier implemented a new interface for the search product interface… then all the clients had to implement multiple search product client functions…