WSDL Invocation Tools, Part II - Page 6
April 3, 2002
Our initial discussion of WSDL invocation tools focused on
programming and command-line invocation tools. We now move on to even simpler
tools that are entirely driven by a web-based interface.
The GLUE Console
In addition to supporting a number of command-line tools, the
GLUE platform also supports a very intuitive web interface for deploying new
services and connecting to existing services.
To start the GLUE console, just type:
console
This will automatically start the GLUE console on the default
port 8100. Open a web browser and you will see the GLUE console home page.
(See Figure
6-5.)
Figure 6-5. The GLUE console: index page
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In the text box entitled WSDL, you can enter the URL for any
WSDL file. For example, try entering the URL for the eBay Price Watcher
Service, http://www.xmethods.net/sd/2001/EBayWatcherService.wsdl.
Click the WSDL button, and you will see the Web Service overview
page. (See Figure
6-6.) This page includes a description of the specified service (extracted
from the WSDL document element) and a list of
public operations. In the case of the eBay service, you should see a single
getCurrentPrice method.
Figure 6-6. The GLUE console: Web Service overview page for the eBay
Price Watcher Service
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Click the getCurrentPrice method, and
you will see the Web Method overview page. (See Figure
6-7.) This page includes a text box where you can specify the input
auction ID.
Figure 6-7. The GLUE console: Web Method overview page for the
getCurrentPrice method
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Enter an auction ID, click the Send button, and GLUE will
automatically invoke the remote method and display the results at the bottom
of the page. For example, Figure
6-8 shows the current bid price for the Handspring Visor Deluxe. Note that
the price has already gone up $10 since invoking the service via the GLUE
command-line tool!
Figure 6-8. The GLUE console: invoking the getCurrentPrice method
(results of the invocation are displayed at the bottom of the screen)
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SOAPClient.com
If you would like to try out a web-based interface similar to
GLUE, but don't want to bother downloading the GLUE package, consider the
Generic SOAP Client available at SOAPClient.com.
Figure
6-9 shows the opening screen to the Generic SOAP Client. Much like the
GLUE console, you can specify the address for a WSDL file in this screen.
Figure 6-9. The Generic SOAP Client, available from SOAPClient.com
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Specify the same eBay Price Watcher Service WSDL file, and the
SOAP Client will display a text box for entering the auction ID. (See Figure
6-10.)
Figure 6-10. The Generic SOAP Client: Displaying information on the
XMethods eBay Price Watcher Service
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Figure
6-11 displays the result of the eBay service invocation. The Handspring
Visor is up another $4!
Figure 6-11. The Generic SOAP Client: Response from the XMethods eBay
Price Watcher Service
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Basic WSDL Example: XMethods eBay Price Watcher Service - Page 5
Web Services Essentials
Automatically Generating WSDL Files - Page 7
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