March 2006

Building web services with Apache Axis

I. Assumptions:
==========
       (1) Your path variable contains C:\batch.

       (2) C:\batch has the following batch files:

       adminclient.bat
                java org.apache.axis.client.AdminClient  %1

       wsdl2java.bat
                java org.apache.axis.wsdl.WSDL2Java  %1

       tcpmon.bat
                java org.apache.axis.utils.tcpmon  %1

      (3) Your classpath includes all of the jar files required by Axis. For
            example, the classes AdminClient and WSDL2Java must be
            in a jar file pointed to by your classpath.

      (4) You have located your Microsoft wsdl.exe file. Mine was found in:
            C:\Program Files\Microsoft.NET\SDK\v1.1\Bin\wsdl.exe

      (5) You have located your Microsoft command line C# compiler. 
            Mine was found in:
            C:\WINDOWS\Microsoft.NET\Framework\v1.1.4322\csc.exe

      (6) Add the above paths to your path variable. Mine now reads:
            C:\Program Files\Java\jdk1.5.0_05\bin;
            C:\Program Files\Microsoft.NET\SDK\V1.1\Bin;
            C:\WINDOWS\Microsoft.NET\Framework\v1.1.4322;
            C:\WINDOWS\system32;
            C:\batch;
            C:\Tomcat 5.5\bin;
            %ANT_HOME%\bin;
           
II. Building a simple web service
======================
1. Create server side Java code: 

    // SimpleCrypto.java
    // On the server side 

    public class SimpleCrypto {

          public int caeser(int c) { return c + 3 % 26; }
    }

2. Create server side deployment descriptors

deploy.wsdd

<deployment xmlns="http://xml.apache.org/axis/wsdd/"
            xmlns:java="http://xml.apache.org/axis/wsdd/providers/java">
 <service name="CaeserService" provider="java:RPC">
  <parameter name="scope" value="application"/>
  <parameter name="className" value="SimpleCrypto"/>
  <parameter name="allowedMethods" value="*"/>
 </service>
</deployment>

undeploy.wsdd

<undeployment xmlns="http://xml.apache.org/axis/wsdd/">
 <service name="CaeserService"/>
</undeployment>

3. Copy all .class files to C:\Tomcat 5.5\webapps\axis\WEB-INF\classes.

4. Run adminclient deploy.wsdd

III. On the client
===========

1. Visit http://localhost:8080/axis/servlet/AxisServlet
    and save  the wsdl document associated with CaeserService.

2. Place this file on the client side. When writing a microsoft client 
    you will need to change the extension from ".xml" to ".wsdl".

IV. Client side programming in Java
========================
 
1. Run wsdl2java CaeserService.xml.

2. Look over the new directory and examine the Java source code
    generated.

// Java Client directory 

D:\McCarthy\www\95-804\examples\caeser\client>tree /f
Folder PATH listing
Volume serial number is 71FAE346 BA17:BF69
D:.
¦   CaeserClient.class
¦   CaeserClient.java
¦   CaeserService.xml
¦
+---localhost
    +---axis
        +---services
            +---CaeserService
                    CaeserServiceSoapBindingStub.class
                    CaeserServiceSoapBindingStub.java
                    SimpleCrypto.class
                    SimpleCrypto.java
                    SimpleCryptoService.class
                    SimpleCryptoService.java
                    SimpleCryptoServiceLocator.class
                    SimpleCryptoServiceLocator.java


3. Write a client in Java.

	import localhost.axis.services.CaeserService.*;

	public class CaeserClient {

	    public static void main(String args[]) throws Exception {
   
  	        SimpleCryptoServiceLocator loc = new SimpleCryptoServiceLocator();
   	        SimpleCrypto s = loc.getCaeserService();

                          int c = s.caeser(5);

                          System.out.println(c);
    }
}

V. Client side programming in C#
=======================

1. Run wsdl CaeserService.wsdl  (note change in extension)

2. Look over the new ".cs" file and examine the source code.
    The file is named SimpleCryptoService.cs

3. Compile this into a library.
    csc -t:library SimpleCryptoService.cs
    producing a SimpleCryptoService.dll

4. Write a C# client.

using System;
public class MyClient {
   public static void Main() {
        SimpleCryptoService crypto = new SimpleCryptoService();
        int c = crypto.caeser(65);
        Console.WriteLine(c);
   }
}
Compile with 
csc -r:SimpleCryptoService.dll Client.cs

VI. Watching the SOAP interactions
======================
1. Run tcpmon from any directory.

2. The client contacts 7070 (proxy code must be changed to 7070) and tcpmon visits 8080 where 
    Tomcat/Axis is listening