RE: Web Services -- need suggestions on how to handle data structuresfor programs to be used as Web Services

Thanks Chuck!

I think that this is going to be new ground though. Please, oh please,
correct me if I am wrong on this.

It seems that the Web Services Wizard will generate the WDSL and SOAP
definitions from the PCML which describes the program call to be exposed
as a web service. If the parameter is a simple field, as in the
example, then it is easy.

But what if the parameter is a structure and that structure is defined
in the PCML? It seems that a really clever wizard will expose the
details of the parameters structure (as described in the PCML) in the
WDSL and SOAP. I hope that it is really clever.

Say you are accepting a name and address in a parameter. In the
pseudo-PCML you describe the structure
FNAME 20
LNAME 20
ADDRESS1 30
ADDRESS2 30
CITY 30
STATE 2
ZIP 5

Will the web service created by the wizard expose the structure, as
above, or will it expose the parameter as a character field of length
107?

This really isn't a question about web services, at least as I
understand it. Rather how much does the Web Services Wizard do with the
PCML.

Thanks for your time.

Regards
Bill Blaock

-----Original Message-----
From: midrange-l-bounces@xxxxxxxxxxxx
[mailto:midrange-l-bounces@xxxxxxxxxxxx] On Behalf Of CRPence
Sent: Wednesday, May 28, 2008 7:11 PM
To: midrange-l@xxxxxxxxxxxx
Subject: Re: Web Services -- need suggestions on how to handle data
structuresfor programs to be used as Web Services

Somewhat dated, but there might be something of value from the
following message.
http://archive.midrange.com/midrange-l/200801/msg01856.html
As I recall an RPG example in a referenced .pdf used a DS. The data
can not be represented simply as a "character field the length of the
data structure" because conversion between EBCDIC and ASCII can not be
applied to non-character data which may make up components of the DS.
I believe any 2008 Group PTF SF99114 for IBM HTTP Server includes any

required code.

Regards, Chuck

Blalock, Bill wrote:

I've been studying the Integrated Web Services for i announced by IBM
(http://www.ibm.com/systems/i/software/iws/). Cool stuff. I found

the

reference on this list.

The server example uses a program to convert temperatures; the
parameters are two character fields which represent temperatures.

Any suggestions on how would more complicated data that one might put
into data structures to pass into and out of programs and service
programs? I don't have the prerequisites or I'd be experimenting and
poking around.

PCML allows a parameter to be defined as a simple field or structure

of

fields.

If a parameter were described in PCML as a structure of fields would

the

parameter be published as a set of fields or as a character field the
length of the data structure?

If described as a structure would the WDSL that is generated include

the

separate fields or one character field for the parameter?

If described as a structure what would one see in the "Select Export
Procedures to Externalize as a Web Service" display (step 5 and Figure

6

in the server quick start section).

Finally, is there any documentation yet for the web services part of
this feature beyond what is on the above reference?