<oXygen/> XML Editor User Guide

Composing a SOAP request

To design, compose, and test Web service calls in <oXygen/> follow the procedure:

  1. Create a new document or open an existing document of type WSDL.

  2. Design the Web Service descriptor in the WSDL editor pane where the content completion is driven by a mix of the WSDL and SOAP schemas. You do not need to specify the schema location for the WSDL standard namespaces because <oXygen/> comes with these schemas and uses them by default to assist the user in editing Web Service descriptors.

    Figure 11.1. Content completion for WSDL documents

    Content completion for WSDL documents
  3. While editing the Web-Services descriptors check their conformance to the WSDL and SOAP schemas. In the following example you can see how the errors are reported.

    Figure 11.2. Validating a WSDL file

    Validating a WSDL file
  4. Check if the defined messages are accepted by the Web Services server. <oXygen/> is providing two ways of testing, one for the currently edited WSDL file and other for the remote WSDL files that are published on a web server.For the currently edited WSDL file open the WSDL SOAP Analyser tool by pressing the toolbar button WSDL SOAP Analyser or use the menu item Document->Tools->WSDL SOAP Analyser or from the Project panel contextual menu select Open with->WSDL SOAP Analyser

    Figure 11.3. WSDL SOAP Analyser

    WSDL SOAP Analyser

    It contains a SOAP analyser and sender for Web Services Description Language file types.The analyser fields are:

    • The List of Services. The list of services defined by the WSDL file.

    • The List of Ports. The ports for the selected service.

    • The List of Operations. The list of available operations for the selected service.

    • The Action URL. This is not editable and it shows the script that serves the operation.

    • The SOAP Action. This is not editable and identifies the action performed by the script.

    • The Request Editor. It allows you to compose the web service request. When an action is selected, <oXygen/> tries to generate as much content as possible for the call skeleton. Usually you just have to change few values in order for the request to be valid. The content completion is available for this editor and is driven by the schema that defines the type of the current message.

    • The Attachments List. You can define a list of file's URLs to be attached to the request.

    • The Response Area. It presents the message received from the server in response to the Web Service request. It may show also error messages.

    • The Errors List. There may be situations in which the WSDL file is respecting the WSDL XML Schema, but it fails to be valid for example in the case of a message that is defined by means of an element that is not found in the types section of the WSDL. In such a case, the errors will be listed here. This list is presented only when there are errors.

    • The Send Button. Executes the request. A status dialog is shown when <oXygen/> is connecting to the server.

    The testing of a WSDL file is straight-forward, you just have to click on the WSDL analysis button, then select the service, the port and the operation. The editor will generate the skeleton for the request. You can edit the request, eventually attach files to it and send it to the server. Watch the server response in the response area.

    For a remote WSDL file use the menu item Tools->WSDL SOAP Analyser ... and enter the URL of a WSDL or SOAP file. Pressing OK will open the WSDL SOAP Analyser tool.

    Figure 11.4. WSDL File Opener

    WSDL File Opener
  5. Once defined a request derived from a Web Service descriptor you can save it with the Save button and reuse it later. In this way you will save the time in configuring the URLs and parameters.

  6. You can open the result of a Web Service call in an editing view. In this way you can save it or process it further.