SOAP

SOAP is an XML messaging technology that enables webservice requests and responses to be made over any network transport protocol, typically HTTP. Each SOAP message, either a request or response, is an XML document that consists of an Envelope element, which in turn contains a Header element and a Body element.

The envelope defines the XML namespaces for SOAP and EWS. The Header element contains metadata about the message such as authentication, transaction, or quota information.

WSDL Files

SOAP web services are described using the Web Services Description Language (WSDL). WSDL files (WSDLs) look similar to the XML schema and fully describe the operations a web service can accept, the parameters for each request, and the format of the responses.

WSDLs are often used by client toolkits to enable functionality in that toolkit for building a request or handling a response. For example, a toolkit could use the WSDL to generate a template for the request, or to ensure the request has the correct number and format of parameters.

Working with WSDLs

Let’s dig into this WSDL some more; double-click the first service icon in the navigator above which will open the following window:

The first tab gives some general overview information on the WSDL; it’s URL, target namespace, etc. Let’s switch to the WSDL Content tab to have a more detailed look at the WSDL itself:

The navigation tree to the left allows us to browse through the contents of the WSDL, to the right we can see the WSDL file itself. Had there been multiple files involved (via WSDL imports or XML Schema imports and includes), these would all be shown as tabs to the right to allow browsing of the entire contract (with corresponding entries in the tree to the left).

The toolbar buttons include a “Create Documentation” option (second from the right), opening this and specifying a desired folder generates the following for us: