[Openroad-users] Web Service calls from an OpenROAD client

[Neil.Warnock at luminary.co.uk]

Hi Paul,

Here are a few options if you are running on a windows platform. If the server is windows you could create a common 4GL Server service so the ActiveX stuff is in one place only.

1) MS SOAP Toolkit

Use the Microsoft SOAP Toolkit activeX component in the OpenROAD application code.

Pros
* Reasonably straight-forward to implement
* Utilises full benefits of WSDL, including schema checking
* Proven approach

Cons
* Microsoft have discontinued support for the MS SOAP Toolkit
* Microsoft do not recommend using the SOAP Toolkit on Windows Server 2003

2) MSXML and XMLHTTP

Use Microsoft XML and XML HTTP object to drive the web services. The WSDL can be manually parsed to locate the endpoint and port of the web service.

Pros
* Reasonably straight-forward to implement
* Proven approach
* Full support from Microsoft

Cons
* Full WSDL benefits not exploited (eg, schema checking)
* Extra development over option 2 (Soap Messages must be built manually)
* Manual workaround to implement a timeout facility
(see http://www.perfectxml.com/msxmlAnswers.asp?Row_ID=41)

3) .NET Assembly (exposed as an ActiveX control)

Using a .NET Assembly (i.e. .NET managed code) to perform the web services communication. This assembly would then be exposed as an ActiveX control allowing it to be driven from OpenROAD.

Pros
* Full power of .NET when accessing web services (straightforward to implement)
* Utilises full benefits of WSDL, including schema checking

Cons
* Extra development effort over options 1 & 2.
* Increased complexity as additional technology introduced (.NET)

Rgds,

Neil Warnock
Luminary Solutions
Tel: +44 (0)845 371 4090
Mob: +44 (0)771 265 0291
Email: Neil.Warnock at luminary.co.uk

For more information on Luminary go to http://www.luminary.co.uk<http://www.luminary.co.uk/>
Luminary Solutions Limited Registered in England No 4854134 VAT Reg No. 829 3166 13
Registered Office: 16/17 Pavilion Business Park, Royds Hall Road, Leeds LS12 6AJ



________________________________
From: openroad-users-bounces at peerlessit.com [mailto:openroad-users-bounces at peerlessit.com] On Behalf Of Paul Grimsell
Sent: Thursday, September 13, 2007 9:00 AM
To: International OpenROAD Users
Subject: [Openroad-users] Web Service calls from an OpenROAD client

Hi!

We are looking at a requirement from one of our customers to interface from our OpenROAD app to another app via web services.

Has anyone managed to invoke web services from an OpenROAD client?!

We use Oracle at the back end so we could do a post from the database but that get's complicated to tie in with the users experience at the front end!

Any thoughts / advice / ideas welcomed!

Cheers,

Paul

Paul Grimsell * UNIFI Technical Design Authority * SunGard Vivista * Methuen Park, Bath Road, Chippenham, SN14 0TW, UK
Tel +44 (0)1249 706882 (DDI) * Fax +44 (0)8456 042999 * Mobile (Mobex) +44 (0)7710 957779 (87779) * www.sungard.com/Vivista<http://www.sungard.com/Vivista>
SunGard Vivista is part of SunGard Public Sector


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