AFAIK you don't need it during deployment.
Correct, the WSDL is used for "code stubbing" in all the different
environments I have seen it used (mostly .NET and Java).
Again, the beauty of a 4GL: as new protocols are designed, they can be
added to the language and your application code doesn't have to change.
The point I was trying to get at is that not all web services use a WSDL.
And I wouldn't bring it up period except that there is an alarmingly high
percentage of web services that don't use a WSDL (I'd estimate around 40%
depending on the industry of the remote company you are connecting to).
A quote from a recently published training course on Lab400.com titled "XML
Web Services for RPG Programmers":
"Web services have been around long enough now to establish which
technologies will and won't catch on – there are many technologies involved
with web services. In the past few years, I have dealt with many scenarios
of web services, and I have found the approaches individuals and companies
take vary greatly. In other words, no set methodology exists for web
services. Countless specifications claim to prepare us for the next
must-have revision, but they are only useful if my business partners choose
to adopt them." - section 1.1 page 1
It is the latter part of the last sentence that is important. From what I
have seen of EGL it has solid capabilities to consume WSDL based web
services (this is great and will cover many scenarios), but what work is
involved to connect to an XML/HTTP/SSL web service that does NOT have a
WSDL? Obviously all languages potentially have this challenge, and in the
same breath some implement this high percentage exception better than
others.
Aaron Bartell
http://mowyourlawn.com
disclaimer: I am the author of "XML Web Services for RPG Programmers" :-)
It doesn't "ship" until August 4th.
midrange.com
